Ohio State lost to Michigan State last night in the Big Ten Conference Championship, and therefore lost the chance to go to the National Championship. To add insult to injury, it’s been miserably cold all over the country, including here, with sleet, freezing rain, and below freezing temperatures. Campus was closed on Friday and the St. Jude Marathon was cancelled Saturday as were the group fitness classes at my gym. I lost power on Friday but thankfully only for an hour. All day Saturday I kept expecting it to go out because my lights flickered constantly. As a result I didn’t dare prepare anything that took more than a couple minutes to cook. Which meant it was time for some microwave cooking!
Baking cakes in a mug with the microwave has been a huge trend and has expanded beyond baked goods to meals. Microwave mac and cheese isn’t a new concept, as it can be purchased at your local grocery store, but this is a homemade version using white cheddar for this much needed comfort food. With a cook time of 6 minutes and 30 seconds it was perfect to sneak in before the power finally decided to fail.
Come join Mac and Cheese Mania at Rachel Cooks and Nutmeg Nanny sponsored by Door to Door Organics and OXO – Win prizes!
Two years ago: Toffee Apple Dip
Three years ago: Brownie Peanut Butter Cups
WHITE CHEDDAR MAC & CHEESE IN A MUG
Serves 1
Ingredients:
1/2 cup elbow noodles
1/2 cup water *
1/4 cup shredded sharp white cheddar
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
1 wedge Laughing Cow Light spreadable cheese (I used garlic and herb)
Directions:
- In a large microwaveable mug (I used a soup mug) place the elbows and water. Microwave for 6 minutes *, stirring every 2 minutes. Pasta should be cooked with a little bit of starchy pasta water in the bottom. Do not discard.
- Add cheeses, stir and return to microwave for 30 seconds or until cheese is melted. Stir and enjoy.
* Depending on your microwave you may need to modify the water and cooking time.
Source: Adapted from Ella Claire.
7 comments
[…] my presentation for my committee meeting today, I was in serious need of some comfort food. White cheddar macaroni and cheese is already super comforting by itself, but the addition of arugula pesto brought it to the next […]
Erin, I almost don’t believe this, but I think I found the solution to the mugs overflowing when cooking in the microwave. We just got some new Corelle mugs here at the beach, and when I made this mac & cheese as an emergency dinner tonight in the new mugs, the microwave stayed clean! The shape of the mugs is narrow at the bottom, tapered so it’s toward the top (2″ at bottom, 3.25″ at top, outside measurements). Thought you might like to know… (That perfects this recipe.)
Interesting, thanks for sharing!
Yum, yum, yum. So making this, likely this week, since I have finals and let’s be real – who has time to cook during finals?! This looks too easy and too delicious to pass up!
Super cool, I like this idea for lunch when I’m too lazy to make real food. :) Sad to hear about the Ohio state loss, Saturdays have been fun with all the chocolate and peanut buttery goodness!
This sounds delicious, even without an imminent power failure. I heard about Ohio State losing yesterday, and immediately thought about you. I’m sorry they lost. Hope your weather gets better – you probably don’t want to know that even though we’ve been cool and windy, and had frost in the mornings, we’re still having beautiful weather… :-)
yepp. we all need some comfort food right about now. This looks so much better than other microwaveable mac n cheese recipes I’ve seen, mmmm!