If you have a lot of milk on hand and are afraid it will spoil, this is a good way to use it.
If old-fashioned macaroni and cheese is your goal, I think making a pot of cream sauce (Bechamel), stirring in grated cheese, and adding it to a pot of macaroni cooked in water tastes better. Also, milk contains 12 grams of sugar per cup, and I think cooking the pasta in milk adds sweetness to the pasta.
I used penne pasta , so I had to cook it longer than if I'd used macaroni or the small shell pasta specified in the recipe.
Boost the protein content by adding beaten eggs. Make it a more complete meal by stirring in hot cooked peas or red peppers.
For a richer dish use higher-fat milk.
- 6 cups milk (a little more than a litre) plus extra for later
- 500 gram bag of dry small shell pasta (4 cups)
- 2 tsp garlic powder (optional)
- 2 tsp salt OR 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp onion salt
- 1 Tbsp dry onion flakes (optional)
- 1-2 cups grated cheddar cheese (optional)
- 2 Tbsp butter
- freshly grated black pepper
- grated parmesan cheese for serving (optional)
- In a large pot, stir together milk, salt, garlic powder and onion flakes (if using).
- Heat until milk begins to boil.
- Add dry pasta and turn heat down to low.
- Cook at least 20 minutes over low heat, stirring often and adding more milk 1/4 cup at a time if needed. Larger pasta pieces will take longer to cook, so continue cooking until pasta is tender and the mixture has thickened.
- Optional: Beat 2 eggs in a measuring cup and add milk to make 1 cup of milk and egg mixture. Stir the egg mixture into the thickened pasta mixture and cook a little longer until desired consistency is reached.
- Stir in butter and grated cheese (if using) then take the pot off the heat and cover the pot. Let sit 3 minutes so cheese melts.
- Put in a dish, sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese and black pepper.
