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Macaroni Cheese & Meat Casserole
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My mom used to bake something like this when I was a kid. Hers was probably creamier, but this tastes just as good.
Ingredients
1 cup elbow macaroni
2 or 3 hot dogs cut into slices OR 1/2 cup cubed ham
CHEESE SAUCE
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1 tablespoons stick butter
betwen 1/8 to 1/4 cup flour
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar or colby cheese
1 slice American cheese (optional)
Cooking
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cook macaroni according to package instructions.
- In another saucepan, melt butter over low heat.
- Once butter is melted, slowly add flour. Stir in a little at a time to check consistency. Stop adding flour once you can create a (still moist) ball of flour with the spoon.
- Add milk and increase heat. Break up the clumps of flour and stir consistently. The milk will start to thicken and will clump up if not stirred.
- Add cheeses. Stir until completely melted. Turn heat down on the cheese sauce.
- Drain water from macaroni and put the cooked macaroni into a medium casserole dish.
- Add hot dog slices or cubed ham and mix in with macaroni.
- Pour cheese sauce over macaroni, and stir until well coated.
- Put casserole dish into oven and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
An easy way of cubing is to cut into the meat first before slicing it. Cut lengthways into the flat side and then again at a right angle so that when you actually slice the meat, it is already cubed!
You don't have to use the American cheese slice, but it will make your cheese sauce creamier.
More baking tips
Use turkey dogs instead of beef or turkey ham. Use reduced-fat cheese. Use low-fat margerine. Use low-fat milk (1% or skim).
More low-fat tips
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