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The first bite of copycat Hard Rock Cafe Twisted Mac and Cheese is the moment I fell in love with cavatappi pasta. All these years using elbow macaroni, I almost feel like they were wasted. This is the perfect pasta for mac and cheese, especially one as great as this. This isn’t a complicated recipe, but it sure is one that makes for that perfectly ooey-gooey combination. And it looks pretty too. It’s a win all around!
Four Cheese Love
This copycat Hard Rock Cafe Twisted Mac and Cheese has four cheeses. That’s a lot of cheese love. Well, there’s sort of four. Technically Velveeta isn’t cheese but most of us think of it like it is. It sits in my fridge next to the ‘real’ cheese. That counts, right? Either way, it sure adds that wonderful creaminess to the mac and cheese.
Heat Things Up
I ditched the Monterey Jack for pepper jack instead. I wanted a bit of a kick to my dish. You can stick with the original recipe below and enjoy one heck of a great mac and cheese. Or add that heat.
Also try my stovetop pimento mac and cheese.
Copycat Hard Rock Cafe Twisted Mac and Cheese
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound cavatappi pasta
- kosher salt to taste
- ⅔ cup milk you might need more
- 8 ounces Velveeta cubed. Substitute Mexican Velveeta for a spicy version.
- 1 ¼ cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese shredded. I like to use pepper jack for extra kick
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup roasted red bell pepper diced
- 4 teaspoons Italian bread crumbs
- 4 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ teaspoon parsley minced
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.
- Add the pasta and cooked until just tender. Drain.
- While the pasta is draining, return the pot to the stovetop over low heat. Add the milk, Velveeta, cheddar, Monterey Jack, cayenne and black pepper.
- Stir until the cheeses are melted and the mixture is smooth.
- Add the pasta back to the pot along with the roasted red pepper.
- To serve, spoon pasta mixture onto plates or into bowls. Sprinkle with bread crumbs, cheese and parsley.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.
This is the moment I fell in love with cavatappi pasta.