5 Cheese Melt in your Mouth Creamy Mac & Cheese

Macaroni and Cheese is most affectionately known as Mac & Cheese or the soul of comfort food!  There are so many different ways to cook Mac & Cheese.  You can bake it, cook it on the stove top, fry it and the list goes on and on.  You can also interchange the cheese you use based on your taste buds and add things like lobster and bacon.  I even have a couple variations on my blog like this one!  The Mac & Cheese recipe in this post is one of my favorite because it is my potluck staple, the one that everyone loves.  It is just down home creamy ooey gooey good!  You have to play around with Mac & Cheese to find “your” perfect one!  Try this one out for size, it just might be the right one for you too!  Oh and by the way my Crispy Curry Fried Chicken would partner perfectly with this Mac & Cheese!

Oh Yeah!!!!!
Can you feel the cheese love?!?!
What a beautiful bite!

5 CHEESE MELT IN YOUR MOUTH CREAMY MAC & CHEESE

INGREDIENTS:

1 box of elbow pasta (plus ingredients on back of box)
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. granulated garlic
1 stick unsalted butter (room temperature, plus 1-2 tsp to butter the baking dish)
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 8oz. mascarpone cheese or cream cheese
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups half and half
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. nutmeg
1 bag shredded Mexican Blend Cheese (mild cheddar, monterey jack, queso quesadilla and asadero)
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
2-3 tbsp. Sea Salt (plus 2 tbsp. for elbow pasta)
1-2 Ground black Pepper (plus 1 tbsp. for elbow pasta)

READ, SET, GO:

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Cook elbow pasta as directed on back of box
3. After pasta is cooked and drained, add pasta to a bowl and add extra virgin olive oil, granulated sugar, granulated garlic, sea salt, ground pepper and fold together
4. Lightly butter a baking dish, add seasoned pasta to buttered baking dish (taste and add more seasoning to desired taste)
5. In sauce pan melt unsalted butter over medium heat (I used the same pan I used to make the pasta for faster cleanup), once butter is melted add flour and whisk to combine (it will be a bit thick), then add mascarpone or cream cheese, heavy whipping cream, half and half, mustard and nutmeg and whisk until fully incorporated, cream cheese is melted and mixture is bubbly, then add mixture to baking dish and fold together with seasoned pasta until fully incorporated
6. Add more cheese to top and place in oven on 400 degrees uncovered for 20 – 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly (* for extra cheesy add some extra mild cheddar to the mixture and on top)
7. SERVE AND ENJOY and Catch the VIDEO HERE

Utokia ~
Sizzle Sizzle Baby