Mac-n-Cheese

A colleague and I had a recent discussion on velveeta cheese. Let’s face it, a block of velveeta is funky, but overall, truly tasteful in dishes like queso or macaroni and cheese. Now I have made several batches of mac-n-cheese over the course of my lifetime, however I would say that I took a different approach to this last batch. My first thought was how can I make the mac-n-cheese not only a bit different, but also something my kids would attempt to eat.

Ingredients:

• 3 small onions, or 1 medium to large onion, chopped
• 4 TB of butter
• Roughly 1/8 cup of all purpose flour
• One box of medium sized macaroni shells, cooked and drained
• 2 cups of milk
• Cheese, lots of it, approximately 2-3 cups (I used smoked gouda, medium cheddar, and mozzarella)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

In a skillet, add your butter and chopped onion. Cook this down for roughly five minutes on medium heat. You do not want to caramelize the onions, but let them sweat. Add the flour and mix through. Let this cook for a couple of minutes, then begin to add the milk, and gently whisk until it gets thick and bubbly. You can begin to determine the thickness at this point in time. Add salt and pepper, then add all of your cheese. Let this melt down. In a large casserole dish, add the cooked noodles, then pour of the cheese mixture. I put in the oven for even more golden brownness for roughly seven minutes. Dish out into bowls and enjoy.

I did have these for leftovers the next day and added a bit of chipotle in adobo sauce, it was rocking. I have also mixed in a crushed garlic and pepper paste that also added a great kick to it, if you are into it.