Whenever I’m home, I love trying new recipes. Although I started with an interest in baking, I’ve recently gotten into cooking and decided to try to make the classic creamy macaroni and cheese that I scroll by on Instagram at least twice a day. I made this for my family and everyone greatly enjoyed it! The recipe serves 4 to 6 people. 

Ingredients:

1 pound dried short pasta, such as macaroni

1 1/2 cups whole or 2% milk

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 to 3 cups shredded cheese, such as cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Colby

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon powdered mustard

Optional extras (cook before adding): ham, bacon, onions, peas, mushrooms, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower

Instructions:

1. Boil 4 cups of salted water in a large pot. Add the pasta and cook until al dente—about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. Warm a cup of milk in a medium saucepan. In the meantime, place the remaining ½ cup of milk and flour in a small bowl and whisk together until there are no visible clumps. Once steam starts coming from the warming milk, whisk in the flour mixture. Whisk continuously until the milk thickens to the consistency of heavy cream—about 3 to 4 minutes.

3. Put the heat on low and mix handfuls of cheese into the milk. Stir in the salt and mustard, continuing to stir until the cheese has melted to create a creamy sauce. Adjust seasonings as preferred, removing the sauce from the heat.

4. Mix half of the sauce with the pasta in a large serving bowl. Add the remaining sauce and any preferred add-ins to combine. For a looser sauce, you can add up to ¼ cup milk.

This recipe is courtesy of thekitchn.com.