Stovetop Mac and Cheese – The Ultimate Comfort Food
When it comes to comfort food, there is one meal that tops many people’s list of favorites. That’s macaroni and cheese! Whether it comes in a blue box or fresh out of the casserole dish, it always hits the right spot for me. When it comes to cooking at home, baked macaroni and cheese is the traditional option. But much like you can quickly cook a box of Kraft mac and cheese in less than 10 minutes, you can make your own homemade dish on the stove top as well, and it will taste much better than any of the prepackaged varieties for no more than five minutes in additional time.
Find your favorite Stove top macaroni and cheese recipe will be half the fun of making it at home. There are lots of different recipes to try and some great variations on additional ingredients, such as using smoked cheeses or adding bacon. You can also slim the recipes down a bit by sticking to lighter dairy products such as light cream or 2% milk, and reduced fat cheeses. But you cannot expect the same creamy texture from a stove top recipes that uses skim milk instead of evaporated milk or half and half.
My current standby is the Alton Brown Stovetop Mac and Cheese. With four tablespoons of butter, evaporated milk, hot sauce and dry mustard, it is a richly delicious dish that comes with a great kick in the taste buds.
To find your own favorite, it is best to experiment. Try Alton Brown’s recipe or check out some other favorites. You can even find some recipes on the back of of various pasta packages. I believe Barilla has a good one listed on their macaroni packets.
If you can’t live without the crunchy goodness you get from baked mac and cheese, you can cheat a bit and still save a lot of time in the kitchen. Just put your mac & cheese into a casserole dish after it is cooked, top it with breadcrumbs and maybe some Parmesan cheese and then stick it under the broiler for 15-30 seconds, or until lightly toasted.