When we moved to Europe one of the items that we always asked for in our care packages was boxes of macaroni and cheese. My husband and I so craved the taste of comfort food from home. (Back then I didn’t cook) Every time we tore open the shipment containers we grinned at the sight of those little blue boxes. It wasn’t that the taste of the packaged macaroni was fantastic, it was simply that it connected us to our families and childhoods in the states.
In the earlier European days we both craved a taste of home more often than we do now. So receiving those care packages was something we were very grateful for. You’d be surprised at the silly things one can miss when they move away from their native or adopted land. That also leads to spending a considerable amount of money to buy those products from specialty shops which import them. Once we found a few of the blue mac & cheese boxes here and ended up spending about four times than we would back home. Ah… the things you’ll do when you’re home sick.
Eventually we both got over those cravings and have really taken a liking for local products over ones from back home. Even so it doesn’t mean that we still don’t crave certain foods -we do. One day I decided that I would teach myself how to cook better and non-color additive macaroni and cheese. It took me a couple of tries but I finally have a simple yet delicious recipe. Additionally it is lighten up a bit so we can enjoy it more often. By “lighten-up” I don’t mean using fat-free or light ingredients. No, my recipe uses full fat ingredients and if you substitute them with fat-free products the results will not be the same. Here’s how I make my mac & cheese.
- 1 bag (400 g) macaroni noodles
- 100 gm Gouda, shredded
- 1¼ cup or 300 ml whole milk
- 40 g or 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- pinch of salt, extra if desired
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp flour
- Cook the macaroni noodles according to package instructions. While the noodles are boiling start the sauce. In a large pot melt the butter, once melted saute the onion until soft and translucent. Add the flour and stir until it forms a roux (thick paste). Pour half a cup of milk into the pot and stir until well combined. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and the ground black pepper into the pot, stir well. Add the shredded cheese and a little more of the milk. Continue stirring as the cheese begins to melt. Pour the rest of the milk and continue stirring until the cheese completely melts and the cheese sauce forms. Taste again and adjust salt if necessary.
- Mix the cooked and drained macaroni into the pot, be careful not to overspill. Continue mixing until all the noodles are well coated with the sauce. Serve right away.
The result is a creamy sauce that coats the noodles without having them swimming in it. I’ve been cooking our macaroni and cheese this way for about two years. It is one of our favorite meals and also the base for one of my husband’s famous recipes. (I’ll share his recipe soon.) If you must have a cheesier meal then you could of course double the sauce ingredients…I have yet to do so. The recipe can be served as a meal for two or as a side dish for four. Additionally you could swap out the Gouda for Cheddar or any other firm to semi-firm cheese.
Christmas is exactly two weeks from now (wow!) and over the course of this week I’ll be sharing some gift ideas for the foodie bloggers and photographers in your life.
I am running a special limited time offer on my food photography eBook guide. You can buy a copy directly from me (via Paypal) and have it delivered to your friend. With this offer you can personalize a special message for them. Please use the contact form to inquire or email me directly at spiciefoodie (@) gmail.com Please do not send payments until you contact me first. Sales price is $8.99 -a bargain!
The following are gifts for food blogger photography needs. 1.Lighting Strobe Kits
Great gifts! I need reflectors…
That mac & cheese looks wonderful!
Cheers,
Rosa
Your version of mac and cheese looks so yum Nancy!! I am drooling at your pictures :)
I was just thinking mac and cheese for my kid’s dinner. This would be a really welcome version. :)
Enjoy it Ramona. :)
Have you ever tried this with smoked gouda? I can’t wait! :)
You know I haven’t. I’m not sure why because smoked cheese is so popular here. Thanks now I have to give it a try soon.:)
Then there is oud (old), jong (young), mustard in fact loads especially with access to a decent cheese shop selling Dutch cheeses
Light, yet very flavourful. I love it.
Thanks Angie!
When my cousin and her husband were living in Spain last year and she was pregnant, that was her one big craving too! I sent her boxes and boxes of the organic Annie’s mac n’ cheese – so funny! This looks delicious Nancy :)
Hi Alyssa,
That’s too funny and how sweet are you for sending her all those boxes. Thanks!:)
Will be making this really soon. The kids and I love Mac&cheese, but it has to be home made, after you make it once the box thing it’s just not good enough. I usually make it with a sharp Cheddar and
mix Munster, mozzarella, even Chihuahua asiago, cream cheese but haven’t tried Gouda.
That’s true homemade is just so much better. Plus as you said you can try all sorts of cheese combos. All of yours sound really good. Thanks!:)
Nancy, after tasting so many rich foods these past few days, this is exactly what I am craving! Delicious photos.
Thanks Hester and enjoy!
Mac and cheese is so easy to make at home, you just have to do it once to realize it. I think you perfected your recipe and gouda is such a great choice.
Nancy, I love the idea of light…and sounds and looks delicious. Your pictures are always so tempting.
Have a great week!
gouda is so delicate and delicious. this looks great.
My husband showed me #5 gift the other day and asked if I could use it. Well – DUH! :) I know what you mean about missing food. A friend of mine in New Orleans ships me a care package from Louisiana each year and I ship a care package of New Mexico chile to a friend that used to live here in NM. I think it’s funny that one the things you miss the most is macaroni. It wouldn’t be the first thing on my list, but now that you mention it, mac & cheese would definitely be missed. I love that you used Gouda!!!!
Simple and delicious :D
I really want to try this recipe, but I don’t have a kitchen scale and the only conversion is the cheese. Do you know how many cups (etc.) that is?
Your photos are just stunning! I love making mac and cheese with gouda – your recipe sounds perfect for indulging on the lighter side.
(I used about a cup of shredded smoked Gouda.) It wasn’t quite as light as I hoped. I think I’ll reduce the butter and use nonfat yogurt or sour cream instead– I longed for some kind of tang. I also used smoked salt and teeny bit of nutmeg. It definitely inspired me to make it and continues to inspire me, thanks for sharing.
Good tip about holding off on the salt and I’d love any of those gifts.
I am madly in love with the photographs you post!! Every single one of them makes me wanna cook immediately!! Love this cheeeesy goodness! :)
Ooh, Gouda sounds delicious in this lighter version!
This seems so so easy. I’ve always been a little vary of making them because I’m afraid of getting really gloopy sauce and mushy pasta. Perhaps it isn’t that difficult after all.
So beautiful–the photos AND the recipe! :D I grew up on the boxed mac & cheese and I still find myself craving it sometimes for nostalgia’s sake, but nothing beats the homemade kind.
My kids love only homemade macaroni and cheese and your choice of gouda is the best!
I wish we lived closer so we could share a meal of mac & cheese! I’ll bring the green salad and you can teach me how to take gorgeous photos!!!! I think that’s a good idea;-)
I am absolutely positive that this is nothing like the boxed version, lol. But I bet it is strange the things that you would miss if you could no longer get them. Looks and sounds delicious!
I know I have more to catch up on but I have to get back to work…I’ll be back :) Big hugs!
Nancy, Gouda is one of my favorite cheeses and I have never used it in a macs & cheese. I look forward to trying this, I know it will make my husband very ecstatic.