One of my usual easy kid meals is box macaroni and cheese with some stuff thrown in, frozen broccoli, canned beans, leftover chicken, etc. I was ready to make just this meal the other day when I realized we were out of box macaroni and cheese. So I decided to just make it from scratch.

But we were also out of flour, so it had to be a recipe that didn’t use a roux. I used this recipe, with regular pasta (not wheat), whole milk (it’s all we have) and no breadcrumb topping. It turned out great! Next time I think I’ll use half water half milk. Maybe it is just as easy as the box, but you have to be willing to use a lot of real cheese.

This recipe got me interested in other recipes where, instead of draining, the pasta is cooked in liquid that becomes the sauce (I’ve tried this before, but with less success.) Next came this recipe, which I didn’t really follow at all, but more like used as an inspiration. It turned out just fine. The best part was cooking everything in one pot, at the same time. Just now I’m remembering a skillet lasagna recipe a friend sent my way years ago. It uses the same process and is super delicious.