I made my kids boxed mac and cheese last night (while Dustin and I had bahn mi and vermicelli bowls from a Vietnamese food truck visiting the neighborhood) so I’m not one to judge. The fact that my kids (and husband!) like the boxed variety of mac and cheese sooo much made me want to try my own stovetop version. Homemade is more work, and more money, but it does taste great. There’s A LOT of cheese going into this dish. (I recommend you take the time to shred it yourself. If you buy it pre-shredded it doesn’t melt as smoothly.) So this isn’t healthy or low-calorie by any means. But it’s comfort in a dish.

Stovetop Mac and Cheese

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
2 cups water
4 cups milk
1 lb. uncooked pasta (I used macaroni)
~1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground mustard
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 cups (16 oz.) freshly-shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I used a combo of Beecher’s original and sharp Cheddar)
1/2 cup freshly-shredded Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt butter in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.  Add flour, and stir until combined.  Cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.  Then pour in 1 cup of the water, and stir (or whisk) until the mixture is completely smooth and begins to thicken.  Gradually pour in the remaining water and milk, stirring until evenly combined.
2. Stir in the pasta, salt, garlic powder, and mustard until combined.  Then continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the mixture just reaches a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain the low simmer.  Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for about 9-10 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente. 
3. Remove from heat, and stir in the cheeses until melted. Taste, and season with additional salt and black pepper as needed.

Adapted from Gimme Some Oven