Directions: |
Directions:Cook pasta al dente and drain, set aside.
Divide cheese by combining 1 cup of the Mexican cheese together with 1 cup of cheddar and set aside.
Melt butter in oil. Whisk in flour until smooth. Add half-n-half slowly and whisk until smooth. Add the remaining 3 cups of the Mexican mix and 1 cup of cheddar to mixture. Stir until smooth. Add salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Stir. Fold in pasta until coated (should be a little soupy). Put in dish and sprinkle the cheese that you set aside on top. Bake at 350º for 45 minutes or until it bubbles and the top starts to brown.
Number Of Servings: 8-10
Preparation Time: 30 min. |
Personal
Notes: |
Personal
Notes: This is always delicious, but somehow different every time! If you don't have the exact pasta or cheese, no worries! I have used many different kinds of cheese (ie: whatever is in my fridge) and it works! I prefer the larger pasta, but old school elbow tastes just as good. No half-n-half? No problem. If you have some cream, pour it in with some milk. If you only have milk, pour it in. You can also play around with the amount to get it the way you like it. I think I have made this with every combination of dairy with success. Don't sweat the small stuff with this recipe! The oil, butter, flour and seasonings anchor this dish with the dairy allowing plenty of room for creativity or necessity :-)
Also, it makes a lot. I have tried halving the recipe, but unless you have a high level of self control, it will grow to it's regular size leaving you scratching your head and saying "what happened?". Sometimes I half it in two pans and freeze one before baking. When we are ready for the second pan, I take it out of the freezer in the morning and let sit on the counter all day. Pop in the oven as usual and it tastes as good as if you had just made it fresh.
|
This recipe for Mac-n-Cheese is from