Ahhh comfort food. Quick, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? For me, it’s macaroni and cheese.

A seemingly simple dish, it’s hit or miss in restaurants. Usually miss--sometimes it’s too gloppy, sometimes too runny. Yes, the boxed kits are fast, but they just don’t satisfy as well as homemade. And I like to control the quality of my ingredients.

I use rotini pasta because it drains better than macaroni, which keeps the sauce from becoming runny. Plus, the additional surface area and its starchiness holds onto the cheese sauce better than macaroni. The larger pasta morsels are more toothsome, too, and look pretty in the finished dish.

For a huge taste boost, as well as a little extra protein punch suitable for a main dish, I add some diced ham. I always dice and freeze leftover ham in small portions so it’s ready in an instant for dishes like this, or scrambled eggs, omelette or potato casseroles. I don't even thaw it before adding to the pan!

This recipe is easy, and almost as fast as mac and cheese from a box. But so much tastier. The hardest part is grating the cheese. But do make the effort, sometimes pre-bagged grated cheese is dry and has a slightly off taste. And I don’t usually even take it to the oven, I just mix the cooked pasta and the cheese sauce together and serve it with a nice green salad! Dinner, in a flash.

The secret of this recipe is a touch of Dijon style or other spicy mustard. Ham and cheese is a fabulous pairing, and the mustard makes the pair sing.

Better than Mac and Cheese

16 oz. rotini pasta, cooked according to package directions

1¼ cup milk (I prefer whole or 2 percent), room temperature or slightly warmed

2½ to 3 cups grated Cheddar cheese

2 Tablespoons butter

3 Tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon chicken flavored vegetarian broth powder

1 teaspoon Dijon style mustard

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Salt to taste

1 cup diced ham (optional but amazingly tasty)

Sprinkling of paprika and/or dried parsley flakes

1. Prepare the pasta: boil in salted water until al dente, or according to package directions.

2. Place butter in a medium saucepan. Turn heat to medium, allow butter to foam.

3. When the foam in the butter subsides, reduce heat to low. Do not let the butter brown.

4. Add ham to the pan, sauté until it’s warm.

5. In a small bowl, combine flour, broth powder, pepper and mustard. Add mixture to saucepan, stirring frequently until well combined. You’ll end up with a paste.

6. Add the milk and about 2/3 of the cheese. Stir frequently until the cheese is melted and the mixture thickens slightly. Add about half of the remaining cheese, stirring until melted. The cheese should be nicely incorporated into the sauce.

If it’s sticking to itself in a ball, increase the heat a tiny bit and keep stirring. If the cheese ball doesn’t break apart, add a little more milk (no more than a couple of tablespoons) and stir until well mixed. If the mixture is soupy and well mixed, like a thin pancake batter or so, you can add the rest of the cheese. Or you can toss the rest on top of the finished dish.

7. Taste the sauce, add salt at this point only if necessary. Remember, the pasta will have salt on it from the cooking water, and the ham will probably add plenty of saltiness.

8. Pour the pasta and its cooking water into a large colander, allow to drain for a couple of minutes or so. Do not rinse. Then return the pasta to the pot you cooked it in.

9. Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and stir until well combined.

10. Serve, and if desired, sprinkle paprika and parsley flakes over the top.

11. Enjoy!

Optional: pour into a casserole dish, sprinkle with paprika (no parsley if you’re broiling it, it’ll just burn), and place under a preheated broiler for 5 minutes to create a crust on top. Keep your eye on it; since the casserole should still be hot from the stovetop, if you keep it in the oven too long it’ll dry out.

A word about other topping or crusts, I usually avoid them just to save a step. Bread or cracker crumbs get soggy as leftovers, and isn't worthwhile to me.

Until next time!

--Elaine Bothe

Recipe and photo courtesy of Elaine Bothe.