This is MUCH better than the boxed version. It is also quick and easy to make. While the macaroni is cooking you make the cheese sauce. I added a bit of cayenne to mine for an extra kick. I used sharp cheddar cheese, but you can use whatever you have on hand.

Home Made Macaroni and Cheese

12-16 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni
½ stick butter
¼ cup all purpose flour
3 cups milk
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar (Monterey jack or Colby is fine too)
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Sweet paprika (optional)

Cook macaroni in boiling salted water according to package directions. Drain
and keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour
and mix with a wire whisk until smooth. Add milk, whisking as you pour it in
to smoothly incorporate it into flour mixture. Heat until mixture thickens, stirring frequently. (For those of you who don’t cook a lot, what you have at this point is a basic white sauce. If you added celery, you could turn it into cream of celery soup, or mushrooms to make cream of mushroom soup.)

Add mustard, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to white sauce. Let simmer over
medium heat, stirring frequently. Gradually add Cheddar and ½ cup Parmesan. The sauce is done when cheeses are well combined, smooth, and melted.

Add macaroni to sauce and stir until well mixed with sauce. Sprinkle with a
little more Parmesan and a bit of paprika for color, if using.

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