Real Macaroni and Cheese

Usually my recipes are low fat, low calorie, and/or low maintenance. This one's...not. It oozes with cheese, is loaded with carbs, and does require standing over the stove for the better part of an hour. It's worth it, though, for the taste of REAL macaroni and cheese. Come on...I know you can step away from the Kraft and trust me here.

Real Macaroni and Cheese

16 oz elbow macaroni
12 tbs light margarine
1 medium onion, diced
1 tsp prepared brown mustard
1 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp black pepper
6 tbs flour
4 cups skim milk (see, I lightened it for you)
16 oz 2% velveeta, cubed
8 oz 2% shredded cheddar
8 oz 4-cheese Italian blend (or 6-cheese blend, doesn't matter)
4 eggs, beaten


1. Spray a 15 X 2 X 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Boil macaroni according to package directions. Drain and pour into baking dish. Add cubed Velveeta.

3. In a 2 quart saucepan, melt 8 tbs of the margarine over medium high heat. Add onions, mustard, paprika, and black pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, about 5-7 minutes, until onions are tender. Add additional 4 tbs of margarine and allow to melt.

4. Stir in the flour and cook 2-3 minutes. Add milk slowly, mixing flour-onion-margarine roux in with a wire whisk. Stirring continuously, heat mixture to boiling. Cook and stir for one minute more.

5. Remove from heat. Add all of 4-cheese Italian blend and 1/2 of the cheddar, reserving the remaining 1 cup of cheddar. Stir until smooth. Spoon 1/4 c of the cheese sauce into the beaten egg and stir with a wire whisk to temper the eggs (if you add them without doing this step, you'll have yummy cheese sauce invaded with scrambled eggs, which just won't work out for anyone). Add the egg-cheese mixture to pan and combine well.

6. Pour cheese sauce over macaroni and stir to coat. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Stir well to mix in the Velveeta. Top with reserved 1 cup of cheddar and bake an additional 15 minutes, until shredded cheese is bubbly.

7. Allow to stand 10 minutes before serving.

Be creative! Add meat and veggies for a casserole. Great ideas include ham, smoked sausage, chicken, or bacon. Try broccoli, red pepper, green beans, or peas and carrots. Get fancy and change the cheeses out! Try cheddar, pepper jack, and Mexican cheese blend (and change the mustard and paprika out for taco seasoning). Go French with ham, chicken, and swiss and gruyere cheeses.