White Sauce- Macaroni

This recipe is a staple in our family.  A batch of macaroni and cheese will only take 10-12 minutes start to finish.  This preparation time almost ties with Kraft Mac and Cheese and there is no contest in taste!  As a side note, my freshman roommates referred to Kraft Mac and Cheese as Yellow Death, a name I still use.  I prefer to make my white sauce (or Roux for you gourmets) in the microwave.  This process minimizes dishes and simplifies an already easy recipe!  In the microwave, melt the butter, add salt, and whisk in milk.  Cook for a few minutes and whisk again.  Repeat the process until the sauce is the consistency you prefer. 

White Sauce – Macaroni
Melt margarine or butter. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper or other spices as desired (a bit of powdered  mustard is good). Add milk slowly, stirring constantly, and cook until thickened. Add cheese and stir until melted. Mix with cooked macaroni. 

The amount of noodles to the sauce is variable and depends on  personal taste. For example, a saucy macaroni and cheese uses 4 cups of milk and 1 lb. of dry noodles.  You can mix up powdered milk and use it in this recipe and no one will notice the difference. Canned milk (diluted, of course) is also a good substitute for fresh milk; one (12-oz.) can of milk can be diluted with water to 4 cups of liquid. 

If you want, you can bake the macaroni after it is all made. Increase the milk by a cup if you will bake it, keeping all the other ingredients the same. Bake for 30 minutes at 350°.

If you make the recipe without the cheese, you have a basic white sauce that can be used in place of canned cream-of something soups in many recipes.

Butter	Flour	Salt	Milk	Cheese	Macaroni
2 Tb.	2 Tb.	½ tsp.	1 cup	1 cup	1-2 cups
4 Tb.	4 Tb.	1 tsp.	2 cups	2 cups	2-3 cups
6 Tb.	6 Tb.	1 ½ tsp.	3 cups	3 cups	3-4 cups
½ cup	½ cup	2 tsp	4 cups	4 cups	4 cups