Macaroni + Cheese for a Crowd

Note: This recipe makes A LOT of mac and cheese, hence the name “for a crowd”. This makes two 13 x 9 casserole dishes of mac and cheese, which will feed like 20+ people. This would also freeze well, in case you don’t know 20+ people to share this with.

Ingredients:

• 4 lbs (4 boxes) of pasta of your choice (I like a shell or fusili so it gets all the cheese sauce in the pockets)

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) of unsalted butter

• 8 tbsp of AP flour

• 1/2 gallon of whole milk (or any milk you prefer)

• 1 tsp of black pepper

• 1 tsp of garlic powder

• 1 tsp of onion powder

• 1 tsp of paprika

• 1 tsp of mustard powder

• 1 tsp of Tony Chachere’s

• 1/4 of cayenne pepper

• 4 cups of mild cheddar cheese; shredded

• 4 cups of jack cheese; shredded

• 2 cups of low-moisture mozzarella cheese; shredded

• 2 cups of pepper jack cheese; shredded

• 1 cup of grated parmesan cheese (or however much want to sprinkle on top of each tray)

• Two 13 x 9 baking tins

Prep your two baking tins (both 13 x 9) with a little bit of butter or oil and set aside.

Cook your pasta according to the package, al dente. If your pasta box says “done in 10 minutes” cook it for 8 so it is just about there. The pasta will finish cooking in the warm cheese sauce and in the oven. Drain your pasta and set aside. (If your pasta is sticking together, drizzle a little bit of olive oil over it and shake it around).

In a large pot on medium heat, melt your stick of butter. When the butter is melted, add in your flour and mix it together with a rubber spatula. You’re looking for the butter and flour to form a thick paste - you are making a light colored roux.

Turn the heat to low and slowly pour in your milk, mixing it well as you pour, so the roux full dissolves. Slowly warm up your milk and add in all of your seasonings (black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, mustard powder, Tony Chachere’s and cayenne pepper).

Once your milk is warm, add in all your shredded cheese. Keep your heat on low (as you don’t want your milk to curdle) and stir it all together until the cheese is melted. Your cheese sauce shouldn’t have any full pieces of shredded cheese and should be fully melted together. My test is when you take your spatula and pull it out of the cheese sauce, it should be a lovely cheese pull.

When your cheese sauce is done (about 30 minutes), turn off the heat and let it cool slightly.

While your cheese sauce is cooling down a bit, preheat your oven to 375F.

Separate your prepped pasta into the two baking dishes and pour the sauce over top of the pasta (half in each baking dish). Using a spatula, mix the pasta and the cheese sauce together. There shouldn’t be a dry pasta in the house.

Level out the cheese pasta and then sprinkle your grated parmesan on top for an extra cheesy top.

Cover both baking dishes with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes covered. Remove the tin foil, crank the heat to 400F and bake for 15 more minutes of until the top is nice and crispy to your liking.

Serve warm!