May 12, 2010

Traditional Mac & Cheese

"For-a-Crowd" Recipes, casserole, cheese, Kids' Favorite Recipes, main dish, pasta, Vegetarian Recipes

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415 ratings

Prep time: 25 minutes
Baking time: 30 to 40 minutes
Servings: 8
Partner: Crunchy Roman Salad

Grandma never made packaged macaroni and cheese. She always made the real thing.

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups elbow macaroni
4 teaspoons salt, divided
1 1/3 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
2/3 cup bread crumbs
5 1/3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup each finely chopped red bell pepper and green bell pepper
2 teaspoons chopped onion
2 cups scalded milk
4 egg yolks, beaten
4 egg whites, stiffly beaten

Directions

1

Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease 8 individual baking dishes.
2

Bring 3 quarts water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the macaroni and 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil. Boil just until macaroni is tender, about 6 minutes; drain.
3

Combine Cheddar, bread crumbs, butter, red and green peppers, onion and remaining salt in a large bowl and mix well.
4

Add milk to Cheddar mixture and mix well. Stir in egg yolks and macaroni. Fold in beaten egg whites.
5

Spoon macaroni mixture into the prepared baking dishes. Place baking dishes in a pan of hot water. Bake until set, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Grandma's Secret Trick

Scalding the milk is a technique Grandma used to make the texture of macaroni and cheese creamier. To scald milk, Grandma placed the milk in a saucepan over medium-high heat and heated it until small bubbles formed around the edges of the saucepan or until an instant-read thermometer placed in the milk registered 180F. To make cleanup easier, she rinsed the saucepan with cold water before pouring in the milk.