I don't look at a recipe when I make macaroni and cheese. It's one of those things where you can just start with 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup flour, and then just start adding dairy products. I don't even use milk most of the time. I usually use some combination of wine, pasta water, and Greek yogurt and then drown it in whatever cheese I have lying around. You can substitute any number of things, though. The holidays are coming up and cream cheese was incredibly on sale. This isn't sponsored, but it was $4.99 for 3 pounds of cream cheese at Costco the other day. So, naturally, I bought 6 pounds of cream cheese. And what doesn't go better with cream cheese than macaroni & cheese??
I also raided the spice drawer and came out with allspice, cloves, ginger, smoked paprika, and mustard. Plus, I topped the whole thing in crushed walnuts, just for good measure. Although, you can mix and match your own favorite spices or flavor profiles that you want to work with. This probably would have been really good with the addition of squash. Macaroni & cheese tends to be my late night lazy day snack kind of food, though. So, I wasn't about to run out to the grocery store for more produce to spend all day roasted and puréeing. If I had some on hand, though, or was making this for more than just myself, I'd probably get some squash or something, though.
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Variations of Cream Cheese Macaroni & Cheese
I'm a big fan of macaroni and cheese. I make macaroni all of the time. This might be the first time that I've posted a recipe with cream cheese as one of the main cheeses. But I'm certainly no stranger to adding all sorts of fun ingredients to macaroni! It's a great crowd favorite dish to take to potlucks or break out during the holidays for both children and adults alike. There's a reason that macaroni & cheese is a comfort food! Lucky, it's also not that difficult to make. I'd generally steer clear of anything with a roux if you're just starting out cooking. Although, macaroni is a really good starter roux. You can wing it pretty far without as much worry about the sauce breaking. Adding in flour to the butter makes it a lot more forgiving than other roux that are more prone to breaking!
Add about 4 inches of water to a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
Cook pasta according to the manufacturer's instructions. This typically entails boiling for about 8-12 minutes, or until barely al dente.
The pasta will cook another half hour in the oven, so make sure not to overcook them during this stage!
Remove the pasta from the water and set aside.
You may want to stir it occasionally to keep the noodles from sticking together.
Prepare Roux
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Lightly coat the bottom and sides of a large baking dish with olive oil and set aside.
Preheat saucepan on medium-heat. Add 1/4 cup butter and melt.
Immediately when the butter melts, add flour and stir constantly until incorporated. This should take about 3 minutes.Do NOT brown or overcook, though. You just want the butter and flour to incorporate until you add the spices.
Add spices and Worcestershire sauce. Stir constantly for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Add cream cheese, a little at a time, and stir constantly until incorporated after each addition. Adding too much at once can cause the roux to separate. Although this is less of an issue with yogurt as it is milk or cream, it is still something to watch out for!
Meanwhile, grate the cheese and add to roux 1/2 cup at a time. Mix constantly until fully incorporated.
Thin the sauce with 1/2 cup pasta water (or dry white wine).
Add noodles and stir until fully coated in the cheese sauce.
Bake Macaroni and Cheese
Pour macaroni and cheese into greased baking dish.
Add crushed nuts.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the top begins to brown.
Let cool slightly and cut into 2-inch squares. Serve immediately.
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
You can add a dusting of brown sugar or bread crumbs on top of the nuts, for a crunch on top.
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