Papu's Super Duper Mac 'n Cheese

I've been using this Mac 'n cheese recipe for thirty years. Still gets rave reviews.

First, my grandchildren call me Papu. It sounded like what my first grand daughter was calling me. Later I found out papu was the word for grandfather in Greek and a couple other languages. Weird, no?

Back to food. There are hundreds of great mac’n cheese recipes.

As a matter of fact there are even mac’n cheese tasting contests where people can come in, taste the various versions from competing restaurants and then vote.

I took my family to one of these in NYC a few years back at the suggestion of my daughter. I had never heard of such a thing.

You should have seen the line to get in. Up the block. The tasting also included some samples of local brewery beer, so you got happy and got fed.  

You’d go around the dozen or so mac ‘n cheese sample tables and stick out your plate and yum. I think it was  around $20 a person.

I thought is was such a great idea that I’d try it in South Jersey. I went around and found a venue, started creating some marketing materials, contacted a few restaurants but couldn’t get a permit to serve beer with the mac n’ cheese, so that killed the deal. It was too much of a risk without the booze as an added incentive to drive in customers. Especially to a new, unkown event.

In any case, this is my recipe. I always get rave reviews on it, so I guess it’s pretty good.

Ingredients: Mac ‘n cheese

• 1 - box  of cooked elbow macaroni

• 1- can of Campbells Cheddar Cheese soup

• 2 - cups of milk (you can add more if you like it creamier)

• 3 - tablespoons butter (or margarine)

• 1 - teaspoon of your favorite mustard

• 1/8 cup finely diced onion

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

• 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs

Preparation

• Cook the elbows in salted water and drain.    

• Meantime, in a large skillet melt 1 tbsp of the butter and add the onion

• Simmer onions until soft.

• Add the milk, and cheddar soup, mustard salt and pepper over medium heat until hot

• Add the shredded cheddar.

• Stir with a whisk until cheese is melted and mixture is smooth.

• Pour the mixture into the cooked elbows and mix thoroughly.

• Pour into an oiled 13”x8” baking dish.

Breadcrumbs

In a small frying pan melt the remaining 2 tbs of the butter and add the bread crumbs and toast them.

Spread the crumbs over the mac ‘n cheese and bake for 20 to 23 minutes at 325 until cheese is bubbly.

That’s it. Simple and delicious.  I usually like to serve this with a side of salad on the same plate and mix the dressing into the mac ‘n cheese. But that’s just me.

Let me know how it turns out. Put a review in the comments section. Enjoy!