The Best Mac & Cheese

The BEST Homemade Mac and Cheese of your LIFE. Outrageously cheesy, ultra-creamy, and topped with your favorite topping, this mac and cheese recipe is most definitely a keeper. I used three different cheese and a homemade cheese sauce to make this macaroni and cheese recipe over the top. Love cheesy recipes? Make sure to try this Cheesy Mac & Cheese Soup and Cheeseburger Stuffed Shells next week for dinner!

My daughter, Cassie has always loved Mac and Cheese. She has made some amazing recipes for Mac and Cheese on the blog. The other night, we had a town meeting for the blog. Of course, food had to be involved and I thought to myself, how much fun it would be to have a Mac and Cheese bar. It’s true, I came up with my own Mac and Cheese recipe and it’s pretty darn good! It uses a combination of different cheeses that includes a rich and creamy sauce! Get your taste buds ready!

This is the ultimate comfort food for your family and so easy to make! I did get two thumbs up from Cassie!

Ingredients:

1 lb. dried pasta- use your favorite
1/2 cup butter 1 stick
1/2 cup flour
2 cups of milk
2 cups heavy cream
4 cups grated Mexican 4 cheese
2 cups grated Gruyere cheese divided
1 Tbsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. paprika

INSTRUCTIONS

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When boiling, add dried pasta and cook 1 minute less than the package directs for al dente. Drain and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil to keep from sticking.
While water is coming up to a boil, grate cheeses and toss them together to mix. Approximately 4 1/2 cups for the sauce, and 1 1/2 cups for the topping.
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle in flour and whisk to combine. The mixture will look like very wet sand. Cook for approximately 1 minute, whisking often. Slowly pour in about 2 cups or so of the milk/heavy cream, while whisking constantly, until smooth. Slowly pour in the remaining milk/heavy cream, while whisking constantly, until combined and smooth.
Continue to heat over medium heat, whisking very often, until thickened to a very thick consistency.
Stir in spices and 2 1/2 cups of the cheeses, stirring to melt and combine. Stir in another 2 cups of cheese, and stir until completely melted and smooth.
In a large mixing bowl, combine drained pasta with cheese sauce, stirring to combine fully. Pour half of the pasta mixture into the slow cooker.
Sprinkle the top with the last 1 1/2 cups of cheese and cook on low for about an hour, until cheese is bubbly and lightly golden brown.

You can garnish with extra cheese, bacon bits, green onions, crackers! Let your imagination go wild!