A Better than Copycat Chick-fil-A Mac and Cheese Recipe

🧂 Ingredients

• 16 oz. of elbow macaroni

  typical standard package
• ¼ cup butter
• ¼ cup of flour

  skip if you are making a gluten-free version
• 2 cups water
• ½ cup nonfat dry milk powder
• 1 egg yolk
• 7-9 slices American cheese

  torn or cut into small pieces
• 1-½ cups grated cheddar cheese

  plus additional cheese for the top layer
• ½ cup grated of BellaVitano Gold cheese

  Substitute this hard cheese with additional Parmesan if you’re unable to find it at your local grocery store
• ¼ cup grated of Parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup grated of Romano cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon ground smoked paprika
• Pinch of ground turmeric
• Optional Black pepper to taste
• Optional Bacon (chopped into bits) to taste

Instructions

• 1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees (This step is optional. Only if you plan on broiling
  your mac and cheese at the end so you get a cheesy crust will you need your
  oven.)
• 2 Cook your macaroni according to the instructions on the packaging and ADD ten
  extra minutes to the cook time once it reaches al dente. The reason for the
  extra time is that it helps over saturate the pasta in order to prevent the
  pasta from soaking up the cheese sauce.
• 3 While the pasta is cooking, start making the cheese sauce by first melting the
  butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
• 4 Add in the flour and then whisk it continuously for approximately 5 minutes over
  low heat.
• 5 In another bowl, add nonfat dry milk powder and the water to this bowl. Then,
  whisk together until the powder and the water are fully mixed together.
• 6 Slowly add this milk mixture into the roux (from Steps 2 and 3), and bring the
  combined roux to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the
  liquid thickens.
• 7 Place the egg yolk in another small bowl. Add ½ cup of the hot milk blend to the
  egg yolk. Make sure to whisk the egg yolk to prevent yolk from scrambling. Add a
  second ½ cup of hot milk. Continue whisking until the mixed ingredients are well
  combined. Then add the combined egg-milk blend back to the pot.
• 8 Remove the pot from the heat and add the combination of cheeses one handful at a
  time. Start with the American cheese and then add the other grated cheese once
  the American cheese has fully melted.
• 9 If a cheesy crispy top is desired, transfer your mac and cheese into a large
  baking dish. Cover the top of your mac and cheese with your additional grated
  cheddar cheese. Bake your mac and cheese for 5 mins. Then top broil the mac and
  cheese on low so that you can have a delicious crispy top.
• 10 Remove your mac and cheese from the oven. Wait until it is cool enough to eat.
  And serve (add bacon bites if you want) and enjoy!

Nutrition Info