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Baked Mac-n-Cheese

March 25, 2008 By Steph 13 Comments

Yummy!  I’ve always loved homemade macaroni and cheese.  Although I grew up eating the boxed variety, I’ve always loved the real deal.  Easy to make and yummy to taste, this delicious version is just my style.   A little bit of ham diced up and some fresh onion flavor, this is sure to please even the pickiest eater.  I know from experience, my daughter is the pickiest of them all, and she devoured it!  I’m sorry, but Martha Stewart really does know how to cook good food! In addition to her Cookie book, I also picked up her Everyday Food, Great Food Fast, cookbook, and I love it!  It has so many wonderful recipes, most of them very easy to prepare.  On this particular recipe, the only thing that I would change, would be to add a little less of the noodles, so there is a bit more of the cheesy sauce.  Other than that, it was very tasty and satisfying!

Macaroni and Cheese
1 pound elbow pasta
4 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup all purpose flour
4 cups milk
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1 1/4 cups (5 oz.)shredded yellow Cheddar cheese
1 1/4 cups (5 oz.)shredded white Cheddar cheese
course salt and ground pepper
8 oz. ham diced into 1/2 inch pieces
2 slices white sandwich bread (I used wheat)
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Cook the pasta according to package instructions; drain and reserve.  Meanwhile, in a 5 quart heavy pot, melt butter over medium heat.  Add the onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3-5 minutes.  Whisk in the flour to coat the onion.  In a slow, steady stream, whisk in the milk until there are no lumps.
2. Cook, whisking often, until the mixture is thick and bubbly and coats the back of a wooden spoon, 6-8 minutes.  Stir in the cayenne, if using, and 1 cup each of the yellow and white Cheddar cheese.  Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
3. Toss the pasta with the cheese mixture; fold in the ham.  Transfer to a 9×13 inch baking dish or individual dishes (see below).  Set aside.
4. In a food processor, pulse the bread until large crumbs form.  Toss together with the remaining 1/4 cup each white and yellow Cheddar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.  top the pasta with the breadcrumb mixture. Bake until the top is golden, about 30 minutes.
Making Individual Servings
This recipe makes enough to fill eight 12-16 oz baking dishes.  Divide the macaroni and cheese evenly, sprinkle with topping, and bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden.

Filed Under: main dishes, pasta

Comments

  1. amandalwh says:
    March 25, 2008 at 4:39 pm

    Yummy indeed! :D just like u, i grew up with box mac and cheese! =X have yet to try making REAL mac and cheese myself. :P i should be doing these soon! look at the nice golden top! *drool* thanks for the recipe~ :D

  2. Kevin says:
    March 25, 2008 at 6:04 pm

    It has been a long time since I last had macaroni and cheese. Making your own with real cheese and baking it with ham and a crispy topping sounds really good.

  3. Patsyk says:
    March 25, 2008 at 6:43 pm

    Oh, I have that cookbook! Good to know this is a winner of a recipe, I’ll have to go mark it to make soon! I have been searching for a good mac & cheese to make myself.

  4. PheMom says:
    March 25, 2008 at 7:16 pm

    Homemade mac is a whole different world! I made it for the first time last year from a recipe from one of the restaurants up in Park City. So awesome! You’ll never go back. Your mac looks great!

  5. Melanie says:
    March 25, 2008 at 8:05 pm

    Your pictures are amazing! So I’ve tried homemade mac and cheese before and I’ll be honest, I’m not sold on it. I’m sure the recipes I’ve tried aren’t that great – so my question for this recipe is does it turn out with a grainy texture or is it smooth and creamy?

  6. Elle says:
    March 26, 2008 at 6:29 am

    Looks fantastic! There’s nothing like homemade mac and cheese, is there? I also have the Great food Fast book–I love it!

  7. Patricia Scarpin says:
    March 26, 2008 at 7:18 am

    I agree with you, Steph – I love Martha’s recipes! That book is packed with delicious food. And your mac n cheese is making me hungry!

  8. Deborah says:
    March 26, 2008 at 11:22 am

    My husband is a “double the sauce” kind of guy, so I would probably cut back on the noodles too! :)

    This looks fantastic!

  9. Jenny says:
    March 26, 2008 at 11:52 am

    Gorgeous Steph!

    I love making mac and cheese, this one looks delicious! I don’t have any Martha cookbooks, maybe I’ll have to snag one up!

  10. michelle @ the smackdown says:
    March 27, 2008 at 8:15 am

    god DAMN i love mac and cheese. homemade is the best in the world. and that’s a darn tasty recipe!

    may i suggest: a pinch of dried mustard in the cheese sauce. also, a mix of cheeses is lovely; i like cheddar and fontina.

    now i’m a little bummed that tonight’s the smackdown night.

  11. Julie says:
    October 15, 2008 at 5:18 pm

    I loved adding the ham to the mac & cheese…definitely added to the mac & cheese!

  12. NYCMacUser says:
    November 3, 2008 at 8:10 pm

    My Macaroni & Cheese recipe is almost the same as yours. I use thick chunky bacon instead of the ham and eliminate the onion.

Trackbacks

  1. Hoboken Metro Mom » Take a Chicken and… says:
    May 10, 2009 at 7:35 am

    [...] Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Ham I like this recipe from Stephanie’s Kitchen.  My kids seem to like it when I make their food [...]

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