4 Ingredient Comfort Food

By Emily

Did you know that Homemade Macaroni and Cheese is really easy, and higher on the yum factor* than Mac-n-Cheez in a box? FOUR INGREDIENTS! That is all.

I didn't really know this until a few years ago when I started to pay attention to recipes my mom and Joe's mom made. This came up again in conversation with Lauren--hence this post. Thanks Lauren.

Anyway, here is a simple recipe from Joe's family cookbook, perfect for those days when you need a homemade meal, but can't muster up the energy.

For me, this was today. I have just gotten over a bout of food poisoning (or intestinal flu--who knows) and am trying to ease back into normal food. Still passing on the citrus fruits, but past the BRAT** diet. This fit the bill.

Maybe calling it Macaroni and Cheese will confuse your children when it comes out of the oven nothing like the box variety--you might want to make up your own name*** for it.

Also, this recipe is hard to mess up****. You can play around with the cheeses, the kind of pasta, the measurements, it will still turn out delicious. Today I used Rotini, since we had no Macaroni. But Ruby said, "Oh no, mommy, I don't want it that Spanish word. I want it Macaroni and Cheese," so I guess calling it "Rotini-and-Cheese" was a no go.

I'll include some variations below. With this recipe, you can follow the rule of 2, or 3, or 4, depending on how much you need to make. You'll see, check it out:

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

Makes: 4 large servings

Bake: 350*

Time: 20-40 min (depending on how hot and crispy you want your topping)

3 C macaroni, cooked (let's not count this as an ingredient, so then we can call it a 4 ingredient recipe, okay?)

3 T butter

3 T flour

1 1/2 C milk
3 C shredded cheese (set some aside for topping--however much you want, it'll turn out delicious)

1. Boil pasta until done. Drain. Set aside. (I did this at lunch time while I was in the kitchen anyway)

2. In a sauce pan, melt butter, add flour and stir continuously, add milk still stirring (like other white sauces). Add cheese and stir until well blended and melted.
3. Toss sauce over pasta, put in a buttered baking dish and top with remaining cheese.
4. Bake at 350* for 20-40 minutes

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Variations:

• Mix up the cheeses! I ran out of cheddar, so I used part Parmesan--gourmet!
  
• Top with bread crumbs instead of cheese (toss the bread crumbs with melted butter first, then top)
• Top with sliced tomatoes for added color and nutrients
• Add salt and pepper to sauce for flavor
• Toss in a dash of mustard (the dry spice kind) with your sauce making to add a little zing
• Make it spicy with peppers
  

*My original thoughts on Homemade Macaroni and Cheese were, "Why would you bother, that is a box food," but that was before I learned how easy it was. I would bet that, aside from the baking time, the actual prep time is the same as a box of mac-n-cheez.

**BRAT diet: Banana, Rice, Applesauce, Toast (this is for upset stomach, stomach flu, etc. mild foods that won't aggravate your tummy--especially kids. Sometimes I'll top the toast with applesauce--not too appealing, but when you can't keep much else down, and you're supposed to avoid greasy food among others [butter on your toast] it can be a small comfort)

***Other names: Pasta Bechamel, Cheesy Pasta Bake, Creamy Cheesy Pasta, Mario and Luigi's Favorite, etc. Why make up other names for it? If you say to the kids, 'HEY! We're having Macaroni and Cheese tonight!" What do you think they'll expect? I think appropriate expectations help foods succeed at the dinner table with kids. So prepare them, have them help you make it (Ruby "greased" the baking dish with a stick of butter, and sampled the cheese), then they'll know what to expect--and maybe don't call it Macaroni and Cheese if they're used to the box kind.

****How much can you fudge the recipe? If you only have 2 C of cheese instead of 3, it'll still be fine. If you want to add more pasta and less sauce, still delicious. It is pretty hard to mess this up.