Delish Thursday: Super, Ultra, Extra, Mega Creamy Mac-and-Cheese

Hi Friends! 

There is a little bit of coolness to the air, and I love it! July was long and hot!

But I can’t start dreaming of autumn yet. It is, after all, still summer.

One of the good things about that is barbecuing. When you think of summer, don’t you envision your family gathered ‘round the grill cooking dinner and eating watermelon while the kids are running through the sprinklers and slurping on popsicles.

Awww, wonderful, hot, fun-filled, barbecue season!   

Now if you go to a restaurant that is traditionally a barbecue joint, what would you see on the menu? Of course, there would be ribs, brisket and pulled pork but what about sides? Usually they have fries, hush puppies, coleslaw, beans and mac and cheese. It is a real travesty when the restaurant just cooks up a version of the boxed mac and cheese.

My husband and I tried a new barbecue restaurant in West Valley, and they had smoked mac and cheese on their menu, and it was out-of-this-world DELICIOUS!   

Now before summer and barbecue season is over, I want to share my mac and cheese recipe. It is pretty delicious, too and maybe if I smoked it, it would be out-of-this-world DELICIOUS as well.

Hmmm, I might just go and try that right now! Enjoy the rest of your summer! 

Super Cheesy Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese 

Ingredients:  

• 2 cups cavatappi pasta*
• 4 Tbsp. butter (1/2 a cube)
• 2 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 brick (8 oz.) Velveeta cheese (optional)* 

 Directions: 

1. Boil the macaroni 6 minutes, then drain and set aside.
2. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter.
3. Add cheeses, soup, and milk and stir until cheeses are melted and the mixture is smooth.
4. Spray Crockpot with nonstick cooking spray.
5. Pour cheese mixture in crockpot and then stir in sour cream, salt, mustard and pepper.
6. Add the drained macaroni and stir again.
7. Cook on low for 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. 

Notes: 

• Sometimes cavatappi pasta is hard to find. If it is unavailable, you can substitute it with large elbow macaroni.
• Some people don’t like the taste of Velveeta, but in this recipe, the taste isn’t very detectable. The sharp cheddar cheese taste out-does the Velveeta taste by far and the Velveeta helps it to be really creamy.

Delish Thursday is a KDXU weekly feature written by local St. George culinary expert Laura Squires. Laura doesn't have a restaurant or bakery, but if you've ever tasted her food, you know that she is one of the best food artists in the world! Laura has been a resident of Southern Utah for  more than 30 years.