What is it about Stouffer's Macaroni & Cheese that makes it the number one choice for true mac & cheese maniacs? It's probably the simple recipe that includes wholesome ingredients like skim milk and real cheddar cheese, without any preservatives or unpronounceable chemicals in there. This basic formula is good news for kitchen cloners who want an easy fix that doesn't require much shopping. I found the recipe to work best as an exact duplicate of the actual product: a frozen dish that you heat up later in the oven. This way you'll get slightly browned macaroni & cheese that looks like it posed for the nicely lit photo on the Stouffer's box. Since you'll only need about 3/4 cup of uncooked elbow macaroni for each recipe, you can make several 4-person servings with just one 16-ounce box of macaroni, and then keep them all in the freezer until the days when your troops assemble for their mac attacks. Be sure to use freshly shredded cheddar cheese here, since it melts much better than pre-shredded cheese (and it's cheaper!). And use a whisk to stir the sauce often as it thickens, so that you get a smooth -- not lumpy or grainy -- finished product. If you feel like classing up this comfort food clone, serve it in your nicest casserole dish and tell everyone you prepared "pasta formaggio."

Source: "Top Secret Recipes Unlocked" by Todd Wilbur.