Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Macaroni and Cheese with Flower Pasta for Spring

Macaroni and Cheese -- Tyler Florence

1/4 cup flour
1 stick butter
1 quart whole milk
2 pounds sharp cheddar
1 pound elbow macaroni (or shaped pasta), cooked and drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 2quart saucepan, melt butter then incorporate flour to make roux.

ghost whisk

With a wire whisk slowly pour in milk, whisking vigorously to avoid lumps. Once milk is incorporated, sauce is made. Simmer for ten minutes to remove flour flavor. Finally fold in two pounds of grated cheddar.

Season with salt and pepper.

In a large mixing bowl (I just added the macaroni into the cheese sauce pan) combine elbow macaroni with cheese sauce. Mix well. Pour into casserole pan and bake at 350 degrees for thirty minutes or until crunchy golden brown.


Results & Changes: I didn't change much, I don't think I changed anything actually, except the pasta shape, I used Barilla Fiori which we love, for a fun spring flower macaroni and cheese twist. This is a nice basic macaroni and cheese recipe, you could personalize it by adding different cheeses or a bread crumb topping. The possibilities are endless and this is a great starting point for macaroni and cheese. I scooped out three little flower pot cups of macaroni and cheese for the kids. I was going to brown the tops of them, and then I was reminded that the kids don't like browned tops of anything. The kids ate theirs without the final oven browning -- which I think is only for looks, everything is certainly hot and cooked before going in the oven.


Two out of three kids liked this version of macaroni and cheese and they all liked being served their flower pasta in flower pots so I will have to start doing that more often :)



Tyler's Macaroni and Cheese is my choice for Tyler Florence Fridays this week. I know it's not quite Friday yet but this is a busy food blogging week and I thought I'd get my Tyler dish posted early. Thanks for visiting :)

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love that pasta shape. I'll have to look for it in the store. Mac and cheese is always good and this recipe sounds easy.

natalia said...

You know in Italy we don't have this shape of pasta :it's so cute !! And I love the bluberry crumb cake !!

~~Rhonda said...

I have a box of those in the pantry. I think I'll make them for DD today. Thanks for sharing the recipe. :) ~~Rhonda
christmasnotebook.com

Sara @ Our Best Bites said...

Adorable! I love the flower pot idea. I've never tried Tyler's (yes, we're on a first name basis, haha) recipe for mac n' cheese, but I'm lovin how simple it looks. I'll have to give it a try!

Megan said...

I love the pots! I'll bet my kids would like that too - I'll have to look around.

And mac and cheese is always a great dinner - and it's funny, Sabrina loves the browned tops, and Alexander doesn't!

Anonymous said...

That's such a cute idea to use the flower pots! I've had that pasta shape before and it's definitely perfect for a nice cheesy sauce.

NKP said...

So adorable - the flowers, the flower pots! Gotta love mac and cheese, so versatile.

Deb in Hawaii said...

I love the flower pasta shape and the little flower pots are so cute too! Great job!

Michelle said...

Your flower pot bowls are adorable and perfect with the flower shaped pasta. Cute and clever serving idea!

Joanne said...

This looks SOO creamily delicious and the pasta is adorable. I love the flower them with the pot bowls. Very cute!

Anonymous said...

i love the flower pots, how cute. i'm a huge fan of the fiori shape too but wagon wheel pasta is my all time favorite. i think it's funny how it all tastes the same but the shapes can make all the difference. :)

Jenny said...

I love fun pasta shapes. It always makes something "normal" a bit more special. The pairing with the flower pot is just such a great idea.

Anonymous said...

Love your flower pot mac and cheese. This sounds delicious and easy, I will have to try it. Wish I had some cute little pots to go with it

Amazing Flower said...

it looks so delicious. Singapore Florist

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