This particular recipe was derived from different recipes found on the Internet, some of which included sprinkling the pasta with bread crumbs and baking for a few minutes. After some experimentation, I created this very easy recipe which requires no baking.
This recipe will make two meal-sized portions or four side dish portions. With just a bit of practice, everything will be ready in under half an hour.
- 2 cups curly style dry pasta (I use cappelletti)
- 3 TBSP flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp mustard powder
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- 1 TBSP butter
- 1 cup milk
- ¼ tsp Worcestershire sauce
- OPTIONAL: ¼ tsp Tabasco sauce
- 1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
- Up to ¼ cup some other kind of cheese (mozzarella or Parmesan)
- Parsley
Assemble your ingredients and start boiling salted water in a big pot. The cheese sauce will be ready by the time the pasta’s ready. You’ll need a whisk to properly stir the sauce.
Put a small saucepan on the stove over high heat and drop in the butter. Add the milk, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco sauce after the butter has melted, then reduce the heat by half.
If the water’s boiling, add the pasta to the water, stir, and let cook.
Add the dry ingredients (flour, mustard powder, onion powder, salt, pepper) into the saucepan and whisk them into the milk until thoroughly dissolved. Keep whisking.
When the liquid starts to thicken, add in the cheese. Keep whisking until all of the cheese has melted and the mixture barely starts to boil. Reduce the heat down to a quarter of the dial. Keep whisking. Add some milk if you feel the cheese sauce is too thick.
Check your pasta. If you’ve used a reasonably substantial type of pasta, it should be just about ready. When it is, turn all heating elements off, drain the pasta, put the pasta back in the pot, add the cheese sauce and mix gently.
Serve in bowls or as a side dish. Add some parsley to give it some colour.
After realising just how delicious this is, get rid of any boxes of Kraft Dinner you may have.