Another day and another comfort food. Macaroni and Cheese is the ultimate in comfort foods. Pasta and creamy cheese sauce is always a winner, especially if you are a 10 year old girl who lives in my household. I hear loud cheers every time I make Mac and Cheese.
My five year was not so sure about Mac and Cheese. Normally this is the age where they live on this type of food but he’s a bit picky at the moment. It had been a few months since I last made this for dinner, but it turns out that he had Mac and Cheese at a friends house for lunch recently. He looked at it and declared “It’s not yellow. I don’t like it.” Groan. Why do children do this? I have to reassure myself that my older two went through this stage too, and now they eat nearly everything. We had to go through the whole process of “You’re a big kid now that you are 5! Big kids are brave and always try a bite”. He finally ate it and asked “Mum, aren’t you proud of me for eating my dinner?”. It would be cute if it didn’t happen so often.
There is a reason why my Mac and Cheese is not yellow. I love white cheddar cheese. To be honest, I think it’s mainly due to the fact that I associate cheese with this color. I remember making a lasagna a few days after arriving in America, and calling my mother saying “the cheese is nuclear orange!”.
I had never seen yellow cheddar, and suddenly all my cheese dishes were bright yellow instead of a creamy white color. I’ve become used to yellow cheese, but a few years ago I noticed cheesemakers coming out with cheese without annatto. It didn’t take me long to go back to the white cheddar.
The yellow color on top of this mac and cheese is not from the cheese, but the paprika! Now there is a spice that I adore. Paprika and cheese make a great pair – I often use it on any dish that has a melted cheese top. Have you tried fries with paprika sprinkled on them? There’s another great combination.
Round out this meal with a salad and a beer (for the adults, of course!) and it’s a perfect for warmer weather. It’s probably not obvious from my photos, but this whole meal is gluten free. I have used brown rice pasta and the beer is Omission. My love swears this is the best gluten free beer ever.
- 2 cups dry elbow macaroni
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups milk
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3/4 cup ham, chopped
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- Preheat the oven to 375° F and grease a large casserole dish.
- Cook the macaroni according the directions on the packet. Drain and pour into the prepared casserole dish.
- In a medium sized saucepan, combine the cornstarch, salt, mustard and pepper. Add 2-3 tablespoons of milk, taken from the 2 cups of milk. Stir to form a paste. Slowly add the remaining milk and the butter.
- Over a medium heat, stir the milk constantly until it comes to a boil. Continue to stir the boiling milk for another minute.
- Remove the boiled milk from the heat and add the ham and cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted.
- Pour the cheese sauce over the macaroni and mix well.
- Top the macaroni and cheese sauce with 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Sprinkle the paprika over the cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and slightly browned.
