The Creamiest Tillamook Cheddar Mac N Cheese

Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Servings
8

Ingredients

  • 1 pound of Orecchiette pasta
  • 2 TBSP of Salt
  • 1 quart of water
  • 1 stick of unsalted butter
  • ½ cup of all purpose flour
  • 3 cups of whole milk
  • 2 tbsp brown mustard
  • ½ tbsp of salt
  • 1 tsp of black pepper
  • ½ tsp of paprika
  • ¼ tsp of nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp of Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes
  • 4 cups of Tillamook Farmstyle Thick Cut Sharp Cheddar Shredded Cheese
  • 1 cup of panko bread crumbs

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Instructions

  1. Cook pasta in heavily salted water according to package directions for al dente (about 9 minutes). Drain and reserve a cup of starchy pasta water.
  2. While pasta is cooking, place a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat and melt your butter. When the butter has melted, add the flour and stir with a whisk until it’s combined to look like very wet sand.
  3. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking continuously until the mixture has thickened to the consistency of a runny milkshake.
  4. Stir in brown mustard, salt, black pepper, paprika, nutmeg, and Aleppo pepper until well combined.
  5. When the spices have been combined, add in your Tillamook Sharp Cheddar Shreds and stir until the sauce has thickened and the cheese has completely melted.
  6. Add in your pasta and stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
  7. Once combined, if the pasta is still too thick with sauce, you can thin it out with a little bit of pasta water, slowly adding about 1 TBSP at a time until desired consistency is reached.
  8. 20 minutes prior to eating, preheat oven to 375 °F, top with panko bread crumbs and bake for 10 minutes until the top is browned.
  9. Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

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