Thanksgiving Mac And Cheese Recipes

THANKSGIVING MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 400°. Bring evaporated milk and whole milk to a bare simmer in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, pepper, and 1 tsp. salt. Working in batches, whisk in three fourths of the cheddar, then all of the cream cheese.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil (it should have a little less salt than seawater). Cook macaroni, stirring occasionally, until very al dente, about 4 minutes. Drain in a colander.
• Add macaroni to cheese sauce in pan and mix until well coated. Evenly spread out half of macaroni mixture in a 13x9" baking dish. Sprinkle half of remaining cheddar evenly over. Layer remaining macaroni mixture on top and sprinkle with remaining cheddar. Bake until all of the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

THE ULTIMATE THANKSGIVING MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Combine the Brussels sprouts and squash in a large bowl. Add the olive oil and garlic powder, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Spread the vegetables out on a baking sheet and roast until tender and brown and crispy around the edges, 35 to 40 minutes. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside.
• Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan. Spread the prepared stuffing out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle over the melted butter and toss to coat. Roast until crispy, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a large pot over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk. Raise the heat to medium and cook until thickened and simmering, 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk in the mustard, then whisk in the Cheddar and Gruyere 1 cup at a time, continuing to whisk until all the cheese is melted and well incorporated. If the cheese sauce is too thick, just add a little more milk to thin. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
• Stir in the pasta, butternut squash and Brussels sprouts. Transfer to a baking dish or large serving bowl and top with the toasted stuffing. Serve immediately.

MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.
• In a large bowl, combine the Cheddar, butter cubes, sugar, ground mustard and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the macaroni and cook until al dente, a minute or so less than the recommended cooking time on the package. Drain well. While still hot, dump the macaroni into the Cheddar-butter mixture and toss to mix well.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the milk to a bare simmer over medium heat. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg briefly to break it up. Temper the egg by drizzling 1/2 cup of the warm milk in while whisking until incorporated. (This will prevent the egg from scrambling.) Mix the tempered egg and the remaining warm milk into the macaroni and stir well until everything is evenly coated.
• Pour the contents of the bowl into the prepared baking pan, spreading the macaroni and sauce evenly.
• In a medium bowl, toss together the pancetta, Parmesan, panko and parsley, and sprinkle over the top of the macaroni. (This will create a yummy crust.)
• Bake until golden brown and bubbling on top, and the pancetta is crispy, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm.

MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into bowl with bread, and toss. Set breadcrumbs aside.
• In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, whisking, 1 minute.
• While whisking, slowly pour in hot milk. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.
• Remove pan from heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar cheese, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup Pecorino Romano; set cheese sauce aside.
• Fill a large saucepan with water; bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 minutes less than manufacturer's directions, until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce
• Pour mixture into prepared dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano, and breadcrumbs over top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool 5 minutes; serve hot.

THANKSGIVING LEFTOVER MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain pasta, then rinse with cold water and drain again. Set aside.
• While the pasta is cooking, melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add carrots and celery; saute until soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add leftover turkey and cook until warm and flavors are incorporated, about 1 minute. Season with parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. Add broth if mixture seems dry. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Melt remaining butter in a large saucepan over medium (or slightly higher) heat. Whisk in flour; cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture becomes paste-like and light golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk in milk (about 1 to 2 tablespoons); keep stirring to make sure flour is blended and there are no lumps. Cook until roux is brown and very fragrant. Add Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Gouda, and Parmesan cheeses; cook until sauce thickens and the cheese melts. Slowly add enough milk so the roux/cheese mix is creamy; just add it in small increments so it's not too juicy.
• Add macaroni to the cheese sauce and mix to combine. Add the turkey mixture. Mix well and transfer to a baking dish. Top with bread crumbs.
• Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
• Place mac and cheese under the broiler until browned, 5 to 10 minutes.