Microwave Mac N Cheese (recipe)

...only don't call it mac n cheese around my kids!
If you do, they will turn up their noses and not touch it. When it comes to mac n cheese, these kids are blue box, Kraft purists! NOTHING else will do.
So, to them, I called this "Cheesy Pasta".
It worked.
They ate it up.
I felt like a genius.

Last week, I needed to make lunch. I had pasta shells and I had cheese. I vaguely remembered a microwave mac n cheese recipe shared by my Quality Cook friends a  few years ago. (By vaguely, I mean that I remember that there was a recipe for it and that I needed a big bowl so that the liquid didn't boil over).
I poked around online and looked at a few different recipes, but they all called for flour. I was out. Yes. Me. I was out of flour!
I couldn't find what I wanted/needed, so I decided to try something on my own.
And it worked!
I liked it and the kids liked it. They even asked for more!

The recipe is easy. Just remember to use a BIG bowl.

Microwave Mac n Cheese (or Cheesy Pasta)
What You Need:
Large (2 qt or bigger) microwavable bowl with tight fitting lid
2 cups small shell pasta
2 cups hot water
3 TB butter

3 TB cornstarch
1 1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded


What You Do:

1. Put the pasta, water, and butter in the bowl and put the lid on tightly. Microwave on high for 5 minutes.
2. Keep it covered, and microwave on medium power for another 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, combine the milk and cornstarch in a small bowl and whisk with a fork until it is smooth. Add the spices to the milk/cornstarch.
4. Add the milk mixture to the pasta. Add the cheese. Stir, replace the lid, and microwave for another 8-12 minutes, stirring every 4 minutes until the pasta is tender and the sauce is thickened. (I only needed 8 minutes, but some microwaves need a little more or less.)
5. Serve.