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no-boil mac & cheese formula

(2 ratings)
heidicookssupper avatar
Recipe by
Heidi Hoerman
@heidicookssupper
Hingham, MA

This is by far the easiest way to make baked macaroni and cheese. It uses dry macaroni straight out of the box. It's an easy recipe to play with. I've done things like exchanging half the milk and half the cheese for mashed butternut squash with good results. You can add ham or vegetables or anything you like. If you add a vegetable, adjust for the water content of the vegetable by reducing the milk or adding pasta.

(2 ratings)
yield serving(s)
prep time 10 Min
cook time 1 Hr 15 Min
method Bake

Ingredients For no-boil mac & cheese formula

  • THIS RECIPE IS GIVEN AS A BASIC FORMULA THAT CAN BE MULTIPLIED FOR LARGER BATCHES AND ADJUSTED TO INCLUDE OTHER INGREDIENTS
  • 1 c
    dry (uncooked) elbow macaroni
  • 2 Tbsp
    butter, melted
  • 4 oz
    cheddar cheese, grated
  • 1/2 tsp
    salt
  • 1/4 tsp
    black or white pepper, ground
  • 1 tsp
    worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp
    smooth mustard, e.g. dijon
  • 2 c
    milk
  • 1/2 c
    optional: hard cheese, grated (e.g. parmesan, romano, asiago, etc.)
  • 1/4 tsp
    optional: nutmeg, freshly grated

How To Make no-boil mac & cheese formula

  • 1
    Preheat the oven to 375F
  • 2
    Determine how many cups of macaroni you wish to use and multiply all ingredients by that number. For example, a 1 pound box of macaroni is a little more than 3 cups of macaroni. Therefore, the recipe using this box of macaroni uses 6 tablespoons of butter, 12 ounces of grated cheese, and 6 cups of milk -- all "plus a little" in this case because the box had "a little more than" 3 cups. If making a large batch, use a bit less salt.
  • 3
    In a large bowl (a big salad bowl works well for this), toss the macaroni in the melted butter until coated. Add the grated cheese, salt and pepper. Toss to mix thoroughly.
  • 4
    Spread the mixture evenly in a shallow baking dish. Use a pan large enough that the mixture fills the pan less than 1/2 way. For example, a 1 pound (3+ cups) of macaroni batch, needs a 10 x 15 lasagna dish.
  • 5
    Mix together milk, Worcestershire sauce and mustard. Pour over the pasta mixture. Optionally, sprinkle hard cheese and nutmeg on top of the mixture.
  • 6
    Bake, covered, in the middle of a 375F oven for 45 minutes. Remove the cover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until all the milk has been absorbed and the top is golden brown. If the top starts to get too brown, cover loosely with foil for the last part of the baking.
  • 7
    Allow to sit 5 minutes before serving.
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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