Martha Stewart Living Three-Cheese Macaroni

Most days I eat very healthy. However, I still love comfort food and make it relatively frequently. Growing up my mother made the best homemade macaroni and cheese. She had a hand written recipe for my grandmother's macaroni and cheese that I still keep in my recipe file. It was simple and delicious. My two sons will eat any type of macaroni and cheese that I give them, boxed or homemade, so I am always looking for a recipe that my husband and I will also enjoy. The October issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine had a recipe for Three-Cheese Macaroni, which loved like a delicious grown-up comfort food.

This recipe has 13 ingredients and takes 1 hour and 10 minutes, 40 minutes of which is active. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store and had the majority already in my pantry cupboard. The three cheeses used in the recipe are sharp cheddar, Gruyere and Fontina. I used a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, rather than mini pie plates. The total cooking time, I found to be longer than the suggested 15 minutes due to the larger pan. My total cooking time was probably closer to 20-25 minutes. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

The cayenne in this recipe gave a nice kick to the macaroni, making it not bland like many macaroni and cheese recipes can be. This makes a large pan of macaroni, so it would be perfect for a potluck or dinner party. I actually thought that the dish tasted even better after it had sat in the fridge overnight and then was re-heated in the oven. It gave the macaroni a nice thick consistency, so I recommend letting the recipe sit in the refrigerator. This dish was a hit with my two-year-old, he absolutely loved it, a very family friendly recipe.

As with most of the October 2011 Martha Stewart Living magazine recipes, this recipe is currently unavailable on-line. It can be found in the October 2011 issue or there is another recipe for Macaroni and Three Cheeses on the Martha Stewart website.