Creamy Mac and Cheese
Made with 3 types of cheese, this Creamy Mac and Cheese is a classic winter comfort food! From the creamy texture to the layers of flavor, this recipe is worthy of a bookmark!
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What are your wackiest holiday traditions? I’m not talking ones like opening a gift on Christmas Eve (thanks for the awesome socks, Grandma!). I’m also not talking about the pickle ornament on the tree (although that is a wacky tradition for sure). As a food blogger, I love food – that’s kinda obvious, right? I also happen to love Dr. Seuss, and Robbie has followed in my footsteps here. We’ve read How the Grinch Stole Christmas every night for the past week…and I kinda love it! On a side note, we also own a copy of The Grinch in Latin. How many people do you know who own a copy of that book? I’m guessing you can count us all on one hand.
Many years ago, I combined my love of Dr. Seuss with my interest in food, and I made green eggs and ham for dinner one night. It was a fun experiment and truthfully fairly easy thanks to a bit of green food coloring. Well, for the past couple of months, I’ve been thinking about a new challenge. What about making a Grinch-inspired meal during the holidays each year? You know, Who Pudding and Rare Who Roast Beast. Perhaps use some leftover beast to make a three-decker toadstool and sauerkraut sandwich…complete with arsenic sauce, of course.
As a kid, I always wanted those toys and foods from the various Dr. Seuss books. Unfortunately, the toys don’t actually exist…but perhaps I can still make the foods! I mean what could go wrong with this plan? Perhaps I need to table the toadstool and sauerkraut sandwich idea for a bit longer, though. After all, I need to learn how to make arsenic sauce first.
Creamy Mac and Cheese
However, speaking of unique holiday traditions, ours is mac and cheese. Now I know mac and cheese isn’t strange at all, but for the holidays? Some folks look forward to the turkey or the prime rib or the pumpkin pie…I look forward to the mac and cheese. It’s true. The holidays is one of the few times I allow myself to go back for seconds….and my plate comes back full of mac and cheese. Delicious!
This year, I decided to do a little experimenting. I loved the version that my Mom made back when we were kids, but I wanted to make a creamy mac and cheese that used actual cheese as the main ingredient. So over the past several weeks, I’ve made no less than 4 versions of this Creamy Mac and Cheese. The first version was delicious, but a little lacking in the creamy department. The cream cheese fixed that problem. Then there was the debate over which cheeses (and how much of each) to use. I finally settled on this version with sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack. One bite, and I laid my wooden spoon down. I knew I was done. This Creamy Mac and Cheese has the perfect texture and perfect flavor!
We made a big pot of this mac and cheese for Thanksgiving a couple weeks ago, and it was a huge hit! And sure enough, I went back for seconds…of the mac and cheese. We love Cabot cheese in our house, and we always make sure to keep several varieties in stock at all times. For this Creamy Mac and Cheese, I used Cabot’s Seriously Sharp Cheddar along with their Monterey Jack as well. The Monterey Jack is creamy and mild…basically the perfect melting cheese. The Seriously Sharp Cheddar is a seriously delicious cheddar with a ton of flavor. Heck, Cabot describes this cheese as one that “will make a box of macaroni weep with joy.” Nailed it!
One quick note on the cooking side of things for this Creamy Mac and Cheese. This is a super easy recipe to make, but I highly (!) recommend spending the time to shred your own blocks of cheese. I’ve found that this style melts better than pre-shredded cheese…and in turn this leads to a creamier mac and cheese. (Of course, you can shred the cheese a day or two in advance if you’re looking to save time.)
Mac and cheese might not be the first recipe you think of for the holidays, but it’s definitely one of the first recipes I think of. This Creamy Mac and Cheese has excellent texture and flavor, and I definitely went back for seconds! Now I’m off to figure out how to make that three-decker toadstool and sauerkraut sandwich. Eh, forget it. I’m off to see if there’s any mac and cheese leftovers in the fridge. Cheers, friends!
Did you make this Creamy Mac and Cheese at home? Leave a comment. Or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog)!
Creamy Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 pound large elbow pasta
- 4 large eggs
- 1 12-oz. can evaporated milk
- ½ tsp dry mustard
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 4 oz. unsalted butter
- 8 oz. Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded ~2 cups
- 12 oz. Cabot Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded ~3 cups
- 8 oz. cream cheese, cut into 1” cubes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Using a large pot, cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse, drain and set pasta aside.
- Using a large skillet, add eggs, evaporated milk, dry mustard and garlic powder; whisk until well combined. Place over low heat and cook, stirring often, until warm.
- Add butter and continue cooking, stirring often, until butter has completely melted.
- Add shredded cheeses and cubed cream cheese. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until cheeses have fully melted.
- Stir in cooked pasta and transfer mixture into a greased baking pan.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until top begins to turn golden brown.
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How much fun would a Grinch-inspired dinner be? LOVE it! I actually like to make Reubens with sautéed mushrooms instead of corned beef and I feel like you could sort of call that a sauerkraut and toadstool sandwich; with a little imagination you could call Thousand Island “arsenic sauce.” And now I’m craving a sandwich. And I’m also craving mac and cheese. . .I have a feeling my breakfast will be really carb-heavy today. This looks awesome!
I’m all in on the Grinch inspired dinner. Let’s do it! And I think the mushroom reuben idea could work. Very creative, Kelsie! I do love mac and cheese, and I feel like it should go with every meal ever. Like of all time. 🙂 Thanks so much, my friend!
I hope you enjoy this mac ‘n cheese all year round and not just during the holidays! This looks so creamy and delicious. I’ve never seen Dr. Seuss in Latin….you’d better hang on to that book. It might become a collectors item!
Oh, I suspect this mac and cheese recipe will be memorized before long. I think it will be making many appearances around here. 🙂 Also, that Dr. Seuss in Latin book really is unique. So unique that no one around here except for me knows how to read it. Hah!
Grinch inspired food…how fun! We definitely have food traditions over the holidays. Every holiday there’s always chowder, fish cakes, fish n brewis, turkey dinner and cold plates. Not all on the same day, of course, but definitely throughout and I love it! Never thought of having mac and cheese, but you know how I feel about cheese so I think I may need to incorporate some mac into the mix. This one looks super creamy, cheesy and straight up delish. I can see why you’d go for seconds 😉 !!
Yes! I love reading about your food traditions up there in Newfoundland. You guys have some unique recipes that I’m not familiar with. Pretty fun! I know mac and cheese might not be a traditional holiday side dish, but it’s cheese. So there. 🙂 This recipe is seriously a winner, Dawn. So yummy!
The Grinch in Latin…? Yes, you’re definitely the only person I know, but that is really cool 😀
And Mac and Cheese – can’t beat this. Truly the ultimate comfort food. DIVINE!
Haha! Well now you can say you know someone with the Grinch in Latin. 🙂 Also, mac and cheese truly is one of the best creations of all time. This recipe is a keeper for sure. Thanks, Alexandra!
Holidays are all about comfort food, right? Personally, for me that also involves all those little snacks and bites that you can grab every…mmm perhaps 15 minutes? 🙂 You’re right – mac & cheese might not be the first thing you think of for the holidays, but why not indeed? It’s creamy, rich, and soul-warming. Perfect for the dinner, after a long walk outside (And before a nap) 🙂 Delicious!
You’re totally right, Ben. The holidays are all about taking time off, spending time with friends and family and eating your favorite comfort foods. For me, mac and cheese is definitely on that list! Thanks so much, my friend!
I love the Grinch story! It’s awesome! I even love the cartoons and the Jim Carrey Grinch movie! I think a grinch dinner sounds downright Christmasy! And it would need this mac’n’cheese, too. I think your cheese combo is perfect and you’ve hit all the notes with that selection! Yumm!
Oh, the Grinch cartoon and Grinch w/ Jim Carrey are seriously some of my favorite holidays movies. Robbie is all in on the Grinch this year, and it makes me happy. 🙂 Also, mac and cheese makes me happy. Haha! Thanks, Laura!
Wowza! Such an incredible bowl of comforting deliciousness! I love it — and I love Dr. Seuss! YUM! 🙂 ~Valentina
Haha! Thanks so much, Valentina. It’s hard to beat a good bowl of mac and cheese, right?? 🙂
this sounds seriously delicious david. yum! i haven’t had mac and cheese since i was a child. mum very occasionally fed us mac and cheese out of a packet! oh the shame – tee hee. i must try making some delish homemade stuff!
Oh my gosh! Ok, Sherry. Promise me that you’ll make some mac and cheese sometime during the holidays. And promise me that it won’t be out of a packet. This is seriously one of my all-time favorite comfort food recipes! 🙂
I love the Grinch, it’s one of my favorite Christmas stories. Mac and cheese is one of my family’s favorite side dishes. I am sure they would love it if I made this recipe for Christmas dinner. Sounds delicious!
I’m with ya, Dawn. I love the Grinch! Heck, my first dog was named Max after the Grinch’s dog. 🙂 I also love mac and cheese. Like I could eat mac and cheese every night and be happy. Definitely try this recipe out sometime. It’s super creamy and delicious! It’s my go-to mac and cheese recipe.
David, this is definitely the first thing I’d reach for on the holiday table! What could be yummier than this amazingly creamy mac n cheese. Grating your own cheese is definitely the way to go. I haven’t tried macaroni and cheese with cream cheese before so I can’t wait to try it. I just want to reach in and grab a bite. Lemme know if you need any help finishing off those 4 batches!
So I’m all about grating my own cheese for recipes like this, Kelly! Shredded cheese definitely has it’s place, but for a creamy mac and cheese, I like to shred my own. So the cream cheese in here totally makes this extra creamy…and in the best way possible. In fact, I just made a 5th batch (same as the 4th batch), so I’d love some help finishing it! 🙂
YUM!!!!! What gorgeous photos! I love that Mac and Cheese is one of your holiday traditions. Untraditional traditions are the best! I am so with you on freshly grating the cheese yourself–the pre-grated bags just can’t compare. Once you grate cheese yourself there’s no turning back haha. The Grinch in Latin looks awesome! And I would love a Grinch inspired holiday meal with Arsenic sauce! You should totally do it!
Hey Shannon! Thank you so much for the kind words. It might seem odd, but I seriously look forward to the mac and cheese every holiday season. It’s SO good! 🙂 And I’ve been thinking more about that Grinch meal with arsenic sauce. It might have to happen next year. Stay tuned!! Haha.
Love how you’ve used 3 different types of cheese to make your creamy mac and cheese David. That certainly takes it up a few notches! Looks yummy! That Dr. Seuss book in Latin is pretty unique!
This mac and cheese is seriously one of my favorite recipes ever, Neil! It’s so creamy and delicious. I can’t wait until Christmas so I can make another batch. Haha! 🙂
Would like to be on your recipe list and recipes sent to my email address. I can’t find where you do that. Please help me and GOD BLESS.
I just added you to the newsletter – thanks, Sandy!