Hot Cheese Crunchy Mac & Cheese
- Level: Easy
- Yield: 8 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 8 servings
- Calories
- 557
- Total Fat
- 27
- Saturated Fat
- 16
- Carbohydrates
- 53
- Dietary Fiber
- 2
- Sugar
- 6
- Protein
- 24
- Cholesterol
- 79
- Sodium
- 508
- Total: 1 hr 15 min
- Active: 40 min
Ingredients
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, plus more for the baking dish
1 pound elbow macaroni
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the pasta water
3 cups milk
1 tablespoon ground annatto
2 cups flaming hot crunchy cheese snacks, preferably Cheetos
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
8 ounces Cheddar, shredded
4 ounces unprocessed American cheese slices, cut into strips
4 ounces fontina cheese, shredded
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Special equipment:
cheesecloth; kitchen twine- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and set aside.
- Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until very al dente, about 3 minutes less than the box instructions (it will finish in the oven). Drain and set aside.
- Add the milk and annatto to a 3-quart saucepan over medium-low heat and bring to a low simmer. Place 1 cup cheese snacks in the center of a double-layered square of cheesecloth. Gather the sides together to form a pouch and secure with kitchen twine. Put the pouch in the warm milk and steep for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, then remove the pouch and discard.
- Add the butter to a 6-quart Dutch oven and let melt, then add the flour to make a roux. Whisk until smooth, then cook until blonde in color, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisking vigorously, slowly add the milk mixture. Bring to a simmer, whisking constantly, then cook, whisking occasionally, about 2 minutes more. Add the cheeses and season with salt and pepper. Mix in the pasta until fully coated. Transfer the mac and cheese to the buttered baking dish.
- Crush the remaining cup cheese snacks in a resealable bag using a rolling pin. Top the mac and cheese in an even layer with the crumbled hot cheese snacks and bake until bubbly and gooey, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm.