Kids Dish

There are few things that you can get kids to agree on like macaroni and cheese. I have never met a child (and few adults, I might add) that don’t like it. And how could you not? It’s pasta and cheese.

Boxed macaroni and cheese is never as good as homemade. Full stop.

That doesn’t mean that all boxed macaroni and cheese is bad. My kids love Annie’s (it’s organic and you can find them in Arthur shapes, a huge plus in my house). They’re also fans of Trader Joes’ mac and cheese but you can only buy those if you’re lucky enough to live near a store.

The thing is, it’s easy enough to make good homemade macaroni and cheese. And it’s sooo worth it.

Today, I offer two recipes, one a classic mac and cheese, and the other, a spiffed up version that I call Tuscan macaroni and cheese.

The Classic:

8 oz. dried pasta (elbows are the standard but try other fun shapes, too)
1/4 c butter
1/4 c flour
2 c milk
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste
2 c shredded cheese (sure you could use American, but why not mix it up with something new?)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set your water to boiling for the pasta (time saver here: always start your water to boil before you assemble ingredients or anything else).

Cook pasta to just al dente. Don’t overcook! Remove from water immediately. If you want, you can blanch with cold water (to stop it from cooking) and set aside.

Melt butter over low heat and add flour. Mix until smooth. Add milk slowly, forming a white sauce, and turn heat to medium. I like to use a rubber whisk to get the lumps out (I have no patience) but a wooden spoon will work just as well. Cook until thick and bubbly. When you see the bubbles, add the salt, pepper and cheese and blend until the cheese is completely melted.

Line bottom of a baking dish with butter or oil. Arrange pasta on the bottom. Pour cheese sauce over the top and mix gently. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese on top is golden brown. Mmmm.

And now for the twist, Tuscan Macaroni and Cheese:

8 oz. dried pasta (elbows are the standard but try other fun shapes, too)
1/4 c butter
1/4 c flour
2 c milk
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste
2 c shredded cheese
8 oz. sausage or hamburger, cooked and crumbled
1 c. torn fresh spinach, or use frozen (also try other green leafy vegetables like chard!)
1 freshly chopped tomato, or use canned
chopped black olives

Okay, this is basically just a variation on a theme. Make your pasta just as before. Similarly, prepare cheese sauce, though I would recommend a more Italian cheese mix like asiago, ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella. When mixing the cheese sauce into the pasta, blend in the sausage, spinach and chopped tomato. Top with olives. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese on top is golden brown. Mmmm.

Don’t be afraid to experiment! It’s cheese, for goodness sake, not plutonium. Try different kinds of cheeses and mix in different toppings. We sometimes substitute broccoli instead of spinach and leave out the meat altogether. It’s a great way to get your kids to eat green vegetables!