All-American Mac-and-Cheese

Who doesn’t love mac-and-cheese? I’ve certainly made lots of variations on the classic, from a Cholula mac, to pepperoni pizza mac, fondue mac, to roasted garlic and thyme mac. I decided to go a more traditional route. Loaded with cheese, my All-American Mac-and-Cheese is just flat-out cheesy. And it has a little twist at the end to boot.

All-American Mac-and-Cheese

You don’t have to sprinkle your All-American Mac-and-Cheese with cayenne pepper, though I do recommend it. Leave it off entirely or try a little dusting of paprika instead. I think it adds a nice (needed) contrast to the tons of (yummy) creamy cheesiness. Otherwise you end up with a big ole bowl of yellow orange.

If I end up with leftovers, I warm them up on the stovetop with a few splashes of milk (not the evaporated stuff, the stuff from the carton). And I might add a pat or two of butter. It helps the sauce get creamy again.

I highly recommend that you shred or grate your own cheese at home. Don’t buy the pre-shredded or pre-grated stuff. It has stuff added to it to keep it from sticking together. That ‘stuff’ affects how the cheese melts. Shred it yourself and use the good stuff.

All-American Mac-and-Cheese
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5 from 1 vote

All-American Mac-and-Cheese

Loaded with cheese, my All-American Mac-and-Cheese is just flat-out cheesy. And it has a little twist at the end to boot.
Course Side
Cuisine American
Keyword mac and cheese, macaroni and cheese
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 563kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the macaroni.
  • Continue boiling until the pasta is al dente. Drain, but reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.
  • Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
  • Whisk in the flour, mustard powder and cayenne. Continue whisking for 1 minute.
  • Whisk in the evaporated milk and continue stirring until thick, about 5 minutes.
  • Add the cheeses and stir until melted.
  • Add the pasta and stir. If the mixture is too thick add a bit of the reserved pasta water.
  • Heat through and season with salt and pepper.

Nutrition

Calories: 563kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 592mg | Potassium: 483mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 861IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 627mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.