Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

This is a variation on my stove top recipe. I actually developed it to enter into a contest, but then missed the deadline for submissions.

I love buffalo chicken, so for me this was a pretty natural step.

Ingredients:

• 1 boneless chicken breast, cut into small bites.
• 1/2 lb elbow macaroni or other pasta, uncooked
• 4 tbsp butter, cut into ~8-10 chunks
• 2 eggs
• 6 ounces evaporated milk (You can substitute 1/2-3/4 cup skim milk and let it cook a little longer to thicken)
• 3 tbsp buffalo wing sauce
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• Black pepper to taste
• 3/4 tsp dry mustard
• 4 ounces Colby Jack cheese, shredded
• 6 ounces sharp white Cheddar cheese

Brown the chicken in a frying pan with a little salt and pepper, remove to a plate and set aside.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water until al dente and drain.

Combine the eggs, evaporated milk, wing sauce, salt, pepper and mustard in a bowl.

Return the pasta to the pot and add the butter, stirring until melted. Pour in the egg mixture and add the cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted, then add the chicken and cook until the sauce reaches the desired consistency.

Stove Top Manchego Chorizo Mac & Cheese

This is a variation on my stove top recipe. I actually developed it to enter into a contest, but then missed the deadline for submissions.

For what it's worth, I also have this Manchego Chorizo Mac recipe, but I think this one is easier and turned out better.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb Spanish chorizo (the kind that comes in links, not a tube), sliced thinly
• 1/2 lb elbow macaroni or other pasta, uncooked
• 4 tbsp butter, cut into ~8-10 chunks
• 2 eggs
• 6 ounces evaporated milk (You can substitute 1/2-3/4 cup skim milk and let it cook a little longer to thicken)
• 1/2 tsp hot sauce
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• Black pepper to taste
• 3/4 tsp dry mustard
• 8 ounces Manchego cheese, shredded
• 2 ounces Monterrey Jack cheese

Brown the chorizo in a frying pan, remove to a plate with a paper towel and set aside.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water until al dente and drain.

Combine the eggs, evaporated milk, hot sauce, salt, pepper and mustard in a bowl.

Return the pasta to the pot and add the butter, stirring until melted. Pour in the egg mixture and add the cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted and the sauce reaches the desired consistency. Stir in the chorizo and enjoy.

Spinach Artichoke Mac and Cheese

FOUND IT: At the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board's mac and cheese site.

MODIFIED IT: Only to change the blend of cheeses a bit.

There's really no such thing as a healthy mac and cheese. By nature, it's a combination of carbs and fat. That's why it's delicious. With that said, this one isn't as unhealthy as most of the others.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces uncooked macaroni
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 10 ounce package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 14 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 3 1/2 cups shredded Fontina cheese (about 12-16 ounces)*
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

* - I only had half a pound of Fontina, so I supplemented it with some Muenster and some sharp cheddar.

Boil pasta as usual. Drain and set aside.

While the pasta is boiling, whisk together the milk, flour, salt and pepper. Once that's combined, stir in the pasta, spinach, artichokes and cheese. Stir until blended, then pour the mixture into a 9x13 baking dish. Combine the parmesan and bread crumbs, and sprinkle them on top. Drizzle the melted butter over the top.

Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

Roasted Cauliflower and Cheese

FOUND IT: This is my creation. It's modified from my beer cheese mac and cheese.

I'm not a big fan of cauliflower but this is one way I'll eat it. If you add enough flavor (and get a good, fresh cauliflower), then it's like a good mac and cheese with cauliflower instead of pasta.

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower, cut into bite size florets or smaller.
• 1/2 lb sharp cheddar, shredded
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup beer
• 3 tbsp flour
• 2 tbsp butter, cut into small chunks
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1 tbsp hot sauce
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste

Spread the cauliflower in a single layer on a cookie sheet, and drizzle with some olive oil. Sprinkle on garlic powder, salt and pepper and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or so.

Combine the milk, beer, flour, mustard, hot sauce, nutmeg and some salt and pepper in a small-medium saucepan, and whisk together. Once everything is whisked in, add the butter and cook over medium-low heat until the butter melts and the mixture thickens, roughly 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the cheese, stirring until it melts in.

Combine the cheese sauce and cauliflower in an oven-safe, coverable container, sprinkle more cheese on top if you have any, and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Beer Cheese Mac and Cheese

FOUND IT: This one is my own creation - concocted from a combination of a mac and cheese recipe from my mom and my Beer Cheese Soup recipe.

I recently realized somewhat suddenly that I've included a fair number of recipes here, but not my original mac and cheese recipe, the one that started my fascination with homemade mac and cheese. It's also the filling in my Mac and Cheese stuffed meatloaf. And now, it's going to be the 50th recipe on this site. That seems fitting, somehow.

Ingredients:

1 lb sharp cheddar, shredded
1 cup milk
1/2 cup beer
6 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons of butter, cut into small chunks
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
salt and pepper
Your favorite pasta - I use Dreamwell's elbows, as they're a little healthier.

Warm the milk and beer over medium heat until they're just threatening to boil. While you're waiting for that to warm up, boil your pasta in a large pot. Once it's tender, drain it and set it aside.

Meanwhile, whisk the flour into the milk mixture, then add all the other ingredients except the cheese. Once the butter melts, stir the mixture until it starts to thicken (if you can drag a silicon spatula across the bottom of the pan and see the bottom before liquid fills in, you're there), then add cheese. Stir until the sauce is thick and all the cheese has melted, then set it aside.

Combine the pasta with the cheese sauce, and enjoy.

Spicy Macaroni and Cheese

FOUND IT: At the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board's 30 Days 30 Ways blog.
MODIFIED IT: To replace a couple of ingredients I didn't have.

This recipe isn't as spicy as I expected it to be, although using the Pepper Jack cheese the recipe calls for would almost certainly rectify that problem.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups pasta noodles, such as cavatappi (a 1 lb box should be sufficient)
• 4 1/2 tablespoons butter, divided
• Half a medium onion, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup roasted red pepper (jarred or home roasted), finely chopped
• 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely minced (I made a half recipe but still used 2 jalapenos. For a full one, I'd use more.)
  

(Instead of attempting to finely chop these three ingredients, I pureed them all in a food processor.)

• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 8 ounces Colby Jack Cheese, shredded
• 4 ounces Pepper Jack Cheese, shredded
• 4 ounces Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded (I didn't have the Pepper Jack, so I doubled up on this)
• Bread crumbs, to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add pasta and cook according to the package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.

Meanwhile, melt 1/2 tablespoon butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, red pepper and jalapeño pepper, cook, stirring occasionally until fragrant and tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Once the butter is completely melted, whisk in the flour. Cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until it turns a light golden brown color, 1-2 minutes. Whisk in the milk until well blended. Cook the mixture, whisking or stirring frequently, until it begins to bubble and thicken, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Whisk in cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add the cheeses to the mixture and whisk until completely melted and well incorporated. Remove from heat.

Grease a 2-quart casserole dish. Return the drained pasta to a large pot. Add in the sautéed vegetables and cheese sauce; mix until well blended. Transfer the mixture to the prepared casserole dish. Cover with bread crumbs if desired.

Bake at 375 for 25 minutes, then allow to cool for at least five minutes before serving.

Deli-style Muenster Mac & Cheese

FOUND IT: At the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board's 30 Days 30 Ways blog.

I modified this one a fair amount, because I liked the concept but not necessarily their execution of it. If you'd like to see it done a different way, follow the link over to their site.

With that said, my wife really liked the way this turned out, and was especially happy with the muenster and bread crumb topping. This recipe makes a lot, though, so cut it in half if you're only serving two people.

Ingredients:

• Bread crumbs for topping (Follow the link for a recipe to make them - I just used some I had on hand.)
  
• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 8 ounces (about 2 cups grated) sharp white cheddar
  
• 2 tbsp brown mustard
  
• 1/2 cup gherkin pickles, drained and chopped (I omit this)
  
• 8 slices Muenster Cheese

In a large pot of boiling water, cook elbow macaroni until just al dente (about 6 minutes). Do not drain yet, but turn off heat and let pasta sit in the hot water while you prepare the cheese sauce.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Sprinkle flour over butter and stir continuously with a spoon as the mixture forms a paste and begins to brown a little, roughly 2 minutes. Then add milk a little at a time, stirring with a whisk after each addition. The paste will be lumpy at first, but will smooth and blend eventually.

Once all milk is added, stir in chili powder, salt and ground pepper. Increase heat to medium, and continue stirring until sauce starts to thicken, about 8 minutes*. Reduce heat to low. Add the cheddar and stir until fully melted. Add the mustard and remove the cheese sauce from the heat.

* - I define "starts to thicken" in this case as the point where you can drag a silicon spatula along the bottom of the pan and see the bottom of the pan before the liquid fills in.

Drain the macaroni in a large colander and rinse under hot water to remove extra starch. Drain well and return to pot. Stir hot cheese sauce thoroughly, then pour it over hot macaroni. Toss the pasta to coat evenly. Pour this mixture into a 8x8 square or 9 inch round baking dish. Cover the top with slices of Muenster, then a thin layer of bread crumbs.

Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes. If the cheese on top isn't browning at this point, turn on the broiler and finish it off that way. Let it rest for a few minutes to cool, then serve.

Caprese Mac & Cheese

FOUND IT: At the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board's 30 days 30 ways with Mac & Cheese blog.

Here's an interesting take on mac and cheese. It's very un-traditional, but if you choose a good mozzarella the cheese flavor really comes through, and it also has an intriguingly strong lemony flavor.

Ingredients:

• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 1/2 tsp salt, divided
• 1 1/2 tsp pepper, divided
• 1 pound pasta (medium shells are the recommendation)
  
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 tbsp butter
• 8 ounces Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
• 1 8-ounce ball Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, sliced

In a baking dish, combine grape tomatoes, olive oil, basil, lemon zest, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Toss to coat and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Remove and let stand.

At the same time bring water to boil over high heat in a soup pot (recipe calls for a medium saucepan, I wanted more room); add pasta and cook until tender. Drain, rinse with cold water, and let stand in a separate bowl.

In the same sauce pan, combine milk, butter, shredded Mozzarella Cheese, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring continually, over low heat until the cheese melts into a thick sauce, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the drained pasta back into pan and toss to coat.

Pour the pasta and cheese mixture into an 10×14-inch oven-safe dish (I used a nine inch round) and top with baked grape tomatoes. You can use the juice from the bottom of the tomato pan as a marinade for the fresh mozzarella, if desired.

Place the seasoned Fresh Mozzarella on top of the pasta and tomatoes. Broil on high for five minutes or until cheese is melted and browning.

Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese

FOUND IT: Where else? Keyingredient.com

As I've mentioned previously, I cook pumpkins down from scratch in big batches every year, and as such I'm always looking for new ways to cook it. This isn't the kind of recipe I would ever try if "pumpkin" hadn't been in the title - with that said, it's not bad and much healthier than your average mac and cheese. Just make sure you're using good cheese, because a little bit of cheese has to go a long way here.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups pumpkin puree
• ½ cup milk
• ¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
• ½ cup grated (I just used 1 1/2 cups of sharp cheddar)
• ¼ tsp ground mustard
• ½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ tsp ground red pepper
• Salt and pepper
• 10 oz. small pasta

Boil pasta according to package directions to al dente. Heat pumpkin puree in a medium
saucepan over medium to high heat. Add milk and thoroughly combine. Turn heat down to low. Add ¼ cup parmesan cheese, ½ cup cheddar cheese, and the mozzarella cheese. Stir until melted into pumpkin mixture. Add mustard, worchestire sauce, red pepper, and salt & pepper. Mix pumpkin sauce with drained pasta until thoroughly combined. Mix in rest of cheddar cheese.

Sprinkle extra cheese (if you have any) on top and bake in a 9x9 baking dish at 350 for ten minutes. Allow to cool for 3-5 minutes before serving.

Crock Pot Mac and Cheese

FOUND IT: It's a Paula Dean recipe.

Until I made this one, I thought there was only two ways to make mac and cheese: on the stove or in the oven. This one creates a third option - in the crock pot. The volume of pasta would suggest a small recipe, but this filled my small crock pot, and easily serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (slightly more than half of a 1 lb box).
  
• 4 tablespoons butter, cut into small cubes.
• 10 ounces grated sharp Cheddar
• 3 eggs, beaten (less if you don't want them)
  
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup whole milk (I used skim)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Boil the macaroni in a 2 quart saucepan in plenty of water until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain. In a medium saucepan, mix butter and cheese. Stir until the cheese melts. In a slow cooker, combine cheese/butter mixture and add the eggs, sour cream, soup, salt, milk, mustard and pepper and stir well. Then add drained macaroni and stir again. Set the slow cooker on low setting and cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

(The recipe calls for 3 hours, but make sure it doesn't get dry and add liquid if you need to. When I made it, it was really good at 2 hours, and not as good at 3.)

Foolproof Mac and Cheese

FOUND IT: My mother-in-law spotted it in a Cooks Illustrated publication.
MODIFIED IT: I removed the bread crumb topping, which I've never been a big fan of, and replaced it with some extra cheese on top. Other changes are noted below.

Ingredients:

1 lb elbow macaroni
Table salt
4 tbsp unsalted butter
5 tbsp flour
3 12-ounce cans evaporated milk (I use two and 1 1/2 cups skim milk)
2 tsp hot pepper sauce
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp dry mustard
8 ounces extra sharp cheddar, shredded
5 ounces American cheese, shredded (You can use mild cheddar, or just skip it and replace it with sharp cheddar)
2 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

(The recipe calls for you to save 1/2 cup of the pasta water. If you use the skim milk as I did above, you don't need it.)

Boil macaroni in a large pot with 1 tbsp of salt until al dente. Save 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

Melt butter in the now empty pot, cooking until it becomes foamy. Whisk in the flour until it starts to brown a little, then whisk in the milk, hot sauce, nutmeg, mustard, and 2 tsp of salt, stir and simmer until the mixture *starts to* thicken, roughly 4-5 minutes. Off heat, stir in cheeses and reserved cooking water (if you're using it). Stir in pasta and mix until coated.

Pour mixture into 13x9 baking dish, top with some extra shredded cheese (maybe some jack or mild cheddar), and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Let cool 5-10 minutes before serving.

Manchego Chorizo Mac and Cheese

FOUND IT: In Rachael Ray's Magazine.

I had been considering modifying my stove top recipe to use manchego and chorizo, but then I found this recipe so I didn't have to. Feel free to substitute in any veggies you like, just chop them small because they don't have much time to cook. I've already used spinach, peas, carrots, corn and asparagus.

Ingredients:

1 lb cavatappi, or any small cut pasta, really.
1/2 raw chorizo (or, grill a bunch of chorizo the night before and save a couple to chop up and use the next day)
3 tbsp butter
2 shallots, chopped (I use half of a small onion)
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tbsp flour
1/3 cup dry sherry
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup milk
2 cups (or more) shredded manchego cheese
2 cups frozen peas (or any vegetable that you can chop small, really)

Cook pasta to al dente in salted water, drain and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, remove the casings from the chorizo, and brown them in a skillet. roughly 2-3 minutes or until done. Remove from heat and allow to drain on a paper towel.

Melt the butter over medium-high heat in a skillet with high sides. Add the shallots (or onions) and garlic and cook until tender, roughly 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour, then the sherry, then the stock, then the milk. Keep stirring until it starts to thicken. It shouldn't be like paste, but it should be thicker than it is when you start.

Salt and pepper this mixture, and add the vegetables and the cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted, then add the pasta. Serve with the chorizo as a garnish.

Stove top mac and cheese

FOUND IT: On Good Eats.

I have about half a dozen mac and cheese recipes I use from time to time, but this one is the easiest. If you want to add some meat, try a couple of chopped up, cooked chicken breasts, or, make it into Buffalo chicken mac and cheese by adding that chicken and upping the hot sauce (to taste). This recipe serves about 4, but is easy to double if you're serving more, or halve if you're serving less.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound elbow macaroni
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 eggs
• 6 ounces evaporated milk (I rarely have this around, so I use 3/4 cup skim milk)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Fresh black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
  
• 10 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente and drain. Return to the pot and melt in the butter. Toss to coat.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and mustard. Stir into the pasta and add the cheese. Over low heat continue to stir for 3 minutes or until creamy.

Black bean meatloaf with mac and cheese filling

FOUND IT: This one is my creation.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground meat (I use venison, beef will work)
1 15 oz can of black beans, rinsed
1 1/2 cups of bread crumbs
2 eggs
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper

For the mac and cheese:
1/2 lb sharp cheddar, shredded
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup beer
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons of butter, cut into small chunks
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1/2 tsp nutmeg
salt and pepper
Half a box of pasta or so. Probably a little less.

To make the mac and cheese part, warm the milk and beer over low-medium heat, and add all the other ingredients except the cheese and pasta. Once the butter melts, stir it until it starts to thicken, then add cheese. Stir until the sauce is thick and all the cheese has melted, then set it aside. Boil pasta until it's done, strain, and combine.

Combine all the meatloaf ingredients in another bowl. Grease a loaf pan, divide your meat mixture in half and put half into the bottom of the loaf pan. Cover that with the mac and cheese, then shape the remaining meatloaf to cover the mac and cheese. Bake at 350 for half an hour. Let it chill for a few minutes before serving it.