Stouffer's Macaroni & Cheese
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Stouffer's Macaroni & Cheese
By Todd Wilbur
What is it about Stouffer's Macaroni & Cheese that makes it the number one choice for true mac & cheese maniacs? It's probably the simple recipe that includes wholesome ingredients like skim milk and real cheddar cheese, without any preservatives or unpronounceable chemicals in there. This basic formula is good news for kitchen cloners who want an easy fix that doesn't require much shopping. I found the recipe to work best as an exact duplicate of the actual product: A frozen dish that you heat up later in the oven. This way you'll get slightly browned macaroni & cheese that looks like it posed for the nicely lit photo on the Stouffer's box. Since you'll only need about 3/4 cup of uncooked elbow macaroni for each recipe, you can make several 4-person servings with just one 16-ounce box of macaroni, and then keep them all in the freezer until the days when your troops assemble for their mac attacks. Be sure to use freshly shredded cheddar cheese here since it melts much better than pre-shredded cheese (and it's cheaped). And use a whisk to stir the sauce often as it thickens, so that you get a smooth -- not lumpy or grainy -- finished product. If you feel like classing up this comfort food clone, serve it in your nicest casserole dish and tell everyone it's "pasta formaggio."
1 cup skim milk
5 teaspoons all-purpose flour
2 cups (6 ounces) shredded medium cheddar cheese
2 teaspoons margarine
1/4 teaspoon plus
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups cooked elbow macaroni (about 3/4 cup uncooked)
1. Whisk flour into skim milk in a small saucepan, then place it over mediumllow heat.
2. Add shredded cheddar cheese, margarine and salt and stir often with a spoon until the cheese begins to melt. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Use a whisk to stir the sauce every couple of minutes so that it becomes smooth and thick.
3. While sauce thickens, prepare macaroni by dumping 3/4 of a cup of uncooked elbow macaroni into rapidly boiling water. Boil for 8 minutes or until tender, and then strain. You should. have at least 1 3/4 cups of cooked macaronI.
4. When cheese sauce has simmered for 30 minutes, pour pasta into a medium bowl. Gently stir in cheese sauce, and then pour mixture into a loaf pan or casserole dish. Cover and freeze.
5. When you are ready to scarf out on your macaroni & cheese, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake frozen macaroni for 50 to 53 minutes or until the cheese begins to brown slightly.
Serves 4.
Tidbits: While I prefer the oven method of heating up the macaroni & cheese (since it adds a bit of browning and a slightly crunchy texture), you can also use your microwave oven to prepare the dish in a fraction of the time. Just be sure you freeze the macaroni & cheese in a microwave-safe casserole dish following the recipe above. When you are ready to heat up the frozen cheesy goodness, simply cook it uncovered on high for 8 minutes, and then stir. Continue cooking on high fo 2 to 3 more minutes or until the macaroni & cheese is hot.
ersion of
Stouffer's Macaroni & Cheese
By Todd Wilbur
What is it about Stouffer's Macaroni & Cheese that makes it the number one choice for true mac & cheese maniacs? It's probably the simple recipe that includes wholesome ingredients like skim milk and real cheddar cheese, without any preservatives or unpronounceable chemicals in there. This basic formula is good news for kitchen cloners who want an easy fix that doesn't require much shopping. I found the recipe to work best as an exact duplicate of the actual product: A frozen dish that you heat up later in the oven. This way you'll get slightly browned macaroni & cheese that looks like it posed for the nicely lit photo on the Stouffer's box. Since you'll only need about 3/4 cup of uncooked elbow macaroni for each recipe, you can make several 4-person servings with just one 16-ounce box of macaroni, and then keep them all in the freezer until the days when your troops assemble for their mac attacks. Be sure to use freshly shredded cheddar cheese here since it melts much better than pre-shredded cheese (and it's cheaped). And use a whisk to stir the sauce often as it thickens, so that you get a smooth -- not lumpy or grainy -- finished product. If you feel like classing up this comfort food clone, serve it in your nicest casserole dish and tell everyone it's "pasta formaggio."
1 cup skim milk
5 teaspoons all-purpose flour
2 cups (6 ounces) shredded medium cheddar cheese
2 teaspoons margarine
1/4 teaspoon plus
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups cooked elbow macaroni (about 3/4 cup uncooked)
1. Whisk flour into skim milk in a small saucepan, then place it over mediumllow heat.
2. Add shredded cheddar cheese, margarine and salt and stir often with a spoon until the cheese begins to melt. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Use a whisk to stir the sauce every couple of minutes so that it becomes smooth and thick.
3. While sauce thickens, prepare macaroni by dumping 3/4 of a cup of uncooked elbow macaroni into rapidly boiling water. Boil for 8 minutes or until tender, and then strain. You should. have at least 1 3/4 cups of cooked macaronI.
4. When cheese sauce has simmered for 30 minutes, pour pasta into a medium bowl. Gently stir in cheese sauce, and then pour mixture into a loaf pan or casserole dish. Cover and freeze.
5. When you are ready to scarf out on your macaroni & cheese, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake frozen macaroni for 50 to 53 minutes or until the cheese begins to brown slightly.
Serves 4.
Tidbits: While I prefer the oven method of heating up the macaroni & cheese (since it adds a bit of browning and a slightly crunchy texture), you can also use your microwave oven to prepare the dish in a fraction of the time. Just be sure you freeze the macaroni & cheese in a microwave-safe casserole dish following the recipe above. When you are ready to heat up the frozen cheesy goodness, simply cook it uncovered on high for 8 minutes, and then stir. Continue cooking on high fo 2 to 3 more minutes or until the macaroni & cheese is hot.
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