Single Serving: Baked Mac & Cheese 1

As Fall is setting in I know most everyone is thinking about comfort food. What better comfort food is there than Baked Mac & Cheese? There is just something extra comforting about a good Baked Mac & Cheese. 



I wanted to create a Single Serving for this dish...a challenge in itself. After the first few failed recipes I almost just gave up on the Single Serving idea. I mean, who doesn't just love to eat Mac & Cheese all the time? ;-) I obviously managed to learn as I went and come up with a Single Serving of Baked Mac & Cheese. 


The recipe I will share today is a combination of a few recipes and ideas (I can't remember which recipes I looked at!). One thing I always do is crumble crackers mixed with cheese as the topping. I'm a fan of Ritz crackers so I tried their new Garlic Butter, they worked perfect. I added a little crushed red pepper into the Mac & Cheese just for a little something different. Even with these extras this is still not perfect, but it was quite tasty! It just wasn't as creamy as I wanted. 


My problem with most Mac & Cheese recipes in the flour base. I just don't like the taste and thickness is adds. I tried using sour cream in this version and I liked it. I know that next time I'll try changing a few ingredients. I think I'll use a heavy cream and milk combination in place of just milk to help give it a creamier texture.


Another IMPORTANT part of a good Mac & Cheese is, well, the CHEESE! I was lucky enough for this dish to have some cheese from Guggisberg Cheese Factory in Middlebury, IN (Shipshewana area). I had tried their Sharp White Cheddar a few months back and was in LOVE. When I got the chance to go up for the day to hit Shipshewana, I just HAD to get some more cheese. I bought it knowing I would make some Baked Mac & Cheese with it. I also picked up some Amish Creamery Cheese, excellent as well. You don't have to have specialty cheese to make a good Mac & Cheese however. I'm a huge fan of Sharp Cheddar so I recommend that all the way. Kraft Sharp Cheddar will do the trick! I also like the idea of combining cheeses in Mac & Cheese. For this dish, however, I kept it simple because I wanted the full flavor of the Sharp White Cheddar. 


*If you have any great Baked Mac & Cheese recipes, please do share! I'm still on the hunt for the perfect one.*

Here's the recipe! Enjoy! 

Baked Mac & Cheese 1    [Printable Recipe]

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup macaroni
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/2 T butter, cubed
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1/2 onion
• 1 cup shredded cheese, plus 1/4 cup for topping
• 1 1/2 T bacon pieces
• pinch of crushed red pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• 5-6 crushed crackers, for topping

Directions:

• Cook macaroni just until softened. 
• While macaroni cooks in a large bowl whisk milk and sour cream.
• Add remaining ingredients. 
• Strain macaroni.
• Add macaroni to prepared mixture. 
• Pour macaroni into an oven safe dish. 
• Top with cracker/cheese mixture.
• Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. 
• Enjoy!