Everyone knows that the quintessential college meal is Kraft Dinner—most college dorms have stovetops and everyone’s got a mini fridge, so it’s not hard to keep butter, milk, and a box of Kraft Dinner around. When it’s time to leave a dorm room, though, it’s also time to upgrade your meal choices. You can swap our Kraft Dinner with homemade mac ‘n’ cheese with just a few more ingredients and hardly any extra time.
Tools Needed:
- 2 pots (1 for the pasta, 1 for the sauce)
- Whisk
- Cheese grater
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients:
- Pasta (the amount is up to you!)
- 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 1/2 cups of milk
- 1 cup grated cheese (suggestion: 1/2 cup of cheddar, 1/2 cup of mozzarella)
- OPTIONAL: breadcrumbs
- Spices (salt, pepper, etc.)
Method:
- Set a pot of water on the stove with a lid to boil. Once boiling has started, add your pasta and set a timer for the required cooking time as listed on the box.
2. Once the pasta is nearly finished or done, set another pot on the stove and add in 2 tablespoons of butter and let melt.
3. When the butter is fully melted, add in 2 tablespoons of flour and mix together until a beige paste (called a roux) is formed (approximately 30 seconds).
4. Add 1 and 1/2 cups of milk and continually whisk until the mixture is smooth and thickened. This will take approximately 4-6 minutes. To know if it is thickened, tilt the pot to the side and see if the bottom leaves a thin film behind after most of the mixture has moved to the side of the pot.
5. Once the mixture has thickened, add in the shredded cheese and mix together until fairly smooth, approximately 1-2 minutes. At this time, add in any spices of your choosing—season to taste.
6. Pour the cooked and drained noodles into the cheese sauce and mix together. Now your meal is ready to eat!
Optional: Place Mac ‘n’ Cheese in an oven-safe dish, put breadcrumbs and extra shredded cheese on top, and place in the oven for approximately 20 minutes.
In less than 30 minutes you’ll have a yummy, warm, comforting meal that will impress anyone you make it for. There is a lot of room to make this recipe your own, whether you want to add in some pulled pork to spice it up, switch out the cheeses for something a little richer, or even add a little feta for a nice salty bite. This is a great base recipe to keep in your repertoire!