Foodie Fridays: Three-Ingredient Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese

I really thought that I was done making cold-weather comfort food, but Mother Nature fooled me again by sending us a chilly blast of winter thanks to yet another nor'easter pummeling our northern neighbors.  I have been on a roll lately experimenting with all kinds of macaroni and cheese recipes.  Normally I prefer a baked macaroni and cheese, because I am from the north where the baked form is typical.  Stovetop macaroni and cheese was unheard of until the highly processed boxed version with the orange powdered cheese substitute hit the shelves when I was younger.

Here in the south, however, the stovetop variety predominates.  I was looking for a fast and easy recipe to try when this recipe from Serious Eats caught my eye.  For once I did not substitute a bean pasta for the wheat kind, since the wheat starch is one of the necessary ingredients here.  Because the pasta is cooked in so little water it does not need to be drained, which is crucial to this recipe because the pasta starch which cooks out will thicken the milk to a creamy sauce.  I usually avoid evaporated milk in favor of fresh, but apparently canned milk will not scorch in the pan so I gave it a try.  I did not even notice a difference in taste and smell that evaporated milk can sometimes give to recipes.

Any good melting cheese can be used, but the combination I happened to have from leftovers in the fridge was just delicious.  I am officially declaring that smoked cheeses make the best macaroni and cheese!  The cheese sauce is thick, creamy, tangy, and slightly smoky if you use smoked cheese.  Be sure to grate your own cheese rather than use prepackaged shredded cheese - you can use a food processor, but I decided to hand grate my cheeses for the arm workout, since this is definitely not a diet dish and I figured I needed to earn the extra calories!  Even with that extra step it still took me less than 30 minutes to make this macaroni and cheese.

If you are in need of some serious cold-weather comfort food that is pretty much as fast and easy as a boxed mix, please give this recipe a try!

Three-Ingredient Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese

12 oz. elbow macaroni
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
12 oz. grated cheese*

Place the macaroni in a medium-sized saucepan with just enough cold water to cover (you can add a pinch of salt if you like but I find it unnecessary).  Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently.  If your pot happens to accidentally boil over as mine did, you may need to add more water since you are starting with such a small amount, so keep about a cup of water handy just in case.  Continue to cook, stirring, until the water has been almost completely absorbed and the pasta is almost al dente, about 6-7 minutes.

Immediately add the evaporated milk and bring to a boil, still stirring.  Add the cheese, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring constantly, until the cheese melts and the liquid reduces to a creamy sauce, about 2 minutes longer.  Remove from the heat and, if needed, allow to sit for a few minutes so the sauce can thicken even more.  Serves 4-6.

*I used a mix of 4 oz. each smoked gouda and smoked cheddar, plus 2 oz. each Irish cheddar and Manchego cheese, just because I had leftovers of all four.  It's a great combination!