The harmonious union of pasta and cheese has become the basis of many wonderful dishes spread around the world. Americans have a favorite food of these products, it is called Mac and Cheese. By the way, it’s not difficult to cook it.
American- style pasta with cheese is a self-sufficient dish, but it can also serve as a side dish for meat, fish, and seafood. Cooking will take some time and require some effort, but the taste and structure of this dish is much more interesting than simple boiled pasta, flavored with grated cheese.
This dish belongs to everyday cuisine. It can be served for a casual dinner or made a key figure in a Sunday family meal. And on the festive table fragrant pasta with American cheese will look quite organic. The recipe with the photo is described step by step in our article, it will help to do everything right.
Traditional Mac & Cheese
At the heart of the recipe is not just a mixture of cheese and pasta. Appetizing slices soaked in a delicate sauce, thick and aromatic. The final chord is played by a golden brown. It is this dish that Americans present when they say "Mac and Cheese."
This dish is usually cooked in the oven. Both general and portioned dishes are acceptable. It may seem to an inexperienced chef that it can take too much time and energy to cook American-style pasta with cheese. A recipe with a photo will definitely dissuade you.
It is worth noting that this dish has a fairly high calorie content. This feature is typical for many dishes common in the United States. But are we not going to completely abandon the usual cereal and vegetable side dishes in favor of pasta? And sometimes you can treat yourself to tasty ones.
Products and their proportions
By and large, any gourmet intuitively understands that the more cheese, the tastier the dish. But if you are going to cook pasta with American cheese for the first time, you should adhere to the recommended proportions. In the future, you can vary the recipe as you wish, making the sauce more thick or liquid, experimenting with crust and types of pasta.
For the dish we need the following:
- pasta - 150 g;
- milk is an incomplete glass;
- hard cheese or cheddar - 150 g;
- Parmesan 50 g;
- flour - a tablespoon with a slide;
- mustard - 1 tsp. (optionally);
- butter - 25 g;
- salt, pepper, spices - to taste.
Pasta preparation
For this recipe, it is better to choose pasta types made from durum wheat. In shape, it can be feathers, horns, shells - it is these curly products that hold thick sauces perfectly.
To make pasta with cheese American-style took a minimum of time, follow the sequence. Boil water first. At this time, you can grate cheese. Load pasta in salted boiling water and cook until ready as much as indicated on the packaging. In the meantime, they are preparing, you can do the sauce. From the pasta you need to drain the liquid, if necessary, they can be washed. By this time, the sauce should be ready! Components need to be connected while they are hot.
The oven also needs to be turned on in advance so that it warms up to 220 degrees. How long it takes will depend on your model.
Making American Cheese Pasta Sauce
The recipe with the photo makes it clear that the usual bechamel is taken as the basis. Melt the butter in a pan, add the flour, lightly fry, stirring continuously. The mass will begin to clump, gather in clumps. Pour milk in without stopping to act. Rub the flour lumps until the sauce is smooth. Reduce heat, let the mass warm up well.
Set aside a small handful of cheese of both varieties to the side - you will need it for the crust. Pour the rest into a hot sauce and remove it from the heat. Stir so that all the particles are evenly distributed. Load the sauce into the pasta immediately, stir. You will see how the cheese immediately begins to melt - that is exactly what we need.
The final stage of cooking in the oven
Lubricate with a small amount of Deco butter or portioned pots and load the prepared mass in an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top to form a crust during baking.
Send the dish to the middle position, bake for about 10-15 minutes. The main task is to get a delicious rosy crust.
Modern technology to help the hostess
Not everyone has an oven, and in the summer heat you don’t really want to mess with it. It is quite possible to finish cooking in the microwave. Choose the “Bake” mode, if one is provided, but reduce the time to 5-7 minutes.
You can cook pasta with American cheese in a slow cooker. To do this, boil the pasta in the bowl, as you do for regular side dishes. Overload in a pan, wrap with a towel so that they do not cool. In the "Extinguishing" mode, melt the butter, add flour, milk, cook the sauce. Add cheese, load pasta, mix. Top with delayed cheese. Close the lid and continue cooking in the "Bake" mode for 10-15 minutes.
Fancy ingredients
American-style pasta reviews with cheese convince that this dish has a very delicate, delicate taste. But if you want to add bright accents, you can improvise.
In the prepared sauce, many add mustard - regular or French (in grains). A pinch of ground nutmeg will make the taste more expressive and brighter. It is permissible to add a little dried garlic to the sauce.
Some add sliced bacon or chicken, crab meat or shrimp-free shrimps to pasta before baking. This can already be called a separate dish prepared on the basis of a classic recipe.
And you can sprinkle the dish with fresh herbs.
Serving to the table
American-style pasta and cheese should be served hot. You should not cook more than you plan to eat - to warm up this dish is difficult, and the result will not be so good.
To emphasize the taste of the food, offer guests fresh seasonal vegetables. And if the format of the feast implies the presence of drinks with a degree, serve white wine, vermouth or good beer to the table.