# Mac & cheese me please



## jethro (Jul 25, 2009)

I need a GREAT Mac & cheese recipe something for potluck type serving or large family gatherings. Nothing too crazy just a good home style recipe. Thanks.


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## beer-b-q (Jul 25, 2009)

[font=&quot]I had a friend email me this one, I haven't tried it but it sure sounds good.
[/font]*[font=&quot]
7 Cheese Mac and Cheese[/font]*

*Ingredients:*

  2 pounds elbow macaroni 
12 eggs 
1 cup cubed Velveeta cheese 
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, melted 
6 cups half-and-half, divided 
4 cups grated sharp yellow Cheddar, divided 
2 cups grated extra-sharp white Cheddar 
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella 
1 cup grated Asiago 
1 cup grated Gruyere 
1 cup grated Monterey Jack 
1 cup grated Muenster 
1/8 teaspoon salt 
1 tablespoon black pepper 

*Directions:*

  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until slightly al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside to keep warm. 
  Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until frothy. 



  Add the Velveeta, butter and 2 cups of the half-and-half to the large bowl of eggs. Add the warm macaroni tossing until the cheese has melted and the mixture is smooth. Add the remaining half-and-half, 3 cups of the sharp yellow Cheddar, the remaining grated cheeses, and salt and pepper, tossing until completely combined in the large bowl. 



  Pour the mixture into 9 by 13-inch casserole or baking dishes (approximately 3 (3-quart) baking dishes) and bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of sharp yellow cheese and bake until golden brown on top, about 30 minutes more. 



  Serve hot.


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## desertlites (Jul 25, 2009)

6 oz. 1.5 cups elbow macaroni -3tbls. butter-1/4 cup chopped onion-2tbl. flour-1/2 tsp.salt-little pepper-2 cups milk-2 cups american cheese-sun dried tomatoes.cook macaroni-in saucepan heat butter-cook onion till tender-stir in flour-salt &pepper-add all milk and cook till bubbly & thickened-add cheese till melts-add macaroni and blend well-turn into a casserole dish top with tomatoes and bake 30-35 minutes. this is a old recipi that can be tweeked however 1 wishes.


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## scarbelly (Sep 11, 2009)

We are hosting a rehersal dinner in our back yard for about 50 people and the bride has asked us for some gourmet takes on some old classics. I have a good recipe that uses 5 cheeses and we are going to put them into little foil ramekins to bake then invert onto individual plates. I can finish in the oven to crisp the top but was thinking about using the 5 racks in my SmokinTex to give them a little smoke. The recipe uses Panko crumbs on top and I am thinking about adding them at the last minute when I stick them under the broiler. Has anyone done anything like this? If so how long did you smoke and at what temp
Thanks


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## geek with fire (Sep 11, 2009)

As usual, Meowey is the man.  Here's one of his greats:
http://smokingmeatforums.com/forums/...ad.php?t=52921


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## scarbelly (Sep 11, 2009)

Thanks for the link - I already have a great recipe - what I was trying to get is any experience anyone has had with running the product thru the smoker for any period of time. This looks like a great recipe for the oven inside


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## mballi3011 (Sep 11, 2009)

I have smoked mac & cheese many times and thefamily loves it. I just make regular style with differant cheeses. What ever is in the refrig just throw it all in. I like some onions and a few peppers thrown in just for a kick and maybe some cheynne or jalapenos for some heat. Heck just go wild and then throw it in the smoker for about an hour to hour and a half and you in there. Go For It


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## scarbelly (Sep 12, 2009)

Thanks - we bought some 4 oz ramekins and are going to precook them and chill them so they will set up nice - we will warm them top them with some parmesan and panko and stick under the broiler - it will put the crisp on the bottom so I may hit them with a torch when I invert and plate - we are also thinking of putting some panko on the bottom only and torch after plating to give it some color - Gonna serve everything for 50+ plated in the kitchen then tray it out to the table - This is our 5th large rehersal dinner and there is still one more kid in the group who is still single so looks like we will have at least one more to do


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## gnubee (Sep 12, 2009)

The Bride's criteria for "gourmet takes on old classics" fits Dutch's Wicked Baked Beans to a *T *. They are always a big hit.


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## scarbelly (Sep 13, 2009)

I have been makin my own version of those beans for years - yup gotta add them to the list

We are doing a charity dinner at a fire house in a couple of weeks and are gonna take a bunch of smoked food to leave for the firemen to munch on for a couple of days after the dinner and a big batch of beans is on the list


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## jeffesonm (Nov 17, 2009)

Here is the homemade mac and cheese recipe I use and everyone raves about it... pretty much any cheese works, but a combination of cheddar and gruyere is especially delicious.  You can  also add ham or chopped broccoli to the mix if you desire.


*Ingredients:*
Day old bread
Salt
12 oz Pasta
3 cups milk
8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded (or substitute others… gruyere is quite tasty)
8 Tbl (1 stick) butter, divided 6/2
5 Tbl flour

*Breadcrumbs: *grind day-old bread in food processor (parmasean cheese side of a box grater works good too).  sauté in 2 TBL butter until golden brown, sprinkle with salt and set aside.

*Pasta:* Bring salted water to a boil.  Cook 12 oz of pasta 2/3 of the way through, drain, set aside.

*Sauce*: Melt 6 TBL butter in a sauce pan over low/medium heat.  Sprinkle in 5 TBL flour and cook for two minutes.  Add milk, ¼ cup at a time, whisking constantly.  when each ¼ cup is fully absorbed, add another.  it will be a lumpy mass at first but just keep going and it will turn into a sauce.  once the sauce is smooth you can add the remaining milk all at once.  add 2 tsp salt and a pinch or two of cayenne, to your liking.  cook over medium heat for a few minutes until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back  of a spoon.  turn off heat and stir in cheese, one handful at a time, stirring to incorporate.  reserve ½ cup or so cheese.

*Assembly:* Put pasta in an ovenproof container, pour sauce over and stir together.  I use our 3 qt straight side calphalon pan…. I make the sauce in it first, then add the pasta and stir. a glass baking dish would work too.  Cover with remaining cheese, then add breadcrumbs on top.  Bake [email protected] for 30 minutes until top is golden brown.  Allow 5 minutes rest before serving.


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## got14u (Nov 17, 2009)

here is a link to when I did it and I will also give you a link to what recipe I started out with. but made some off the hand tweaks. I don't have exactly what I did. One thing that isn't in my post is that the velveeta was the southwest velveeta. here they are and if you have any questions I will try to answer what ever I can.
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ght=mac+cheese
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/d...ipe/index.html


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## chef jeff tx (Nov 19, 2009)

Here's my current go to. It fairly healthy (Lo-Fat). I use Kraft 2% or Cabot fat free cheeses and no one knows it's lo-fat. To make it a main dish I add a couple grilled, diced chicken breasts or 2 cans of tuna and a can of corn or Veg-All. I submitted this recipe to Cooking Light Magazine and it will be in the DEC09 issue:

*[font=&quot]Two Pepper Rigatoni and Cheese[/font]*

[font=&quot]5          cups uncooked rigatoni (16 ounces uncooked pasta)[/font]
[font=&quot]2          tablespoons butter, divided[/font] or 2 TBSP EVOO
[font=&quot]1          cup chopped red bell pepper[/font]
[font=&quot]3          tablespoons all-purpose flour[/font]
[font=&quot]3          cups fat-free milk[/font]
[font=&quot]1          cup (4 ounces) shredded fontina cheese (or Kraft Italian Blend)[/font]
[font=&quot]1          cup (4 ounces) grated aged sharp cheddar cheese [/font]
[font=&quot]1          finely chopped pickled or fresh jalapeno pepper[/font]
[font=&quot]¾         teaspoon salt[/font]
[font=&quot]½         cup sliced green onions[/font]
[font=&quot]Cooking spray[/font]
[font=&quot]1/2      cup bread crumbs[/font]

[font=&quot]1)[/font][font=&quot] Preheat oven to 375°.[/font]

[font=&quot]2)[/font][font=&quot] Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well; place in a large bowl.[/font]

[font=&quot]3)[/font][font=&quot] Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add to pasta.[/font]

[font=&quot]4)[/font][font=&quot] Add flour to pan. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add cheeses, stirring until cheeses melt and mixture is smooth. Stir in jalapeno and salt. Add cheese mixture to pasta, tossing well to coat. Stir in green onions. Spoon pasta mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.[/font]

[font=&quot]5)[/font][font=&quot] Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Combine butter and breadcrumbs in a small bowl; toss well until blended. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over pasta mixture. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until browned. Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 cup).[/font]


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## scarbelly (Nov 19, 2009)

*Here is what we actually ended up doing for the dinner in ramekins here is a link to the qview . This is a killer recipe *
*http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=82640&highlight=scarbelly&page=3*

*7 Cheese Mac and Cheese*

*Ingredients:*

2 pounds elbow macaroni 
12 eggs 
1 cup cubed Velveeta cheese 
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, melted 
6 cups half-and-half, divided 
4 cups grated sharp yellow Cheddar, divided 
2 cups grated extra-sharp white Cheddar 
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella 
1 cup grated Asiago 
1 cup grated Gruyere 
1 cup grated Monterey Jack 
1 cup grated Muenster 
1/8 teaspoon salt 
1 tablespoon black pepper 

*Directions:*

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until slightly al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside to keep warm. 
Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until frothy. 

Add the Velveeta, butter and 2 cups of the half-and-half to the large bowl of eggs. Add the warm macaroni tossing until the cheese has melted and the mixture is smooth. Add the remaining half-and-half, 3 cups of the sharp yellow Cheddar, the remaining grated cheeses, and salt and pepper, tossing until completely combined in the large bowl. 

Pour the mixture into 9 by 13-inch casserole or baking dishes (approximately 3 (3-quart) baking dishes) and bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and some panko bread crumbs and bake until golden brown on top, about 30 minutes more.


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