Puny’s Macaroni and Cheese from the Mitford Cookbook is a fun dinner idea for fans of the Mitford books by Jan Karon.
Are you wondering who Puny is and why I am sharing her recipe for macaroni and cheese?
It is no secret that I love cookbooks, and I collect them. Did you know I also love to read?
By reading, I mean I read about one hundred books a year. I don’t just love reading; I read a lot of books.
I even have a website, From Our Bookshelf, where I share book reviews, book lists, and all kinds of bookish things. You can sign up for my bookish newsletter here.
One of my favorite fiction series is The Mitford series by Jan Karon. I think I discovered these books seven or eight years ago.
As soon as I read the first book in the series, At Home in Mitford, I knew it was the perfect comfort read series for me.
I like to describe this series as Anne of Green Gables for adults.
The Mitford books are set in the small fictional town of Mitford, North Carolina. It follows Father Tim and the people of Mitford.
Mitford is full of everyday people living everyday life. As you read through the series, the residents of Mitford become your friends.
In the Mitford series, Puny Bradshaw is Father Tim’s housekeeper.
I recently bought the Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader. When I saw a recipe for Puny’s Mac and Cheese in the Mitford Cookbook, I knew that it would be the perfect recipe to share for a Cooking Through My Collection recipe.
This mac and cheese recipe reminds me of an old Taste of Home macaroni and cheese recipe I made years ago. It was probably close to twenty-five years ago. Long before I had this website.
That makes sense because the first Mitford book was published in 1994 and The Mitford Cookbook was published in 2004. The recipes are very1990s, but not in a bad way.
Puny’s Mac and Cheese recipe contains three types of cheese, plus sour cream. Yes, three different cheeses and sour cream. That is what makes it so good!
Can Puny’s Mac and Cheese be made gluten free?
Yes, I used gluten-free pasta for this recipe, and it worked great. For recipes like this, I like a pasta that is a corn and rice blend.
Ingredients
- butter
- flour or gluten free flour blend for gluten free version
- milk
- sour cream
- cream cheese
- salt
- ground nutmeg ( I left this out because my husband does not like nutmeg)
- mustard powder
- cayenne pepper
- ground black pepper
- cheddar cheese
- parmesan cheese
- elbow macaroni or gluten free elbow macaroni
- butter, see note below
- breadcrumbs or gluten free breadcrumbs for gluten free version, see note below
Puny's Macaroni and Cheese
Puny's Macaroni and Cheese is from the Mitford Cookbook. It is featured in the book In This Mountain.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1/3 cup flour or gluten free flour blend for gluten free version
- 3 cups milk
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 4 ounce cream cheese
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg ( I left this out because my husband does not like nutmeg)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 cups grated cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 pound elbow macaroni or gluten free elbow macaroni
- 2 tablespoons melted butter, see note below
- 1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs or gluten free breadcrumbs for gluten free version, see note below
Instructions
- Cook macaroni according to directions. Drain.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease a 3 quart baking dish and set aside.
- Melt 1/3 cup butter in a large pan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and stir until smooth.
- Slowly add milk and stir until thickened and smooth.
- Remove from heat and stir in sour cream, cream cheese, salt, nutmeg, mustard, cayenne pepper, and black pepper.
- Stir until combined and cream cheese is melted.
- Stir in cheddar cheese cheese and parmesan cheese.
- Add cooked macaroni and stir to combine.
- Pour into prepared baking dish.
- In a small bowl combine 2 tablespoons melted butter and bread crumbs. Spread on top of macaroni.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until bubbling around the edges.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
The gluten free version of this recipe was tested with gluten free pasta and Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend.
I don't like bread crumbs on to of my macaroni and cheese, so I left the breadcrumb mixture off and instead put a little extra shredded cheddar cheese on top.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 778Total Fat: 47gSaturated Fat: 26gUnsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 133mgSodium: 1395mgCarbohydrates: 58gFiber: 6gSugar: 6gProtein: 32g
Nutritional values are approximate and aren't always accurate.
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