Creamiest Mac and Cheese

Creamiest Mac and Cheese

Recipe by Nicole McLaughlin from allrecipes.com

Dinner 1 Hr. 15 Mins.

Ingredients

10

10 servings

  • cooking spray
  • 1 (16 ounce) package elbow macaroni
  • 4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
  • 2 (8 ounce) packages sharp Cheddar cheese
  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • 0.333 cup all-purpose flour
  • 0.25 teaspoon ground mustard
  • 3.5 cups whole milk, or more to taste
  • 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 0.5 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 0.125 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add macaroni and 2 ½ teaspoons salt and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 6 minutes. Drain and set aside.
  • Shred Cheddar cheese by hand or in a food processor; set aside.
  • Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly, until smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk in mustard powder, then 3 ½ cups milk. Whisk occasionally until mixture comes to a simmer, then let simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Add cream cheese and cook, stirring often, until thick, creamy, and smooth, about 5 minutes. Add remaining 1 ½ teaspoon salt, pepper, and cayenne.
  • Stir in 2 cups shredded Cheddar. Turn off the heat and let cheese melt. Stir in cooked macaroni. Add up to ¼ cup milk if you feel like the mixture is too thick.
  • Layer ½ of the pasta mixture in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Top with 1 ½ cups Cheddar. Spread remaining pasta mixture over top and sprinkle with remaining Cheddar.
  • Bake in the preheated oven until golden and bubbly, 25 to 30 minutes.

Nutritional Facts

Per 10 servings

  • Calories: 505
  • Carbohydrate: 41g
  • Fat: 28g
  • Fiber: 2g
  • Protein: 21g

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