Since I've joined the gym this past week, I've been making (very) minor adjustments to my life to sort of gear toward a healthier, not to mention less expensive, lifestyle. For starters, I've totally cut eating out at restaurants (okay okay, I ate at Poutini's this week... but we were in a pinch for food before the Warren Haynes Band concert!!), so I've been cooking a lot more.
Yesterday, I sat brainstorming for a while ideas of what to make for dinner for me and my boyfriend. I was in the mood for something super flavourful and fairly epic. I perused the internet for ideas for quite a while and decided on baked mac and cheese. I compiled a bunch of different recipes and came up with my own!
INGREDIENTS:
Serves 6
-1 lb Large Shell pasta (or any pasta that you like, really. Most websites recommend elbow mac)
-1/2 cup, or one stick, of butter
-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
-4 1/2 cups milk
-2 cups grated sharp white cheddar (1/2 cup for the top)
-2 cups grated sharp orange cheddar (1/2 cup for the top)
-2 cups grated gruyere (1/2 cup for the top)
-generous amount of salt, black pepper, paprika
-chili flakes (optional, but adds a nice kick)
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First, I boiled the large shell pasta in salted water until it was about two minutes outside of being cooked (it would cook in the oven anyway, and nobody likes mushy pasta - especially not me!). Then, I strained it and put it in a large bowl to sit.
Then, I preheated the oven to 350 degrees while I prepared the sauce.
First, I melted the stick of butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Then, I whisked in flour, and slowly added the milk, whisking continuously until it reached a boil. Then I reduced the heat, cooked for about 5 more minutes, whisking constantly. After 5 minutes had passed, I added in the cheese, salt, pepper, and paprika. I kept whisking the sauce until it was completely smooth (no chunks), and removed it from heat. I then added the sauce to the pasta in the large bowl and mixed it well.
I coated a large baking dish in low cal Canola Oil spray (cuz I need to be watching calories at this point, right? Ha!), poured in the pasta and sauce, and topped it off with the remaining grated cheese.
I baked it for 40 minutes, when the cheese was bubbling around the edges and the top was a beautiful golden brown colour.
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Holy COW! It was so so sooooo delicious! I had a large helping, as did Chris. It went really great with dollops of Sriracha Chili Paste.
Stay tuned for my next cooking adventure :)
Happy eating!
