- 4
Ingredients
- 2 cups elbow macaroni or pasta of your choice, cooked al dente
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 2 Tbsp AP (all purpose) flour
- 2 cups half and half
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- 1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard (Colemans)
- 8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
- 4 ounces Velveeta cheese, cubed
- 4 ounces cream cheese, cubed (room temperature)
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
- 1/4 cup asiago cheese, shredded
Preparation
Step 1
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and put into a large mixing bowl.Set aside.
In a small mixing bowl, mix the shredded cheddar, parmesan, and asiago cheeses. Set aside.
In a small saucepan over low heat, warm half and half. In a medium saucepan over medium heat melt butter. Add flour and stir to make a roux. Stir for a minute or two in order to cook out the "raw flour" taste, and don't let the roux turn brown. You'll want it to stay white or a light cream color. Add the warm half and half a little at a time and stir until the sauce thickens. Add the salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and dry mustard, stirring another minute to incorporate into sauce. Add the cubed Velveeta and cream cheese and stir until melted, then add in 3/4 of the shredded cheese mixture. Keep stirring until all the cheeses are melted.
Pour cheese sauce over cooked pasta and mix thoroughly. Pour into an 8 x 8 (or close appropriate sized) casserole dish. Top with remaining shredded cheese mixture. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and cook another 15 minutes or until top is lightly browned.