White Cheddar Mac and Cheese

• servings: 5 servings
• active time: 5 minutes
• total time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

12 ounce dry package of orecchiette or small pasta shells

5 tablespoons salted butter

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

8 ounce white Vermont Cheddar Cheese, shredded from a block (don't use pre-shredded)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper (or you can use white pepper if you prefer it)

Directions

Begin by boiling a large pot of water and cook the pasta until just a minute past al dente, firm when bitten. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water, just in case you need it for thinning out the sauce later. Strain the pasta once it's finished cooking.

While the pasta is cooking.. Into a dutch oven on medium low heat, melt the butter. Slowly pour in the flour and use a wooden spoon to mix the two together to create a roux. Make sure there are no lumps and cook for a few minutes, stirring the entire time. Do NOT allow it to brown.

Slowly pour in the whole milk and heavy cream. Stir this every minute for about 5 minutes. If it starts to boil, lower the heat. You want the sauce really hot, but not boiling.

Toss in the white cheddar cheese. Stir until it gets nice and creamy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Turn heat to low. Add in salt and pepper.

Once the cheese has entirely melted and it has a thickened texture, add in the pasta shells and stir well.

ENJOY! This dish needs to be served immediately for the best, creamy texture.

Notes

Tillamook Sharp white cheddar 16 oz block from Ralphs

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 bowl
• Calories: 450
• Total Fat: 32.9 g
• Saturated Fat: 19.6 g
• Trans Fat: 1 g
• Cholesterol: 93.9 mg
• Sodium: 645.6 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 23.3 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.8 g
• Total Sugars: 3.6 g
• Protein: 15.5 g