Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

October 29, 2008 · 14 comments

 Homemade Macaroni and Cheese  Stouffer’s has nothing on this yummy homemade favorite!

Ingredients
1 box elbow noodles ($.97), use rice pasta for GF variety
3 T butter ($.25)
3 T flour ($.02)
1-2 cups milk ($.35)
1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese ($1.25)
Salt and pepper
Leftover butternut squash, cooked and mashed (Free!)
1 large zucchini ($.09) Catch that! $.09 Went to my favorite farmer’s market today to pick up some pumpkin for DS’s fall party tomorrow! Got 2 zucchinis for $.18 and some more goodies that I’ll tell you about tomorrow!!!
Option: Add 3/4 lb of cooked ground beef into the pasta.  (adds $1.29)

Directions
1. Cook pasta as directed on package instructions.
2. To make sauce, melt butter in saucepan. Add flour and whisk together. Add milk and whisk, whisk, whisk. Turn heat to medium and let sauce thicken. Add more milk to thin it out or more flour to thicken. Whisk so sauce doesn’t clump up. Add cheese and let melt. Add squash or other cooked vegetable of similar color. Whisk sauce together. Place pasta in baking dish. Pour sauce over pasta and stir through. Top with any remaining cheese and bake 10-15 minutes until top begins to golden. NOTE: Add the cheese just after whisking the milk in to achieve a creamier texture!
3. Steam broccoli in microwave or steamer.
4. Serve veggie enhanced pasta with broccoli! I’m a deceptive mommy!

 Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

Cost $2.93 (or $4.22 if add ground beef)
Kroger Run

 Homemade Macaroni and Cheese  Not pictured: GF cereal, GF panckake mix, and rice pasta from Trader Joes and 4AA batteries from Kroger. *Note: the boys are on a 2-week trial for Gluten Free Diet.

Total Spent: Kroger $39.09
Total Saved: $34.94 (47%)
Trader Joes: $14
Weeks Total: $53.09
 
 
Free items from Kroger this week: 2 Herbal Essence Shampoo (sale + coupon + Shortcuts), 2 Muir Glen tomato pastes (sale plus coupon), Box Active Lifestyle Oatmeal (Cellfire), 2 Cottonelle 4 packs (paper coupon + Cellfire + Shortcuts) and $.25 for Pint of PS Ice Cream (sale + Shortcuts)…a quarter for ice cream for an “at home date” with Hubs is my kind of frugalness! Load your Kroger cards folks! It really pays off, as evidenced here!!!

Related posts:

  1. Homemade White Sauce
  2. Taco Macaroni and Cheese
  3. Homemade GFCFSF White Sauce
$5 Dinner Mom

{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Shama-Lama Mama October 29, 2008 at 4:36 pm

Hey there! I saw your login name on another blog where we both were commenting for a giveaway. With 5 dollar meals, I just had to pop in and see what you were all about!

See, you don’t even HAVE to have a bloggy giveaway to pick up new readers! Go YOU!

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2 Sherry October 29, 2008 at 6:01 pm

Yum! Macaroni and cheese is always a winner in our book. :D

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3 iheartbowheads.blogspot.com October 29, 2008 at 6:56 pm

so amazing!!!! Great job.

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4 Sortin'ItAllOut October 29, 2008 at 8:31 pm

Hi, Thank-you for another great idea. That pumpkin really seems to make the mac and cheese have a “store bought” color, too.

Are your boys doing well off of gluten? I have been off gluten for about 3 years now. My kids are now also gluten free. If you need any ideas you can visit my personal blog:

A Queen, etc.

It is a little rough, ok a LOT rough, but I do have some simple, inexpensive meal ideas up there.

Thank-you for a great website!

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5 Sortin'ItAllOut October 29, 2008 at 8:31 pm

Hi, Thank-you for another great idea. That pumpkin really seems to make the mac and cheese have a “store bought” color, too. BR/BR/Are your boys doing well off of gluten? I have been off gluten for about 3 years now. My kids are now also gluten free. If you need any ideas you can visit my personal blog: BR/BR/A HREF=”http://queenblog7.blogspot.com/2008/10/recipes-i-want-to-try-from-around.html” REL=”nofollow”A Queen, etc./ABR/BR/It is a little rough, ok a LOT rough, but I do have some simple, inexpensive meal ideas up there. BR/BR/Thank-you for a great website!

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6 Minimalist mommy October 29, 2008 at 9:36 pm

I have mac and cheese on my Nov. menu but yours looks better. I am switching my link to yours. Yum.

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7 Evelyn October 30, 2008 at 2:38 pm

Can you tell me about Cellfire. If you don’t want calls to your cell phone can you still sign up for the coupons? I do not have internet or text message on my cell.

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8 Andrea @ Mommy Snacks October 30, 2008 at 9:11 pm

This is probably the only homemade mac and cheese recipe my kids would eat. I am trying this next week!

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9 Andrea @ Mommy Snacks November 6, 2008 at 7:30 pm

Erin, I made this tonight and I though it was delish! I added some chicken and broccoli while it was baking, and a few breadcrumbs on the top. I’m guessing it was under $5 from stockpiling.

It made enough for two servings for our family so I froze one (hopefully it turns out OK).

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10 Tiffany May 5, 2009 at 2:18 pm

New to the site & gathering some new menus to use! How much butternut squash do you use? The recipe doesn’t specify.

Thanks!

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11 Rebecca Hosea May 20, 2009 at 6:02 am

If you or anybody else is interested I have a great MAC & CHEESE SOUP recipe ~ GREAT comfort food! Here is the link http://tinyurl.com/or5pgn

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12 Kristen June 29, 2009 at 3:56 pm

I love your website but I wonder if this is cheaper than the boxed mac n cheese. I’m sure it’s tastier and healthier but is it that much cheaper than homemade? I live in Florida and it’s so ridiculous for food down here but of course they always have the ready made cheap bad for you stuff on sale it seems. We pay 3.99 for a pound of ground beef on sale and forget about produce on sale but we can get a honeybun that’s about to go out of date for 17 cents! And they wonder why most Americans are over weight.Not saying that to offend anyone I’m a part of that statistic! But they practically give bad food to you for free. We don’t get much mark downs where I live. I wish I had your luck and knowledge of getting the great and healthy deals you do but I love your site. Hopefully your ideas will rub off on me! Thanks again!

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13 Shaunda Holmes July 24, 2009 at 9:19 pm

I was on my way to check out your Taco Soup recipe and had to stop here to tell you that I looked up this recipe last night and tryed it tonight ……..and……….. My really picky kids and fiance loved it ……LOVED IT …….. THANKS SO MUCH!!!
Shaunda

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14 Candace September 22, 2009 at 4:08 pm

I sprinkle crushed corn flakes on top with the remaining cheese, and my husband just loves the crunchy result!

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