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Macaroni and Cheese

Quick, easy, made from everyday ingredients — for the whole family! Macaroni and cheese is a favorite with grown-ups and kids alike. It's no trouble to make: no sauces, no extra frying or simmering. This pasta works as a side dish or a meal on its own.

Maria

Recipe author

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Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Elbow macaroni

250

Water

2.5

Hard cheese

100

Butter

Salt

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 20 % 2 g

Fats 20 % 2 g

Carbohydrates 60 % 6 g

47 kcal

GI: 0 / 100 / 0

Cooking method

Cooking time: 40 min

Step 1:

How do you make macaroni and cheese? Gather the ingredients. Choose durum-wheat pasta. Pick good-quality cheese and butter with no vegetable fats in them. Any cheese works — hard, semi-hard, or soft — as long as it melts well.
Step 2:

Bring 2.5 liters of water to a boil in a pot. Figure the water at about 1 liter per 100 g of pasta; with less, the pasta can overcook quickly or clump together. Add the salt and the macaroni to the boiling water. For the first 5 minutes, stir now and then so the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom. Cook the macaroni according to the package directions. Mine called for 10 minutes, but I cooked it 9 — to al dente, just shy of done.
Step 3:

While the pasta cooks, grate the cheese on the coarse side of a grater.
Step 4:

Drain the pasta in a colander and let all the water run off. Give the colander a couple of shakes to get rid of any extra moisture.
Step 5:

Return the macaroni to the pot it cooked in. Add the butter and toss the pasta so it coats every piece. To speed things up, you can melt the butter ahead of time over low heat or in the microwave. If you don't have butter on hand, you can use 1–2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Step 6:

Add the grated cheese to the pasta.
Step 7:

Quickly toss the cheese with the pasta.
Step 8:

Serve the pasta right away on warm plates, sprinkled with fresh herbs. Serve hot. Enjoy!

You can make any pasta this way, not just elbow macaroni. If you have a little pasta left in the pot, be sure to cover it with a lid — pasta dries out and stiffens fairly fast. Reheated, it loses its fresh flavor, so it's best made right before serving. If you do plan to keep some for the next day, don't add the cheese; it's better to sprinkle the cheese on right before eating.
For how to cook pasta properly, how to get it perfectly al dente, how to pick a good-quality product, and more, see the article "Pasta — how to choose it and the secrets of cooking it."
For how to choose the perfect pot for soup, porridge, or pickling, see the article on pots.
For cooking, it's best to use filtered or bottled water with a neutral taste. Tap water can leave the dish with an off, characteristic aftertaste.