SK week 8 | Easiest Baked Mac and Cheese

Smitten Kitchen has a few macaroni and cheese recipes on the website, so obviously I picked "the easiest" one. :) It was perfect comfort food in the midst of this very snowy month.

(Here's the Smitten Kitchen post)

You'll need:
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup cottage cheese (not low fat)
2 cups milk (not skim)
1 teaspoon dry mustard
pinch cayenne
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pound sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated (reserve 1/4 cup for topping)
1/2 pound elbow macaroni, uncooked

Heat oven to 375 degrees and use one tablespoon of butter to grease a 9-inch baking dish.

Blend up the cottage cheese, dry mustard, cayenne, salt, and pepper until really smooth.

Add the milk and blend.

Pour that mixture into a bowl.

Add the cheese...

And the uncooked macaroni.

Stir that up. It looks super unappetizing. ;)

Pour into your prepared baking dish.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove and stir a bit.

Sprinkle with the reserved cheese and dot with butter. Return to oven for another 30 minutes.

Then it looks all golden and delicious. :) Let it sit for 15 minutes before digging in.

Serve with something green. ;)

Final verdict: We all really liked it (even picky Leah, who has very strong feelings about macaroni and cheese). It worked well with GF pasta and it was great for how quick and easy it was to throw together. That said, I wanted it creamier. I like the taste of cheddar cheese, but I might mix it with a better melting cheese next time. I don't know. Maybe it's just the nature of baked mac and cheese, but it felt a little dry. But again, no one complained!

Happy Friday, friends!