The Best Macaroni and Cheese Recipe Ever

The Best Macaroni and Cheese Recipe Ever

 

 

This is, hands down, the best macaroni and cheese recipe I have ever, ever made. Seriously. Creamy, cheesy, straightforward, ooey, gooey – this macaroni and cheese will knock your socks off.

 

Author: Kitchen Treaty

Yield: 5 – 6 servings

 

Ingredients

• 8 oz. (1/2 pound or about 1¾ cups) macaroni or other medium tubular pasta (like penne or conchiglie, cavatappi, etc.)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• ¼ cup flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon dry mustard
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika plus more for sprinkling on top
• 2½ cups 2% milk
• 1 cup grated smoked gouda (1/4 lb)
• 2 cups grated extra sharp cheddar cheese (scant 1/2 lb or 7oz), divided
• Bread crumbs

 

Instructions

1. Boil the pasta until al dente, according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking, set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
3. Over medium heat in the pan you made the pasta in, melt the butter.
4. Add the flour, salt, dry mustard, pepper, garlic powder and smoked paprika. Stir constantly over medium heat for about three minutes.
5. Stir in the milk.
6. Keeping on medium heat, whisk constantly for about 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
7. Remove from heat, and stir in all of the gouda and 1 cup of cheddar, stirring until melted.
8. Stir pasta into the cheese sauce and toss gently until all noodles are covered.
9. Add half the noodles to a two quart casserole dish.
10. Sprinkle on 1/2 cup of the reserved cheese.
11. Add the rest of the noodles.
12. Sprinkle on the remaining 1/2 cup of reserved cheese, dust lightly with the smoked paprika and top with a few bread crumbs.
13. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, until the edges bubble, it starts getting a slightly dry and a tiny bit brown on top. Serve, topping individual servings with cooked, chopped bacon if desired.

Notes: Please resist the urge to add more noodles to stretch the recipe. You need a lot of sauce with that pasta because the pasta soaks so much and it otherwise cooks down. Over-dry mac and cheese is such a disappointment – don’t do it! Also resist the urge to add more cheese to the sauce. This can do weird things. Sprinkle more in between and on top if you must have more cheese.

Pumpkin Shrimp Curry

 

Pumpkin Shrimp Curry

I make mine with chicken but here's the original recipe from Bon Appetit magazine!

Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1 cup sliced onion 
1 tablespoon minced ginger 
1 tablespoon minced garlic 
1  plum tomato, chopped 
1  15-ounce can pumpkin purée 
2 cups vegetable broth 
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk 
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder 
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
1 cup butternut squash, roasted and diced 
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined 
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice 
Steamed rice 
Cilantro 
Lime zest 
Fried shallots 

 
DIRECTIONS

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and ginger; sauté until soft, about 8 minutes. Add garlic; cook for 1 minute. Stir in plum tomato and pumpkin purée; cook, stirring frequently, until pumpkin is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add vegetable broth, coconut milk, curry powder, and cayenne pepper; simmer for 20 minutes. Add butternut squash, shrimp, and lime juice. Simmer until shrimp are cooked and squash is warm.

Serve with steamed rice. Top with cilantro, lime zest, and fried shallots.

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and ginger; sauté until soft, about 8 minutes. Add garlic; cook for 1 minute. Stir in plum tomato and pumpkin purée; cook, stirring frequently, until pumpkin is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add vegetable broth, coconut milk, curry powder, and cayenne pepper; simmer for 20 minutes. Add butternut squash, shrimp, and lime juice. Simmer until shrimp are cooked and squash is warm. Serve with steamed rice. Top with cilantro, lime zest, and fried shallots. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and ginger; sauté until soft, about 8 minutes. Add garlic; cook for 1 minute. Stir in plum tomato and pumpkin purée; cook, stirring frequently, until pumpkin is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add vegetable broth, coconut milk, curry powder, and cayenne pepper; simmer for 20 minutes. Add butternut squash, shrimp, and lime juice. Simmer until shrimp are cooked and squash is warm. Serve with steamed rice. Top with cilantro, lime zest, and fried shallots.

Nutritional Information

Not including rice, one serving contains: Calories (kcal) 268.4; %Calories from Fat 34.8; Fat (g) 10.4; Saturated Fat (g) 2.4; Cholesterol (mg) 181.8; Carbohydrates (g) 21.6; Dietary Fiber (g) 6.6; Total Sugars (g) 7.3; Net Carbs (g) 15.0; Protein (g) 22.9; Sodium (mg) 903.3

Ginger Chicken with Snow Pea Salad

Ginger Chicken with Snow Pea Salad

Snap peas are at their best in spring, so take advantage with this Asian dish that melds salty soy, nutty sesame, and a kick of ginger.


Serves: 4

 

 

Reprinted from The South Beach Diet Quick & Easy Cookbook

 

309473mg10g3g12g38g2g

 

 

Ingredients:

 

Salt
1 pound snow peas, strings removed
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons canola oil, divided
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce, divided
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 clove fresh garlic, crushed
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 scallions, sliced
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil

Directions

 

1. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Fill a medium mixing bowl with ice and water. Boil snow peas for 2 minutes, drain, and place in ice water for 1 minute to chill. Drain and pat dry.

2. Combine 2 teaspoons canola oil, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, ginger and garlic in a shallow bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat.

3. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook 5 minutes on each side until golden and no longer pink inside. Transfer to a cutting board and slice.

4. Combine peas, scallions, sesame oil, and remaining 1 teaspoon soy sauce in a mixing bowl. Divide mixture between two plates and top each with half the chicken.

 

Nutrition Facts per serving: Total Calories 309; 473mg Sodium; 10g Carbs; 3g Fiber; 12g Fat; 2g Saturated Fat; 38g Protein.

Eggplant Manicotti

 

This recipe has a couple of steps in it so I recommend doubling it or tripling it.

Source: Adapted from a South Beach Diet recipe

This recipe makes 4 servings 

Ingredients

2 cup(s) part-skim ricotta cheese 
1/2 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg(s) 
2 teaspoon oregano, dried 
2 pinch salt, divided
1 large eggplant sliced 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick lengthwise (yield 8 slices)
Olive oil mister
1 tablespoon thyme, fresh chopped very fine
1/2 cup(s) cheese, mozzarella, part-skim, shredded 
Black ground pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix ricotta cheese with Parmesan, egg, oregano, and a pinch of salt. Mix well. Coat a 9-inch-square baking dish with 1 tablespoon of oil and spread the mixture inside the dish. Bake for about 15 minutes or until set and slightly browned on top. Remove and stir with a fork to break up ricotta mixture. Cover to keep warm and set aside. (MAKE AHEAD - The ricotta mixture can be made a day ahead and kept refrigerated, covered well.)

2. Turn up oven to 450°F. Mist eggplant slices with olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and thyme. Lay out on cookie sheets and roast for about 10 minutes or until tender and beginning to color. Remove and let cool enough to handle.  

3. Lay slices of eggplant down on clean work surface. Starting at widest end of each slice, place equal amounts of ricotta mixture near one end and roll up, ending with the seam-side down. Return eggplant rolls to baking dish and repeat until all slices are rolled. (At this point, the manicotti can be made, covered, and refrigerated several hours ahead. Finish with mozzarella just before serving).

4. Top with shredded mozzarella and salt and pepper to taste. Turn oven up to broil and return manicotti to oven until the mozzarella has melted and begins to brown, about 5-10 minutes. Serve with your favorite pasta sauce.  

Nutritional Information Amount Per Serving – Calories 297; Total Fat 18g; Saturated Fat 11g; Sodium 519mg; Carbohydrates 5g; Dietary Fiber 3g; Protein 24g.

Amazing Black Bean Brownies

These are ridiculously awesome! Moist, chocolaty and delicious. Mm! I cannot wait to make these again. 

 

Recipe adapted from Skinnytaste.com

 

Ingredients

2 (14 oz) canned low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
4 large eggs
1 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup zero calorie sweetener (stevia, swerve, etc)

1 tsp. coconut oil, melted

2 tbsp. unsweetened almond milk (or dairy, skim)

2 tsp. balsamic vinegar

1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. teaspoon of freshly ground or instant coffee

2/3 cup semisweet mini-morsel chocolate chips

 

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line two 8 x 8-inch square baking pans with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides.

 

Blend the black beans, eggs, cocoa powder, sugar, oil, almond milk, balsamic, baking soda, baking powder and coffee in the blender until smooth and pour into a bowl. Fold in chocolate chips until combined.  Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pans.  If desired, sprinkle additional chocolate chips evenly over the top of the brownies.

 

Bake the brownies until a toothpick comes out clean, about 30 to 32 minutes.  Allow the brownies to cool completely before slicing them into squares.

Servings: 16 per 8 x8 pan
Serving Size: 1 brownie
Nutrition per serving- Calories: 80 ; Fat: 3 g; Carb: 7.5 g; Fiber: 0.9 g; Protein: 1.8 g; Sugar: 4 g;
Sodium: 15 mg.

Tip: The beans come in 15.5oz cans but the recipe calls for 14oz. I recommend folks not add all of the beans to the recipe so the brownies stick together better.

Sesame Brown Rice Salad with Chicken & Peanuts

Sesame Brown Rice Salad with Chicken & Peanuts

This recipe is great for lunch or dinner and can be served hot or cold. I typically don't do a lot of rice so I bump up the cilantro (one big bunch) and scallions (three bunches) and carrots (a bag of shreds) to make this a delicious protein and veggie filled meal. Mm!

Source: Adapted from a Cooking Light recipe

Ingredients

2 large chicken breasts, baked or roasted
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. dark sesame oil
3 or 4 garlic cloves (minced or pressed)
Hot pepper flakes, to taste
1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts (optional)
1 lime, sliced in half or wedges, divided
Long grain brown rice, prepared


Directions

Cube cooked chicken and place in large bowl. To the large bowl add carrots, green onions, cilantro, salt, half of the juiced lime, sesame oil, garlic and hot pepper flakes. Combine well.

Serve over rice and sprinkle each serving with peanuts. Serve with lime wedge to brighten the flavors.

Tip: You can cook the chicken in teriyaki sauce for extra flavor OR add some teriyaki sauce to your bowl right before eating.

Red Quinoa Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash, Cranberries and Pecans


If you are looking for a tasty GF vegetarian meal or side dish and don't mind a multi-step food prep experience, try this recipe. Whenever I make this, I get rave reviews and you will too!



Recipe Source: glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com




Ingredients:

1 cup red quinoa
1 smallish butternut squash, peeled and diced

1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, halved or chopped as you prefer

1/2 of a medium red onion, diced fine

1 clove of garlic, minced
Olive oil
Pure maple syrup, to taste
Sea salt

A sprinkle of ginger and/or curry, to taste

1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

 

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

 

Rinse the quinoa thoroughly in a fine sieve. Cook the red quinoa in a rice cooker, using a 1:2 ratio of 1 cup red quinoa to 2 cups water. As mentioned above, if you like it softer, add an additional 1/4 to 1/2 cup water. If you don't have a rice cooker, cook the quinoa on the stove in a pot, according to package directions.

 

In a medium roasting pan add the butternut squash, cranberries, onion and garlic. Drizzle with a dash of olive oil, to coat. Add a teaspoon or two of pure maple syrup- not too much. Sprinkle with sea salt, ginger and a dash of curry. Toss everything together. Roast in the top half of the oven until the squash is tender- about 15 to 20 minutes.

 

Meanwhile, heat a skillet and lightly toast the pecans, till fragrant.

 

In a large warmed serving bowl, add in the cooked quinoa and the roasted butternut mixture. Add in the toasted pecans, chopped parsley. Taste test and adjust seasoning. Drizzle with some fruity extra virgin olive oil and toss to coat. Serve warm.

Makes 4 servings.