Spameroni & Cheese
I think I was rather fussy as a child. I can remember a kid at school having Spam sandwiches and thinking they were gross. I would not even try them. It was not something we ever had at home, although we did eat plenty of bologna, which is not that different.
Macaroni and cheese was also not something we had in our house, although my mother did treat us to the mix in the blue box on occasion, and we did love that. It was considered a real treat. That blue box helped sustain me when I was at college!
I fell in love with real mac and cheese as an adult. I also fell in love with REAL cheese, which was something else I wasn't fond of when I was growing up. We only had processed cheese slices in our home or in the block. Once a year (at Christmas) my mother would get some Cracker Barrel Cheese and that was considered a real treat. We would have it with saltine crackers. I wasn't too sure about it myself. It seemed kind of strong.
I discovered all of these tasty delights as an adult and never looked back. Oh, sure, every now and then I do treat myself to a blue box . . . but I love homemade mac & cheese most of all. We are on a really tight budget this week, so I am counting my pennies, and using up what is in the larder. This time I decided to add in some Spam to the Mac & Cheese, so that Todd wouldn't balk too much at the thought of eating pasta.
I was really pleased with how it turned out! This was absolutely delicious. I used the small tin of Spam that you can buy, which was just right the right amount, but you can use a larger one if you want.
I use two kinds of cheese in the sauce for the macaroni, a strong cheddar and some Parmesan. Both give a really nice flavour. Rich and delicious.
I also add a tsp of Dijon mustard and a splash of hot sauce for a bit of a kick. It really brings out the cheesiness and adds some warmth. Other than that there is only salt and pepper. Do bear in mind that Spam is salty and so is cheese, so you won't need much salt.
Most of the Spam gets cubed and folded into the macaroni and sauce, but I did reserve some to cut into small triangles to put on top. I thought it looked really pretty.
I also sprinkled it with a bit of brown sugar to glaze it a tiny bit. Yum!
Also I saved a bit of the cheese to sprinkle on top as well. I like a cheese crust on top of my mac & cheese, don't you?
I served this with some sliced cherry tomatoes and some of those Angel Biscuits from yesterday.
And a tin of baked beans. It all went together beautifully, and we have the leftovers to share today. (There are only two of us)
I really love meals like this. Economical, homey, comforting . . . I could eat like this every day of the week, but alas, my hips would probably want to kick me out of the house!
Yield: 4 - 6
Spameroni & Cheese
prep time: 20 minscook time: 30 minstotal time: 50 mins
A delicious version of mac & cheese which includes the addition of spam. Rich, creamy and delicious. A real family pleaser.
ingredients:
230g (8 ounces) elbow macaroni (2 cups)
3 TBS butter
35g of plain flour (1/4 cup)
590ml milk (2 1/2 cups), heated gently
salt to taste
1 tsp Dijon mustard
splash hot sauce
1/2 tsp ground pepper
330g grated strong cheddar cheese, divided (2 3/4 cups)
45g grated Parmesan cheese (1/4 cup)
200g tin of Spam (7 ounces)
1 TBS brown sugarinstructions:
Cook your macaroni in a pot of lightly salted boiling water, drain well and rinse. set aside.
Melt
the butter in the saucepan and then whisk in the flour. Cook for
several minutes. Slowly whisk in the warm milk. Cook, stirring
constantly until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Whisk in the
mustard, hot sauce, black pepper and salt (remembering spam can be salty
as can cheese). Mix the cheeses together and then whisk 2/3 of the
mixture into the hot sauce to melt. Stir the cooked macaroni into the
sauce. Cut the rounded ends from the Spam, cube them, and stir them in.
Cut the remaining Spam into 1/3 inch slices. Reserve 4 slices
for the top and cube the remaining Spam, stirring it also into the macaroni
cheese. Turn into a buttered 1 litre shallow casserole dish. Cut the remaining
slices of spam into halves diagonally and sprinkle each with some of the
brown sugar. Place in a decorative manner on top of the mac and
cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over all.
the butter in the saucepan and then whisk in the flour. Cook for
several minutes. Slowly whisk in the warm milk. Cook, stirring
constantly until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Whisk in the
mustard, hot sauce, black pepper and salt (remembering spam can be salty
as can cheese). Mix the cheeses together and then whisk 2/3 of the
mixture into the hot sauce to melt. Stir the cooked macaroni into the
sauce. Cut the rounded ends from the Spam, cube them, and stir them in.
Cut the remaining Spam into 1/3 inch slices. Reserve 4 slices
for the top and cube the remaining Spam, stirring it also into the macaroni
cheese. Turn into a buttered 1 litre shallow casserole dish. Cut the remaining
slices of spam into halves diagonally and sprinkle each with some of the
brown sugar. Place in a decorative manner on top of the mac and
cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over all.
heated oven for 20 to 30 minutes until the cheese has melted and all is
heated through. Serve hot.
Created using The Recipes Generator
Mmmm . . . this was so, so, SO good. I do hope you will give it a go! Bon Appetit!
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