Creamy Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

There are few comfort foods I love as much as homemade macaroni and cheese.

Perhaps it’s the mix of pasta and creamy melted cheese or maybe it’s just the memories I associate with mac ‘n cheese. My kids also love it when I make this dish from a box if I am short on time.

However, nothing delights my family as much when I make this creamy macaroni and cheese recipe from scratch. The effort is so worth it!

This is not meant to be a low fat or fat free recipe. I used heavy cream but you can substitute it for half and half if you want to cut down the fat content.

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

1/2 lb or 226 gr of elbow macaroni
1 cup heavy cream (or half and half)
1 cup whole milk
1/2 stick of butter
1/4 cup of all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups of sharp cheddar
1 cups of mild cheddar
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of pepper
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup sour cream

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375F or 190C. Boil macaroni noodles in about 5-6 cups of water until al dente. Strain macaroni and set aside.
Melt the butter. Whisk flour into the butter and cook for about 1 min.
Add in half and half or heavy cream. Continue to stir periodically while on medium high heat. It will thicken when it comes to a boil.
Fold in cheese, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and sour cream.
Reduce the heat to low and allow the cheese to melt down into a sauce for about 3 mins.
Add in the cooked pasta and mix completely.
Pour mixture into baking dish and top with more shredded cheese.
Bake about 20 mins until golden brown and bubbly.