Easy Homemade Macaroni and Cheese – Recipe

When I was growing up, my mom would make one of my favorite dishes, macaroni and cheese. Macaroni and cheese could be a side dish or a main dish in our home.

Typically, macaroni and cheese in our home was made with rigatoni (which isn’t actually macaroni).

To make this dish, I make a cheesy sauce (called a roux), then mix cooked rigatoni and the sauce together. I put the sauced-up rigatoni into a casserole dish, add a topping of sharp cheese, and bake it until golden brown (aka my homemade baked macaroni and cheese).

I also like my macaroni and cheese simply as a cheesy sauce poured over cooked rigatoni. Either way, both are great as a side or a main dish.

I’m going to show you how to make it both ways. I hope you try it one way, then next time try it the other.

Scroll down and learn how to make these delicious dishes for yourself.

Ingredients (try to use organics whenever you can)

• 1, 16-ounce package of rigatoni pasta
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil (over time, I have grown to prefer extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), but you can use whichever cooking oil you like)
• 1 tablespoon salt (to be added to the water that the pasta will be boiled in)
• 1 stick of butter (which is 1/2 cup of butter). You may use margarine if you prefer (your choice)
• 6 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon salt (to be added to the butter and flour)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper (to be added to the butter and flour)
• 3 cups milk (I use 1%, but you can use what you like)
• 1 and 1/4 pound shredded sharp cheddar cheese (if you aren’t making the baked version, you only need 3/4 pound of this cheese).

These Are The Ingredients I Used In This Recipe

The 1% milk

Uncooked Rigatoni

The rest on the ingredients

I choose to use EVOO cooking oil now because it has certain health benefits that I like. EVOO is said to be unrefined and cold-pressed, exceptionally rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats (oleic acid) and protective antioxidants (polyphenols).

Cooking oil should be stored in an opaque, green, or a brown colored bottle to prevent it from going bad quickly.

You Start By Cooking the Rigatoni Pasta

1 – Begin by boiling water in a large pot. If 10 is high on your stove, turn the burner setting to 8.

2 – Once the water boils, add 1 tablespoon of salt into the boiling water.

I used my “GreenLife Brand” six-quart stock pot (which comes with a strainer lid). It is ceramic-coated inside. I used to own stainless steel cooking pots and pans until I found out I have a nickel allergy. Ceramic-coated cookware helps reduce my exposure to nickel. This pot comes in other colors. Just click on the link to see which color you might like.

This pot is great for boiling (and straining) pasta. It has small straining holes on one side and large straining holes on the other.
My husband likes to use this pot to cook artichokes.
Both of us use it to make soup too (no straining needed, but it releases steam nicely).

3 – Add all of the uncooked pasta and 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the pot of boiling water, then stir. Turn your stove burner down to 6.

4 – Set a timer according to the instructions on the pasta package and stir the pasta a few times while it cooks.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pan, you will make the cheesy sauce (the roux).

5 – When the timer for the pasta goes off, taste one piece to make sure the pasta is done. Done is not crunchy or tough in any way, but not falling apart and soggy either. If the pasta is not done, add a few minutes and test it again. Once it’s done, drain the water from it and set it aside.

6 – Now, preheat your oven to bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 Celsius).

Cooking the Roux

Today, I will use my “GreenPan Valencia Pro”,10-inch, ceramic-coated, non-stick pan, to cook my roux.

I wasn’t able to find my 10-inch pan sold as a single piece, so the links here are for 2-piece sets. There is a 10 and a 12-inch set. However, you may prefer an 8 and a 10-inch set.

I have the entire “GreenPan Valencia Pro” set of cookware.

7 – Set the burner to medium (a setting of 5 on an electric stove if your stove’s dial has a maximum of 10).

8 – Put a stick of butter (a half cup) into the pan and allow it to melt completely. Stir it a bit to help it melt. Do not allow the butter to brown (if it is starting to brown, turn the heat down).

9 – Add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper into the melted butter, stir.

10 – Add 6 level tablespoons of flour (3/8 cup) into the melted butter. Stir until the flour is completely mixed in.

11 – Slowly, begin adding milk as you stir. Just add a small amount at a time, then stop adding milk. The sauce will begin to thicken and will look lumpy. Stir until all the milk you just added in the melted butter and flour smooths out.

12 – Now that the sauce is smoothed out, add a bit more milk, stop and continue to stir. You will keep doing this until all 3 cups of milk have been added.

13 – Once the sauce is completely smooth, it will look thick.

14 – Now that the sauce is this thick, slowly stir in 3/4 of the pound of shredded sharp cheddar (save what is left for the topping). Adding cheese to the sauce cools it somewhat. Cheese must be added a little at a time so the sauce remains hot. If the sauce isn’t hot enough, the sauce will become granular instead of smooth and creamy. It is still edible if it becomes granular, but it isn’t as desirable as smooth and creamy.

15 – After all of the 3/4 pounds of shredded cheddar cheese is completely melted and the sauce is creamy and smooth, pat yourself on the back! You just made a beautiful roux!

16 – Pour the roux into the pot with the cooked rigatoni pasta and stir it in until all the pasta is coated with the roux.

Remember, I told you this can be made 2 different ways. If you stop here, you can simply serve the rigatoni with the roux sauce. It is delicious this way. If you want to go on, we will continue and make this baked macaroni and cheese.

17 – Add the rest of the shredded sharp cheddar cheese to the top of the rigatoni with roux until all of it is covered.

18 – Put the dish in the preheated oven and shut the door.

19 – Set a timer for 35 minutes. When the timer goes off, check to see if the top of the macaroni and cheese looks browned. If not, add 5 minutes of cook time. Do this until the macaroni and cheese looks browned (it shouldn’t take more than 50 minutes, though).

20 – Turn off the oven, take the dish out, and set it on a heat-resistant surface for serving.

It’s time to dish up your meal. I think you will love this dish as much as my family and I do.

Bon appétit.

Macaroni and cheese can be a main dish or a side dish. In case you might enjoy some meat with this dish, here is a link for you to my Quick and Easy “Oven-Baked Pork Chop” Recipe.

I like to set a beautiful table. It can make a simple meal feel extra special

Because I am allergic to nickel, the flatware (seen above) is nickel-free. It is “The Copeland pattern, made by Oneida”. This flatware set is the best that I have ever owned. It is sturdy and substantial (very strong).
(Go ahead, ask me what I use to scoop ice cream out of a container with… yep, this sets tablespoons). My set is no longer being made, but if you would like something similar, Oneida makes a nickel-free set with hammered handles like mine. The pattern is called “Reyna“.

My dishware is Mikasa brand. The pattern is called Precious Blue Michelle D2501.

I don’t find my pattern for sale any longer, but Mikasa makes other beautiful sets that you might enjoy. Here is one for you to consider. It is “Mikasa’s Kiley” Bone China Set.

Winter holidays come up on us fast. Here is a link to “Mikasa Holiday Traditions”, a set I think you might like for yourself or as a gift to someone you love.

Please, Bookmark This Site

If you haven’t already done so, bookmark this site. The next time you are looking for a great recipe or you are looking for something fun to do, you’ll know where to go.

More Content

A Comprehensive List of Kitchen Greats

Over time, I have been given and have bought lots and lots of kitchen appliances, gadgets, and tools. If you would like to read about those items I found to be great (and a few not-so-great), click here.

More of My Recipes

If you would like to see more recipes that you might like to try, click here to go to Joy With Jan’s Recipes. Under the “Subscribe” button (below), you will find my collection of stories and recipes in the order that they were published.

Double-Sided Floral Arrangements

The silk flower arrangement you see in this post is one of my own creations. Because I am allergic to flowers, I made it and all of the flower arrangements for my wedding (including all of the boutonnieres, my bouquet, and the toss bouquet). I think you could be someone who likes to make things like this too.

Below is a post to teach you how to make a double-sided floral arrangement for your home.

To look at it, you can’t tell it has a secret. Its secret is that it has a different look on the other side. If you would like to learn how to make a double-sided floral arrangement, click here.

If you want to see what else this website has that you might enjoy reading about, click here to return to the home page.

Spread the Word

Please tell family and friends about this website. There might be something they find that they would enjoy too.

If you enjoy stories about travel, good food, and everyday enjoyment, I’d love to have you be one of my subscribers. Subscribing means you shouldn’t ever miss a new post.