Kicked Up Mac and Cheese Recipe

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. A little at a time, whisk in milk, mustard, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute, then remove from heat and whisk in pepperjack, Cheddar and Parmesan until smooth. Stir in cooked pasta and pour into shallow 2 quart baking dish.
Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in bread crumbs and chili powder. Sprinkle over macaroni mixture.
Bake in preheated oven 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Reviews (102)

What a Dish!

Oct. 1, 2007

"This recipe is awesome!! We all loved it, even my one-year old. (I did cut back on the hot pepper sauce). I put the chili powder (and a little less) into the sauce and used a mix of 2% and 1% milk...." See more I used more pasta too, probably 2.5 cups and I could have used more, but I like an extra cheesey, saucey sauce opposed to a drier sauce. We had broccoli with this and spooned some of the extra sauce over that. I used radiatore pasta in this and it was wonderful. Shredded my own parm, used Tillamook Pepperjack and Tillamook Extra Sharp Reserve White Cheddar cheese. Used a bit extra of all the cheeses. LOVED it!!! I used crushed garlic croutons in place of bread crumbs and butter. We couldn't get enough. I will make this again."

rabidkitten

Oct. 19, 2009

"I made this tonight as a test for a dinner party next weekend. 1. I used 2% instead of whole milk. Do not do this as it breaks and makes for a chalky texture. 2. I used pepper cheddar instead of ..." See morepepper jack since I had it on hand; probably no significant difference. 3. The pasta amount is definitely a typo. I used more like 2.5 cups. 4. Personally, the hot sauce heat level was fine or too low, but I did not love the vinegar aspect it added. Next time I will do a combo of jalapenos and cayenne. 5. I will add more mustard next time and mix the chili powder into the sauce. 6. I added parmesan to the bread crumb/butter mixture and melted in the microwave instead of in a pan. Worked beautifully and saved me a dish to wash. Overall, this is a really good recipe. I may just have a piggy husband, but 8 servings is debatable. "

smt10131969

Dec. 26, 2008

"Hyperpuppy, I bow to your cooking genius. How I wish I could give this one ten stars. It is that good, folks. If you like traditional comfort food with a big twist, this is your ticket right here. ..." See more I added some Oscar Mayer bacon bits. For my own personal tastes the next time I make this, I will add another 1/2 cup milk. I will also add the chili powder to the cheese mixture. I think I tasted too much chili powder. Otherwise this is my favorite recipe from this webstie. "

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