By Garrett Kelly, Staff Writer
Photo Source // Garrett Kelly
Looking to up your comfort food game? Kraft just not fulfilling your deep-seated craving for quality mac and cheese? You might be looking for this very recipe. Importantly, this is simple enough that you can make it with just a few kitchen essentials; hopefully perfect for those dorm kitchens.
Serves 4 (Or you and three small tupperware).
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Equipment needed:
Large pot
Pan
Medium saucepan
Whisk or stirring spoon
Measuring cup
Paring knife
Vegetable knife
Cutting surface
Strainer
Ingredients:
6 cups water
8 ounce macaroni
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of flour
1 cup heavy whipping cream
¾ cup milk
1 & ½ to 2 cups shredded cheddar
1-2 fresh jalapenos
⅔ cup green onions
4-7 strips of bacon (to preference)
Salt
Pepper
Mustard Powder
(Season salt, available at most grocers, is not required but is highly recommended.)
First up is food prep. Remove the seeds from your fresh jalapenos. The easiest way to do this is to remove the stem, slice it down the middle length-wise, and scrape out the seeds with your paring knife. Removing the seeds is optional, but seeds in will make for a seriously spicier final product. Finely chop the green onion and jalapeno until you’re satisfied with the size of your chunks and you have sufficiently relieved your second-quarter stress.
Place a pan on medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, feel free to start throwing bacon on. You’re going to be keeping an eye on the bacon as you work on what’s next. Let it cook for 8-12 minutes until appropriately crispy.
Alternatively, if you find it easier, you can preheat your oven to 400 degrees, place the bacon on a well oiled baking sheet (or baking sheet with a wire rack. Without a wire rack, oven bacon will be a bit chewier). You’ll want to use a neutral flavored oil, like canola if you go this route. Let cook for up to 20 minutes, but be careful, you won’t want this to burn so start checking after around 15 minutes. I would actually recommend going this route if you can, but it is slightly more supply intensive. Oven cooked bacon on a wire rack will leave you with some nice, crispy bits that’ll crumble perfectly into your sauce later on.
Next up, we’re gonna get to work on the mac part of this mac and cheese. Add six cups of water to a large pot and bring it to a boil. Optionally, feel free to add onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, salt and pepper to the water as it boils. When the pot is boiling, add your eight ounces of macaroni. Let the pasta cook for up to 10 minutes but keep an eye on it, you want the noodles to be al dente. This is pretty simple but its important to watch it as you work on the rest of the meal.
Next we’re gonna start working on a roux. Melt your two tablespoons of butter, then add it and your two tablespoons of flour to a medium saucepan on medium heat. Whisk or stir the roux gently until you’re left with a cohesive mixture. Avoid stirring too fast or too little or the flour might coagulate, leaving you with clumps that won’t mix well.
As soon as your roux is nice and smooth, add one cup heavy whipping cream and ¾ cup of milk. Reduce heat to medium-low, add pepper, salt and mustard powder, then whisk. Once the mixture has cooled off a little, add 1½ to 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, your chopped vegetables, and crumble the bacon into small chunks as you add it to the sauce. Once all the ingredients are added, you’ll want to reduce the heat to low, and bring the sauce to a simmer. If you have it, add season salt to taste at this point. Mix thoroughly until evenly melted and distributed, then combine with pasta, mix thoroughly and serve!
This is a pretty straightforward recipe but there are plenty of areas for experimentation. Try a different mixture of cheeses, but keep in mind that aged cheeses don’t melt the same way as the highly processed stuff, so you’d want a combination of young and old cheese. Substitute bacon or the vegetables as you see fit. I recommend sharing this dish with friends, or even making them help you cook as it’s a lot easier with two sets of hands. If you get tired of heading over to the caf, I hope you give this recipe a shot. Food made with your own hands almost always tastes better, and cooking can be a great way to relax if you find yourself enjoying it!