Copycat Kraft Mac and Cheese

• servings: 8 servings
• total time: 2 hours

Ingredients

8 ounces elbow macaroni

4 Tablespoons butter

4 Tablespoons flour

3 cups milk

7 ounces Cracker Barrel Sharp Cheddar Cheese (shredded (2 cups)

4 ounces Colby Jack (shredded (1 cup)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper (see notes)

Directions

Cook the pasta to al dente in salted water. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water to thin out the sauce later if needed. Strain the rest and set aside until the sauce is whipped up.

Melt the butter and add flour over medium heat in the Dutch oven. Cook the flour, breaking it up with a whisk, until it absorbs all of the butter and there are no clumps of flour left. Slowly pour in the milk while whisking, to thicken into the base of the sauce.

Bring to a simmer, add spices and shredded cheese. Use the same whisk to combine and create a smooth sauce. Take off the heat.

Add the pasta back to the Dutch oven and stir with a spoon to coat all the pasta. If you want the sauce a bit thinner, add a couple of Tablespoons of pasta water at a time to the Dutch oven.

Nutrition

• Calories: 561 kcal
• Total Fat: 28 g
• Saturated Fat: 17 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
• Trans Fat: 0.2 g
• Cholesterol: 81 mg
• Sodium: 719 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 52 g
• Dietary Fiber: 2 g
• Total Sugars: 8 g
• Protein: 24 g