I really really love macaroni and cheese, even the boxed kind. Obviously, homemade is better, but when you do the whole oven-baked deal the thing has to spend like an hour in the oven. Well, this afternoon I was hungry and didn't want to wait a whole hour, so I knocked up this quick-style version and added broccoli for some health benefits to counteract the copious amounts of cheese I was eating. It only takes as long as you need to boil the pasta.

For a non-healthy, non-quick, insaaaaanely delicious Mac & Cheese recipe, here you go.




Quick Homemade Mac & Cheese
This is enough for 2 people.

Ingredients:

• about 2 cups pasta
• 1 head broccoli, chopped up into bite size pieces
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• about 1 1/2 - 2 cups milk
• salt and ground pepper
• a bunch of cheese, 1 cup to 2 cups (I like to use a mixture of cheddar and parmesan, but you can also do jack or whatever you want)

Method:

• Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook according to directions. About 3 minutes before the pasta is to be done, add the chopped broccoli into the water with the pasta. Strain.
• While the pasta is cooking, make the cheese sauce: Heat the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture starts to turn brown.
• Add the milk in a slow stream, whisking. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook mixture, whisking, until it thickens to the appropriate consistency.
• Remove from heat and add cheese. Add drained pasta and broccoli and mix.
• If you can wait another 10 minutes, spread the mixture into a pan, sprinkle cheese and/or breadcrumbs over the top and stick the whole thing under the broiler for a couple of minutes.