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“BEST MACARONI AND CHEESE” IS IN:

BEST MACARONI AND CHEESE 
1/2 (16 oz.) pkg. elbow macaroni (2 cups)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, divided
1/4 cup minced onions
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 cups milk or light cream
1/2 cup dry white wine (or water)
2 cups grated sharp cheddar (1/2 lb.)
1/2 cup bread crumbs (for topping)
salt and freshly ground pepper
cayenne pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp. paprika

Bring 4-quart salted water to a rapid boil and cook the macaroni until not quite tender. Drain macaroni and set aside.

In sauté pan, melt 1/2 the stick of butter (or 4 tablespoons). When melted, stir in the breadcrumbs and toast just until lightly browned. Remove breadcrumbs from pan and set aside. Wipe pan clean with paper towel and re-use for next step.

Breadcrumb topping: Melt remaining butter, add onions, and stir over low heat until onions are just translucent, but not browned. Stir in the flour and seasonings. Continue to cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Add the wine, then gradually stir in the milk or cream.

Simmer over low heat, stirring constantly until the sauce is thickened and smooth. Add cheese and continue stirring until the cheese melts.

Combine the macaroni with the cheese sauce. Turn out into a generously buttered casserole dish (approximately 1 1/2 quarts). If you have any extra grated cheese, you can sprinkle this on top along with the 1/2 cup of buttered, toasted bread crumbs.

Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for approximately 20 minutes or until heated all the way through and golden brown on top.

Submitted by: CM

recipe reviews
Best Macaroni and Cheese
   #67326
 Paula (Colorado) says:
OMG soooo good!!
   #65641
 April (Ontario) says:
Very good, I added finely minced celery,parsley and pieces of tomato to this recipe. I have to say I absolutely love the toasted bread crumbs and will probably add these to other casseroles. I didn't use wine and I used half and half cream. Next time I make this I will sprinkle extra cheese on top and maybe add some ham...Yummy
   #62713
 Giraki M. (South Carolina) says:
This is really good, but next time I would add another 1/2-1 cup of cheese. I made this with 2% milk, water, table blend spices (Mrs. Dash), and no onions. Although, I am looking forward to making it as posted, but I had to make due with what I had :)
   #60855
 Judy (New York) says:
This looked like it was an interesting recipe, and my children and I made it... and Mmmmm! It was delicious. This is an excellent recipe, and though, obviously, it's more difficult than boxed mac n cheese, it wasn't too hard at all. It's definitely a recipe that I'll be making again in the near future..
   #55805
 Cheryl (Ohio) says:
This was amazing. My whole family loved it, gobbled it up, and asked me to make another dish of it. I cooked it a lot longer than instructed because we like to fight over the golden brown cheese on the edges.
 #55693
 Angel (Colorado) says:
Amazing! Thank you!!
   #51114
 Jenn (New Hampshire) says:
This was the best Mac in Cheese ever. I didn't even use the wine, I had none. I will make this again and again.
   #47231
 Aileen (New Jersey) says:
Mmm, mmm, good! I layered the mac and cheese with slices of sausage and tomato and enjoyed with a glass of the dry white wine! Keeping this recipe!
 #43032
 Peter (Florida) says:
Surprisingly delicious. Used water instead of wine and still came out tating great. Added a bit more cayenne. Very satisfied with the meal!
 #27471
 Kim Pat (Pennsylvania) says:
This is the best mac and cheese. I love the bread crumbs on top too! I added some hot sauce to give it just a little kick, it was very good!
 #17660
 nicole says:
This was the best mac n cheese ever.
 #12798
 Melody says:
SOOO AMAZING!! I made it low fat - with reduced fat cheese, butter and skim milk and it was unbeleivable!!
 #12572
 Bess says:
I actually didn't care for this recipe at all. I love cooking with wine but in this case I felt like it was over powering even though it is just a small amount. The flavor of this reminded me of fondue, which I love, but is not something you would want to eat a whole bowl of. Just my opinion.
   #181288
 Jay (Alberta) replies:
WRONG
 #12085
 Gigi says:
This is excellent! My husband loved it so much and he said this is the best macaroni and cheese he had eaten. What I did is instead of bread crumbs I used crushed saltine crackers mixed with ritz crackers.
 #9190
 Valerie Hoffman says:
Hands down, this was the BEST Mac N Cheese I ever made. The half a cup of white wine gives the sauce so much character. The homemade breadcrumbs are excellent too. I also added some Durkee's chedder flavored fried onions too - it gave it some extra crunch.

 

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