A "slice" of Mac & Cheese is easy to deal with at a party
Serves 8-10
This grown-up Mac & Cheese gets its kick from cayenne pepper. Substitute paprika for the cayenne if you prefer non-spicy food.
Ingredients:
1 lb elbow macaroni
2 eggs
2 tbsp. butter
1 cup onion, minced
1/2 cup green pepper, minced
1 – 1 1/2 tsp cayenne (mild-hot)
1 lb grated cheddar cheese
1 12 oz can evaporated milk
1/2 tsp salt
Method:
1 Boil elbow macaroni for about 5 minutes, or until al dente. Drain and return to pot.
2. Stir in cheddar, pepper, and onion.
The smaller you slice the peppers and onions, the less crunch the finished dish will have.
3. In a small bowl or measuring cup stir together eggs, cayenne, evaporated milk, and salt. Pour over macaroni and stir to combine.
Working with hot pasta melts the flavors together quickly
4. Pour into a greased lasagna pan, spreading evenly with spatula. Dot with butter.
Butter, cuz there's not enough fatty goodness in this recipe
NOTE: At this point I refrigerated the macaroni until shortly before I needed it.
5. Bake at 350F for 30-45 minutes. Let cool about 10 minutes and slice into squares. Serve hot.
Wait at least 10 minutes before slicing to ensure the squares will hold their shape
Num num num num
 "Pin It")
Hey if you still crave mac and cheese but want variety, here’s a recipe we always use, from the New York Times. It says to let it cool for 15 minutes but we never can, it’s soo good we start eating immediately!
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup cottage cheese (not lowfat)
2 cups milk (not skim)
1 teaspoon dry mustard
Pinch cayenne
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
½ pound elbow pasta, uncooked.
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees and position an oven rack in upper third of oven. Use 1 tablespoon butter to butter a 9-inch round or square baking pan.
2. In a blender, purée cottage cheese, milk, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg and salt and pepper together. Reserve ¼ cup grated cheese for topping. In a large bowl, combine remaining grated cheese, milk mixture and uncooked pasta. Pour into prepared pan, cover tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes.
3. Uncover pan, stir gently, sprinkle with reserved cheese and dot with remaining tablespoon butter. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes more, until browned. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.
This looks great and a bit healthier than my version – thanks for sharing!
Why evaporated vs regular milk?
The evaporated milk gives the mac & cheese a more complex flavor – know how when you reduce a sauce, how it tastes stronger and better? That’s all…
This looks so nice-I think I’m going to try to make something similar right now according to my pantry’s contents. Thanks.
By the way, I’m kind of a nerd. I hope so at least considering your definition!
Thanks Stella… Hope your mac & cheese came out great! Nerds unite
I do this with smoked paprika (hot) and it’s good.
Sasha, I found your recipe while searching for Bahamian Macaroni and Cheese to prepare for my own culinary adventure around the world (I’m a few countries behind you). There are several variations out there. Yours had the most appeal to me. I used a mini food processor to mince the green pepper and onion and sharp Vermont Cheddar (half yellow, half white) hand shredded on a box grater. It is in the oven now and smells delicious! Thanks for the inspiration.
As soon as my peppers get big enough I am going to try this recipe. But I don’t know if I can get Cliff to eat it, lol.
This recipe was just reprinted in the November issue of Oklahoma Magazine!!
Yay and yes, my first column for them was October – the Argentinian salad