Pioneer Woman Macaroni & Cheese
"Made this just a few days ago and it is super Yummy! I don't think I'll make Mac and Cheese any other way. I really loved the hint of garlic. Although I'll probably cut back on the salt next time, my own fault. Otherwise make a batch and just dig in!"
photo by ChrissyVas
- Ready In:
- 38mins
- Ingredients:
- 13
- Serves:
-
6-8
ingredients
- 4 cups macaroni (uncooked)
- 1⁄4 cup butter (1/2 stick, 4 tablespoons)
- 1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 1⁄2 cups whole milk
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard (more if desired)
- 1 egg (beaten)
- 1 lb cheese (grated)
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
- 1⁄2 teaspoon seasoning salt (more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- cayenne pepper (optional, to taste)
- paprika (optional, to taste.)
- thyme (optional, to taste.)
directions
- Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain.
- In a small bowl, beat egg.
- n a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.
- Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.
- Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth.
- Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.
- Add in cheese and stir to melt.
- Add salts and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT. (Also becareful not to over salt.).
- Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.
- Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.
- Either way YUM YUM YUM! (Try not to eat the whole pot!).
Questions & Replies
-
Can you make ahead of time to the point of baking? -
If you can tell me what degree the oven should be that would be great
Reviews
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Perfect recipe. I have made this so many times. The only suggestion that I have is not to put in too much macaroni to keep it really creamy. I added cayenne pepper and some thyme and it really added such great flavor. -
SHAMELESSLY stolen from a Ree Drummond recipe available elsewhere, and not only that, but copied incorrectly! I somehow accidentally stumbled upon this version and began cooking it only to find blatant errors that nearly destroyed the meal. The mixture of butter and flour gets whisked for, according to the original recipe, "a couple of minutes" (2-3), not the FIVE that burns it in this version. And when this was poorly copied someone completely left off the baking temperature of 350F that's kind of important. Do yourself a favor and look for the correct, and correctly attributes, recipe on a certain Network page instead.
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I love this recipe! It's super fast and easy when the kids say they want Mac and cheese for dinner and they're hungry NOW! ;) My only tweak is that it calls for WAY too much mustard so I only used half a tsp. I also dont have whole milk on hand so I used 2% and it was still think and creamy. It's not a fancy Mac and cheese but it's certainly better than any box stuff! -
Its Great expect for the dry mustard. -
Delicious! It is a keeper. Posters on Pioneer Woman's own site suggest less mustard. Start with 1 teaspoon and work up. If you don't like mustard go with one. If you do go with two. Use cheddar or it is good with a mixture of whatever you have cheddar, Parmesan, jack etc. Creamy roux makes the base consistency perfecto. Love it and so did my cheese loving kid. Thanks for posting. Enjoy! ChefDLH
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
ChrissyVas
Apple Valley, California
