The recipes here run the gamut from the classic baked mac and cheese to sophisticated and flavorful adaptations. There are so many ways you can vary the flavor with add-ins too. Easy swaps can make an old recipe seem new again.

You could use cavatappi, campanelle, orecchiete, rotini, penne, or fusilli. You could try using another cheese or a blend of cheeses, like Monterey Jack, Fontina, Gruyere, or mozzarella.Īnother easy swap is the pasta. It’s almost second nature to reach for the cheddar cheese and elbow macaroni, but there are endless variations. What I love about these simple and classic recipes is that they’re so easy to modify. But you don’t always have to make a cream sauce. Melt in some grated cheese, and now you have a velvety cheese sauce called mornay. Milk is gradually whisked into a roux of melted butter and flour to make the smooth and creamy béchamel sauce. The traditional homemade version is made with luscious cheese sauce scattered with buttery breadcrumbs and baked until crisp and bubbling. Whether it’s a big casserole topped with crunchy breadcrumbs or a quick stovetop recipe, homemade mac and cheese is always consoling and never refused.

Top with grated Parmesan cheese and a little salt and pepper.Mac and cheese is quintessential comfort food.

(Add these ingredients a little at a time so you can adjust the amounts to your preference.) Mix well. Stir the cream cheese and macaroni together until well blended.Rinse and drain well, then pour it into the casserole dish. Cook the elbow macaroni according to package directions (I cook it about 10 minutes).Put the cream cheese into a casserole dish so it softens while you boil the macaroni.grated Parmesan cheese (I use the shaker kind).It is so easy, takes just 15 minutes and does not involve baking or heating the cheeses and milk. My kids love this macaroni and cheese recipe and it takes no time at all to get dinner on the table. My kids love macaroni and cheese, but I was finding the convenience and box versions so full of salt and additives that I started making my own homemade mac and cheese.

Homemade mac and cheese kids will love