Now that everyone is stuck at home, many of us are slowly realizing that we do not know our kitchens too well. That’s why I have created a tasty meal that even an eleven-year-old could make, and it is quite fast to make too—Mac n Cheese with salad.
The great thing about a salad is that it is a blank canvas ready for infinite possibilities. You don’t need to measure anything—just throw any vegetables that you like in a bowl. You can even add some berries or nuts! For me, I love to use mixed greens, arugula, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and onions. I might cut up and add a chicken breast too!
Here is the recipe for the simple and delicious dressing I use:
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1-1.5 tbsp lemon juice (depends on how acidic you want your dressing)
- 1 tsp honey—honey is extremely sticky so I would just recommend eyeballing the amount.
- 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Simply mix all the ingredients together in a bowl or jar and the dressing is done!
Here is the recipe for my super simple mac and cheese:
- 1 pound of dry elbow macaroni—if you don’t have elbow macaroni, other short kinds of pasta can work as well.
- 5 cups of milk
- 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese—feel free to use other cheeses that you like
- Some butter—optional
1.Bring milk to a boil over medium heat. Stir often since milk can stick to the bottom of the pot and burn!
2.Add the pasta and stir continuously until the milk reduces and forms a cohesive sauce, similar to the picture below. While you cook the pasta, you want to have a high enough heat so that the milk still bubbles lightly but a low enough heat so that the milk doesn’t boil over. The milk should be thick enough so that you can drag your spatula along the bottom of the pot and leave a trail behind. You can also fish out a noodle to check the doneness. By the time the pasta is cooked, the milk should have reduced enough.
3.Turn off the heat, and let cool for about 1 minute. Then, add the cheese and butter. You can also season the mac n cheese to your taste here. If you add cheese to boiling hot liquid, the cheese will split!
4.Serve while it’s nice and hot!
Plate the mac n cheese on one half, the salad on the other, and drizzle over your dressing! Bon Appetit!
