Macaroni and Cheese "Bar"

Our little family has been run down with just about every flu bug there is lately. Thankfully everyone is feeling better and starting to get their appetites back. So I decided to make the world greatest comfort food, macaroni and cheese! This is always a hit and it definitely put smiles on my boys faces. Whenever we have macaroni and cheese I set i up “bar style”. With dishes of fresh and steamed veggies and hot sauces so everyone can make their macaroni and cheese they way like. I usually like to use gruyere cheese for this recipe but it is so expensive. I found a gruyere cheddar combo at Traders Joe’s for half the price and it worked prefect. Along with that I also used mozzarella and parmesan cheese. I think these cheeses make the best flavor.

Ingredients:

1 16 oz box of your favorite pasta
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs butter
1/2 cup white onion very finely chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup gruyere cheese grated
1 cup mozzarella cheese grated
1 cup parmesan cheese grated
*chop and cook your favorite veggies to add for you bar. I like to use fresh basil, tomatoes and steamed asparagus.

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box.

Meanwhile heat the olive oil and butter in a large deep pan on medium heat. Add onion, garlic, salt and crushed red pepper. Saute together for about 10 minutes until the onion starts to turn a light golden. Sprinkle over the flour and use a wire wisk to dissolve the flour into the onion and garlic. Add milk and continue to mix with your wisk until the mixture starts to thicken or for about 3-5 minutes. Then slowly sprinkle in all your cheeses. Give them time to dissolve into the milk and thicken. If you feel that your cheese mixture is getting too thick stop adding cheese and maybe add some pasta water. If you feel it is too thin, then add more cheese. Continue to mix the entire time until the cheeses and milk have come together to make a thick and creamy sauce. Then ladle in the pasta, mix well and serve with your favorite sides.

Yields 6-8 servings