Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup dried elbow macaroni

4 oz jar diced pimentos, drained

8 oz brick extra sharp cheddar, shredded

1 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon ground mustard powder

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon paprika

3 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup flour

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

 Prepare noodles according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in the pan. Add the flour and spices. Whisk until it forms a paste, about 1 minute. Pour in the milk. Whisk until the mixture is smooth. Add the cheddar, pimentos and Worcestershire sauce and whisk until thickened 3-5 minutes. Stir in drained noodles. Serve.

My thoughts:

I've never made stove top mac and cheese before! I'm normally a heavy seasoned, baked mac person (crispy, cheesy bits!) but since I am back into the cooking around my husband's work and school schedule time of the year again, I thought I'd try a quicker version.

I love pimento cheese and it really is a shame it is not more popular here in Baltimore. One of my favorite things about the South besides barbecue and meat and threes is the amount of what we call "ladies who lunch" restaurants; places where a salad plate means a scoop of chicken salad, pimento cheese and a scoop of tuna salad. Or if you are in Kentucky, benedictine.  The pimento cheese is always on point at those places. I've made a fair amount of pimento cheese over the years but never pimento mac and cheese before which seems like a major oversight.

I'm so glad I finally made it. There are no chewy bits in this macaroni and cheese but it is very creamy and very, very cheesy! It is also full of flavor thanks to the spices and pimentos. No bland box mac and cheese here! I went old school and served it with ham but anything would be good. Just be forewarned, it does cook up very quickly! We ended up eating way earlier than expected as it went from milk to thick cheese sauce in just minutes. I'm used to having to make it and bake it for nearly an hour in a casserole so having homemade mac and cheese in like 20 minutes was a bit of a foreign concept.