Minimalist Macaroni and Cheese--Your new favorite!

I consider this a "minimalist" dish for these two reasons:
You can make this with a minimal number of ingredients  AND  with a minimum number of dirty dishes!  Who doesn't love that?

First gather your ingredients and equipment (Mise en Place)

• One deep pasta pot
• 1 pound dried pasta, any shape 
• Colander for draining pasta
• 3 cups (or more) grated cheese (I used a medium cheddar once, and a combination of what I had in the fridge--mozzerella, co-jack, cheddar-- another time)
• 2 Tbsp. all purpose flour
• 1- 2 tsp. dry mustard
• 1-1/2 cups whole or 2% milk
• Salt
• Pepper

Bring water to a boil in your pasta pot.  Add pasta and 2 Tablespoons salt and stir.  When water returns to a boil, turn down heat, stir again, and set timer.  I like to check my pasta a couple of minutes before the package directs you to stop cooking because I want my pasta perfectly firm, not mushy and soft. When it tastes right to me, I drain it in the colander.  I don't rinse because I want the cheese sauce to coat the pasta.

 While the pasta cooked, I mixed up 1/2 cup of the milk with 2 Tablespoons flour in a lidded jar. 

Using the same pan that you cooked your pasta in, pour in the 1 cup of milk and heat over medium heat.  Stir.  Once you see that the milk is steaming, whisk in the flour mixture.  If you used a jar and shook it up hard it should be lump free.  Continue to whisk for 2-3 minutes, or until the mixture looks thick and creamy.  Next, stir in handfuls of cheese, salt and dry mustard; continue stirring in cheese until it has all been incorporated.  Remove from heat.

Put half of the drained pasta in the cheese sauce and stir to coat evenly.  Continue adding pasta until you have all of it mixed up with the cheese sauce.

Now you can put it into individual bowls and serve!  Here's what is left for clean up:

Minimal clean up. (plus the pan)

I like mine topped with chopped fresh tomatoes and ground pepper.

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese!