Magnificent Mac and Cheese
May. 16th, 2009 11:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
passerine in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
omnomnomThis is a family recipe that has been adapted and modernized to try to make it a bit healthier.
Food You Will Need:
A one-pound box of whole wheat spiral rotini.
An eight-ounce brick of reduced-fat cheddar cheese. (Cabot's 75% reduced is the one I recommend.)
One of the following: Two drained 6.5 oz cans of tuna OR 2 cups of frozen peas OR 12 oz diced ham.
The makings of sauce:
1/2 stick of unsalted butter (or alternatively 2 T. of butter and 2 T. of olive oil)
1/3 cup flour (can be whole wheat)
1 1/2 cups milk
optional salt and pepper
Equipment You Will Need:
A pot large enough to boil a whole pound of pasta (and water in the pot).
An appropriate strainer/colander to drain the pasta.
A cheese grater and something to grate on/into.
A can opener for tuna or knife for dicing ham, if applicable.
Measuring cups in appropriate sizes.
A timer.
A small saucepan and wooden spoon to make the sauce.
A casserole dish.
Two stove burners (since you'll probably have pasta and sauce on the stove at the same time) and an oven.
Oven mitts or potholders for removing a hot dish from the oven.
Directions:
Put a reasonable quantity of water in the large pot and set it to boil.
While you're waiting for it to boil, grate the cheese and prepare your other ingredient (drain tuna, dice ham, or measure out peas).
Preheat the oven to 375F/180C
When the water boils, add the pasta to it. Set the timer for seven minutes. (Whole wheat pasta is NASTY if overcooked, so I err on the side of undercooking slightly. Some people prefer eight minutes cooking time.)
Make the sauce:
- Melt the butter over medium-low heat.
- When the butter is melted, "fry" the flour in the butter.
- VERY VERY SLOWLY add the milk, stirring constantly.
- Stir frequently and wait for the mixture to boil and thicken. It generally needs to be boiling for a full minute.
When you have pasta drained, then layer your ingredients in the casserole dish in this way: half of the pasta, half of the tuna/peas/ham, half of the cheese, the rest of the pasta, the rest of the tuna/peas/ham, the rest of the cheese. Pour the sauce over the top. Bake 12-15 minutes or until the top just starts to brown.
This will feed four as a main dish.
Food You Will Need:
A one-pound box of whole wheat spiral rotini.
An eight-ounce brick of reduced-fat cheddar cheese. (Cabot's 75% reduced is the one I recommend.)
One of the following: Two drained 6.5 oz cans of tuna OR 2 cups of frozen peas OR 12 oz diced ham.
The makings of sauce:
1/2 stick of unsalted butter (or alternatively 2 T. of butter and 2 T. of olive oil)
1/3 cup flour (can be whole wheat)
1 1/2 cups milk
optional salt and pepper
Equipment You Will Need:
A pot large enough to boil a whole pound of pasta (and water in the pot).
An appropriate strainer/colander to drain the pasta.
A cheese grater and something to grate on/into.
A can opener for tuna or knife for dicing ham, if applicable.
Measuring cups in appropriate sizes.
A timer.
A small saucepan and wooden spoon to make the sauce.
A casserole dish.
Two stove burners (since you'll probably have pasta and sauce on the stove at the same time) and an oven.
Oven mitts or potholders for removing a hot dish from the oven.
Directions:
Put a reasonable quantity of water in the large pot and set it to boil.
While you're waiting for it to boil, grate the cheese and prepare your other ingredient (drain tuna, dice ham, or measure out peas).
Preheat the oven to 375F/180C
When the water boils, add the pasta to it. Set the timer for seven minutes. (Whole wheat pasta is NASTY if overcooked, so I err on the side of undercooking slightly. Some people prefer eight minutes cooking time.)
Make the sauce:
- Melt the butter over medium-low heat.
- When the butter is melted, "fry" the flour in the butter.
- VERY VERY SLOWLY add the milk, stirring constantly.
- Stir frequently and wait for the mixture to boil and thicken. It generally needs to be boiling for a full minute.
When you have pasta drained, then layer your ingredients in the casserole dish in this way: half of the pasta, half of the tuna/peas/ham, half of the cheese, the rest of the pasta, the rest of the tuna/peas/ham, the rest of the cheese. Pour the sauce over the top. Bake 12-15 minutes or until the top just starts to brown.
This will feed four as a main dish.
no subject
on 2009-05-17 12:44 pm (UTC)