Nothing says comfort food like macaroni and cheese! Forget buying from the box and learn how to make homemade macaroni and cheese from scratch. It’s very easy, and it’s creamy and cheesy!

If you want a creamier version, you can use cream instead of milk – but for a lighter version, use milk instead.

Here’s my recipe for homemade macaroni and cheese.

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:

3 tbsp Butter
1/4 cup Flour
1 Bay leaf
3 cups Milk
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
Dash each of sea salt, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (either old or white old)
2 cups elbow pasta
1 tbsp butter
1 cup bread crumbs

Method:

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Blend in flour and add bay leaf. Cook stirring for 30 seconds. Pour in 1 cup of the milk, whisking until mixture comes to a boil and becomes thick.

Pour in rest of milk in a slow stream, whisking constantly, until comes to a full boil. Reduce heat to low.

Stir in cheese until melted. Remove bay leaf and add mustard, salt and a pinch of cayenne and nutmeg (optional). Keep on low, stirring often.

Meanwhile, cook macaroni in a large pot of boiling water until cooked. Drain. Stir into cheese sauce until well-coated. Spoon into a buttered 2L deep casserole dish.

Melt butter and toss with bread crumbs and sprinkle over top of macaroni.

Bake in preheated oven at 350 F for 20 minutes or until top is slightly brown.

Enjoy!