Did this with a pulled pork smoke this weekend and the family raved about it. In fact I was told this needs to be at the Easter gathering and the kids were eating the leftovers for breakfast. So I guess it's pretty good.
Five Cheese Mac & Cheese
Ingredients
Cook macaroni according to package directions. It needs to still be somewhat firm as it will continue to cook in the cheese sauce later (more firm than you would normally eat at this stage).
In a large bowl, combine the Muenster, cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses; set aside.
In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter over medium heat. Stir in the cream, eggs, process cheese, seasoned salt, pepper and 1-1/2 cups of the cheese mixture. Stir as the cheese melts and forms a sauce base for the macaroni. Let all the cheese melt into the sauce (do not overheat or burn though, I stirred continuously and would not recommend walking away from this part of the process even for a few seconds)
Drain pasta; add to the cheese sauce in the pot and stir to coat.
Transfer mac & cheese sauce to a greased 2-1/2-qt. baking dish (13x9x2 is what I used).
Sprinkle on top with the remaining shredded cheese mixture. Sprinkle a little paprika on top of the shredded cheese.
Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40-45 minutes or smoke until a thermometer reads 160°.
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Note:
I made this as a six cheese sauce tonight as I added two slices of smoked Gouda I had on hand. Considering the total volume of cheese, in retrospect I doubt we even tasted it, but I had some and like Gouda so I used it. Probably totaled about 1.5 ounces total of Gouda. I rolled it up and shredded it along with the muenster and added to the shredded cheese mix.
I baked the mac & cheese in the oven tonight as the smoker was already full and I did not want to fire up anything else.
As you can see from the picture of the mac & cheese in the pan above, this was not greasy or runny at all. Came out very nice with a true old time home made feel and flavor.
Five Cheese Mac & Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 package (16 ounces) elbow macaroni
- 2 ounces Muenster cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup shredded mild cheddar
- 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar
- 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack
- 1/2 cup butter (one stick)
- 2 cups half-and-half cream
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup cubed Velveeta (I used Velveeta shredded)
- 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
Cook macaroni according to package directions. It needs to still be somewhat firm as it will continue to cook in the cheese sauce later (more firm than you would normally eat at this stage).
In a large bowl, combine the Muenster, cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses; set aside.
In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter over medium heat. Stir in the cream, eggs, process cheese, seasoned salt, pepper and 1-1/2 cups of the cheese mixture. Stir as the cheese melts and forms a sauce base for the macaroni. Let all the cheese melt into the sauce (do not overheat or burn though, I stirred continuously and would not recommend walking away from this part of the process even for a few seconds)
Drain pasta; add to the cheese sauce in the pot and stir to coat.
Transfer mac & cheese sauce to a greased 2-1/2-qt. baking dish (13x9x2 is what I used).
Sprinkle on top with the remaining shredded cheese mixture. Sprinkle a little paprika on top of the shredded cheese.
Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40-45 minutes or smoke until a thermometer reads 160°.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Note:
I made this as a six cheese sauce tonight as I added two slices of smoked Gouda I had on hand. Considering the total volume of cheese, in retrospect I doubt we even tasted it, but I had some and like Gouda so I used it. Probably totaled about 1.5 ounces total of Gouda. I rolled it up and shredded it along with the muenster and added to the shredded cheese mix.
I baked the mac & cheese in the oven tonight as the smoker was already full and I did not want to fire up anything else.
As you can see from the picture of the mac & cheese in the pan above, this was not greasy or runny at all. Came out very nice with a true old time home made feel and flavor.