I am the biggest fan of really good macaroni and cheese. When we were little, my mom would make it for our sitter to give us on nights when she had school committee meetings and would be gone all night. I loved mac & cheese night. As any good mac & cheese fan, I’ve hunted high and low for the “perfect” creamy mac & cheese. With all due respect to Alton, Smitten, Panera, Velveeta, my crock-pot and the myriad of recipes I’ve tried from Pinterest, the Stroller family deemed this the best mac & cheese recipe we’ve tried so far. If you’re a huge mac & cheese fan too, give this one a try and let me know if you’ve found a creamier, cheesier mac & cheese recipe yet.

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Creamy & Cheesy Macaroni & Cheese

Ingredients
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 t. red pepper flakes
1/4 t. garlic powder
2 c. half & half or evaporated milk from can
2 c. milk
30 oz. of a mixture of sharp cheddar, cheddar, gruyere and muenster cheeses, grated. Reserve 3/4 c. of cheddar – do not use pre-shredded cheese
16 oz. box of elbow macaroni, cooked to al dente

Directions
1. Melt butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour, stirring  until smooth. Continue to cook, mixing constantly for about 2 minutes until turning golden

2. Stir in salt, peppers and garlic. Slowly add half & half and milk, whisking constantly so lumps don’t form. Cook while stirring constantly until thickened, about 10 minutes

3. Turn heat to low and stir in half of the cheeses. Once melted, remove from heat and add remaining cheese except the reserved cheddar. Stir until melted, returning to heat only if necessary

4. Add pasta to the cheese mixture and mix well to combine. Pour into a lightly greased casserole dish or 9×13 baking pan

5. Sprinkle with reserved cheddar and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until bubbly.

Notes:

I used:

  • one 12oz can of fat-free evaporated milk from a can and used 2 1/4c. of milk
  • 24oz of Cracker Barrel 2% milk extra sharp cheddar
  • 6oz of muenster cheese

I have also used a combination of gruyere, muenster, and various Cracker Barrel 2% milk cheeses in the past with great results.

Enjoy!