Better Than Restaurant Mac 'n Cheese Recipe -

Yes, you read that right! My daughter and I have perfected mac ‘n cheese. She’s a bit of an addict and always wanting to experiment with the recipe and reinvent the wheel to her liking. I must say, we created a mouth-watering, MUST-try, better-than-restaurant mac ‘n cheese dish. And I’m usually not even a huge mac ‘n cheese eater! So, if you’re looking for a new twist on a classic dish for your kids, grandkids, or as a side dish to impress, you NEED to try this one!

close-up-of-baked-mac-n-cheese-in-deep-dish

Here’s What You’ll Need:

Ingredients:

16 oz macaroni pasta
5 oz cream cheese
3 cups heavy whip cream
1/4 cup water
3 tsp salt
3 tsp pepper
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp paprika
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 stick butter (8 tbsp)
2 tbsp flour
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup grated colby jack cheese
1/2 cup pepper jack cheese
4 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup Rotel

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 360 degrees.
In a large pot, cook your pasta as you prep your sauce
In a medium saucepan, add cream, cream cheese, and seasonings and set to low. Stir occasionally.
In a small saucepan, melt your butter on low and saute the minced garlic. Add the flour and mix quickly and blend well. Add this mixture to your cream cheese saucepan.
Blend mixture and add in water to help thin just a tad. Increase heat a bit is mixture is becoming to clumpy.
Add in cheeses and mix well, allowing plenty of time to melt thoroughly.
Cook your bacon strips and cut or crumble into pieces. Set a pinch aside for garnish and bland the rest into your cheese sauce.
Add in most of your Rotel tomatoes and green chile. Keep a pinch for garnishing.
Drain pasta and place half in your baking pan. Pour half the cheese mixture over the pasta and blend well. Add the remaining pasta and remaining sauce. Blend well.
Top your mac ‘n cheese with a pinch of Rotel tomatoes and bacon bits.
Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes.
Remove and sprinkle with a bit of shredded cheese. Return to oven and set to broil for 2-3 minutes. Keep and eye on it and remove when cheese becomes golden brown.
Remove, cool, and serve!

partially coated mac n cheese in deep dish

Side or Main Dish?

How does your family eat mac ‘n cheese? Are they side dish fans or more of a “it’s my main course” type of a crowd? My daughter has always been a fan of mac ‘n cheese as a meal and still swears Red Robin turned her onto the fetish. Even as she approaches sixteen, it’s still a go-to meal for her, even though it drives me a bit nuts that she won’t eat something more with it! However, I CAN tempt her to add fresh baked bread rolls, but that’s usually about it when it comes to her mac ‘n cheese.

baked mac n cheese with shredded cheese on top

If you feel you have more cheese sauce than you want to use on your pasta, I highly recommend grabbing a bag of chips. This delicious blend makes an AMAZING queso. I think I divide my time between eating as a chip and dip and as a mac ‘n cheese side dish. Plus, the bacon makes it extra yummy and I’m not afraid to add in extra.

Let us know how yours turns out!