September 16, 2018

Super Easy Pasta Cheesy


When I was a little girl one of my favorite foods was my mother's homemade macaroni and cheese. I loved the stuff. But then, that was back in the day when nobody thought about Velveeta not being real food. Back then, nobody really cared. At some point I grew up and tried to make a more "grown up" version of mac and cheese, but let's face it, real cheese doesn't compare in texture and meltiness to Velveeta. That means that all the grown-up versions of mac and cheese just aren't the same.

The other day I wanted to cook some pasta to go with our barbecue duck legs and had an idea. I cooked some pasta, drained it, stirred in a chunk of butter and some chevre cheese, and served it to Dan. We both loved it! No, it isn't the same as macaroni and Velveeta, but then, my tastes have changed over the years. Most of the industrially processed stuff doesn't taste all that great. This simple combination of tastes and textures was satisfying to the point where I will no longer miss my childhood favorite. Here's the recipe.

Pasta Cheesy
  • 2 cups uncooked pasta
  • 1 cup chevre (or any soft cheese)
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1/4 cup fresh, shredded Parmesan cheese

Cook the pasta according to directions on the package. Drain and return to cooking pan. Over low heat stir in butter and cheeses until melted. Serve immediately.

Does anyone else have a childhood favorite that just isn't the same anymore? Have you been able to make acceptable substitutions? Or find something even better? Do tell!

Super Easy Pasta Cheesy © Sept. 2018 by

15 comments:

R's Rue said...

❤️

Woolly Bits said...

I've never made mac 'n' cheese with velveeta! come to think of it - I've never eaten velveeta at all:) I pre-cook pasta, make a white sauce/bechamel, add grated cheddar, mix it with the pasta, and sprinkle with more grated cheese on top. I brown in off in the oven, that's it. and my favourite childhood dish was pancakes... but only those my gran made! I don't know how she made them, but everybody in the family agrees that her pancakes were the best, with apples, berries, plums.... whatever! whenever I went to visit, she asked what I'd like to eat and the answer was always the same:) guess I was cheap to cook for! unfortunately my gran is long gone - that's why my favourite dish doesn't taste as good as it used to:( though I still like pancakes every now and then!

Meredith said...

All through high school I packed Campbell’s tomato soup for lunch. As an adult, I got some when I had a terrible cold as comfort food, and couldn’t believe how SWEET it was! Now I make my own tomato soup by blending up canned tomatoes with onion and a splash of cream. Your macaroni sounds great!

wyomingheart said...

Hello Leigh!
Thanks for sharing your mac and cheese story. I am going to try your recipe. My favorite food was always creamed peas and potatoes and angel food cake. I don't know how my sweet Gram made them, but it was always my favorite birthday meal. I have tried making the creamed peas and potatoes, but it never tasted as good as hers. Dang it!...lol.

Goatldi said...

What is really weird is I don't remember a special anything. Except for maybe Rocky Road ice cream made at a small family owned shop . My mama took me after church every Sunday to Star's for a single scope cone. My family weren't ones to do birthday dinners or things of that nature. I think that since my mama grew up one of eleven children that when she left the farm and headed for California she did what a lot of women did. Kissed good by good home grown farm food for the new rages veggies in cans, white bread pumped full of air in plastic wrappers, TV dinners.

I don't think that I could improve upon that ice cream nor would I want to. Perhaps what made it special was the tradition of Sunday with just me and my mama?

Leigh I will try your recipe. I have tried Mac and Cheese with "real" cheese but never thought to use the chevre. I had entertained ricotta but never took the leap.

Mike Yukon said...

Off topic but, did you get much rain from Florence?

Leigh said...

Regine, :)

Bettina, you haven't missed anything by never having Velveeta! I wonder if maybe the best ingredient was the fact that someone we loved made them for us. I used to ask my mother to make me a birthday cake when it wasn't my birthday. I just wanted her to use the same recipe. So she would but it never tasted as good. :)

Meredith, Campbell's tomato soup was another childhood favorite, especially with a grilled cheese sandwich! That soup is another one I could never find a good recipe for, but your idea sounds so super simple; I'll have to give it a try.

Wyomingheart, I wonder why we didn't get some of those recipes our grandmothers used! I did get my grandmother's doughtnut recipe, but I regret never getting the one for her ham salad.

Goatldi, yes, I think a lot of woman at that time were thrilled with the conveniences of commercially canned food and packaged mixes. My grandmother used to tell the story of making her first box mix cake. She didn't tell a soul but just served the cake. Everyone at the table commented how much better scratch cakes were and that the new fancy-fangled mixes probably tasted like cardboard. I can only imagine the looks on their faces when she told them, LOL. On the other hand, I suspect that "processed" foods back then contained real food and not all the chemicals they put in them now. Plus they likely were better quality. Commercially grown foods nowadays are grown with chemicals and odd genes, and are developed for long distance travel and shelf life rather than nutritional value and flavor. Sad, isn't it?

Mike, thanks for asking. We didn't get near the wind speeds and rain they predicted! Our total rainfall was three-quarters of an inch, and that was beautifully gentle. Very thankful things turned out so well.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

I love mac n' cheese! A childhood favorite. Mom always used the Velveeta too, but we do not. Sounds delicious.

Ed said...

For all my life I have loved fresh off the stove macaroni and cheese but after about thirty minutes of coming off the heat, I can't stand the stuff. I've never been able to figure that out.

Renee Nefe said...

I may have told this story before, my husband & I were trying out a new barbecue restaurant in town (it is no longer here as it burned down...oopsie!) They had on their menu that they had the best Mac & Cheese in the world. I of course had to challenge them on that because my Mac & Cheese is the best (same recipe as Wooly Bits above). One taste and I was disgusted! It was Velveeta Mac & Cheese...and probably the boxed kind! UGH! I don't know how anyone could try to claim that was the best. We never went back to that place because the BBQ wasn't all that great either.
And when thinking of something I loved as a child and don't care for anymore is Campbell's Chunky Soups...but back then it was made with real meat and now they use a processed meatloaf sort of product. :p I am going to search online to see if I can figure out how to match the gravy as that is still good.

Rain said...

Honestly Leigh, I stopped making mac and cheese because I'm so against buying the "cheese food" lol...but I have to say I'm OFTEN tempted!!! I don't really have a childhood favourite, but Alex does. His grandma called them "tosettes"...they were French so it was a version of "toast-ettes"...A piece of bread spread with Cheez Whiz (another cheese food!) I use Cheddar now...then some bacon and an egg on top, baked for about 20 minutes...oh gosh is it good...we have that very often now!

Saimi said...

I love homemade Mac and Cheese but without Velveeta - can that even be called cheese haha
Mac and cheese is one of those comfort foods, especially in the winter.

Leigh said...

Kristina, have to wonder if anyone uses Velveeta anymore!

Ed, now that's curious! The chemicals they use must set up somehow when the stuff cools! LOL

Renee, sounds like a disappointing restaurant all around! I love soup for a winter lunch and used to look for stock-up bargains. But none of them taste good anymore, so I quit doing that. I think the problem is exactly what you mention, them changing ingredient quality. That and the addition of chemicals. Why do they need to add a bunch of stuff that nobody can even pronounce?

Rain, yeah, "cheese food" doesn't even sound good to eat! LOL I've tried some of the organic boxed substitutes, but the organic powdered cheeses don't taste like cheese either. Your tosettes sound really good, with the cheddar! I hope you still have time for cheesemaking.

Saimi, you are so right! Mac and cheese truly is comfort food. Especially without the Velveeta. :)

Debbie - Mountain Mama said...

I think any combination of pasta and cheese is a win/win for me!! And, just like you, I keep track of my recipes on my blog also....I often have to go back and refer to them to see how I made something, this getting old stuff sucks!

Leigh said...

Debbie, I'm glad I'm not the only one, LOL