Boxed macaroni and cheese uses canola or soybean oil in the cheese powder and often in the pasta itself. The homemade version uses grass-fed butter for the roux, whole milk, and real aged cheddar. The difference in flavour is not incremental — it is categorical. You cannot go back to the box version after making this once.
Butter Mac and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 400g (14oz) elbow macaroni or cavatappi
- 60g (4 tbsp) grass-fed butter
- 60g (½ cup) plain flour
- 700ml (3 cups) whole milk, warmed
- 250g (2½ cups) aged cheddar, coarsely grated
- 100g (1 cup) Gruyère or extra cheddar, grated
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard (check label for seed oils)
- Sea salt, white pepper, pinch of nutmeg
Method
- Cook the macaroni in heavily salted boiling water for 1 minute less than the package directions (slightly underdone). Drain.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add the warm milk gradually, whisking continuously to prevent lumps. Simmer for 5-8 minutes until the béchamel is thick enough to coat a spoon.
- Remove from heat. Add the grated cheeses in handfuls, stirring after each addition until melted. Add the Dijon mustard, salt, white pepper, and nutmeg.
- Add the drained macaroni to the cheese sauce. Stir to coat every piece.
- Serve immediately as is, or transfer to a baking dish, top with extra grated cheese, and bake at 200°C for 20 minutes until golden and bubbling.
Is mac and cheese seed oil free?
Yes when made with butter and whole milk. Boxed mac and cheese and most restaurant versions use seed oil in the cheese sauce.
What cheddar to use?
An aged cheddar with good flavour — at least 12 months. Young cheddar produces a blander sauce. A combination of aged cheddar and Gruyère produces the best texture and flavour.
Why add flour?
The flour starch stabilises the cheese sauce and prevents it from becoming greasy or splitting when heated. Without it, the sauce would separate.
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