Mac-n-Cheese

Mac-n-Cheese

The creamiest, meltiest, perfect mac n cheese just in time for spring.

Cheese Sauce

1/2 gallon milk (whole is best)

4 cup heavy cream

8 oz Velveeta cheese (yup!  It’s a stable “cheese” and helps the sauce from breaking!)

2# bag shredded cheddar 

½ # roux (recipe to follow)

3# pasta (elbows are my favorite to use for this)

2 cup panko breadcrumbs (optional)

Salt and pepper to season 

Roux

¼ # AP flour

¼ # butter (real butter) 

(Mash together using the back of a fork until completely incorporated)

In a pan on medium high, melt butter.  Sprinkle in all four and stir, reduce heat to medium… continue to stir for 20 min.  This will be the more annoying part of the process but super important for the cheese sauce!  

You can make this ahead up to 5 days.  Just chill and put into fridge.  

Pasta

-Boil pasta in super salted water for a little more than the box suggests.  You want almost a crunchy texture.  When put into the cheese sauce, it will absorb and be perfect.  

-Rinse pasta in warm water and sprinkle HEAVY with black pepper and mix.  The salt from the water and the pepper will properly season the pasta.  

Cheese Sauce

-Find the largest heavy bottom pot

-heat milk and cream until simmer (continually stirring so it will not scorch)

-add the roux and whisk in.  this will take a few minutes and it will start to thicken once reached proper temperature.  

-TURN HEAT OFF - the small bits of Velveeta and shredded cheese will melt by the heat of the milk also reducing the temperature of the dairy ensuring it does NOT overcook preventing the cheese sauce from becoming grainy.

-add cheese (cut Velveeta into smaller pieces)

*at this point, I use an emersion blender  or hand mixer to ensure everything is properly melted and mixed!  

FINAL STEPS!  

-evenly divide pasta into foil baking pans (I think 4 will work for this.  Spray each pan with cooking spray so it won’t stick)

-ladle in cheese evenly to each baking pan and mix

-you want this to be loose because the pasta will soak up a lot.  

-sprinkle shredded cheese or bread crumbs on top and cool.  If you have room in the fridge, place in there for several hours UNCOVERED.  When cooled, spray a sheet of parchment paper with cooking spray and lay directly on top of mac-n-cheese.  Wrap with heavy foil, then plastic wrap.  Freeze THEN stack.  

-When ready to bake, remove from freezer and plastic wrap.  Bake @375 for 35-45 min