The website Lifehacker offers up a great tip – for creamier, even more delicious macaroni and cheese, cook your pasta in milk! Here’s why.

By cooking the pasta in milk, the starches that are released while the pasta cooks then go to thicken up the milk you’re using. That thickened, starchy milk is then the perfect consistency and thickness for a bechamel (white) sauce you can spruce up with herbs, spices, and more cheese to go back over your pasta once it’s cooked and drained. The blog Heavenly Homemakers suggests you just cook the pasta in the milk and add your cheese directly, which works, but if you remove the pasta first you can really play with the sauce and make it suit your tastes.

Here’s a recipe from Heavenly Homemakers to get you started. Add spices and flair to make it your own!

Creamy Mac and Cheese
2 1/2 cups whole wheat pasta
3 cups whole milk
1/2 t. sea salt
1 cup shredded cheese (I use white cheddar)

Mix pasta, milk and salt in a large sauce pan. Cook over medium-high heat STIRRING ALMOST CONSTANTLY until the pasta is tender (10-15 minutes). Remove from heat. Add cheese and stir until melted. Serve immediately.

Source: Lifehacker; Heavenly Homemakers