We love how the super-cheesy sauce clings to every nook and cranny of the cavatappi pasta in this crowd-pleasing dish.
Loaded Mac and Cheese
Makes 10 to 12 servings
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 cups whole milk
- 1 cup sour cream
- 4 cups shredded Colby-Jack cheese blend, divided
- 1 (16-ounce) package cavatappi pasta, cooked according to package directions
- 4 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, divided
- ½ cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- In a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour, garlic, salt, Worcestershire, mustard, and pepper; cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in milk and sour cream until smooth; bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 4 minutes. Whisk in 3½ cups cheese until melted. Stir in cooked pasta and 2 tablespoons chives until combined.
- In a small bowl, stir together bread crumbs, bacon, melted butter, remaining ½ cup cheese, and remaining 2 tablespoons chives. Sprinkle over pasta mixture.
- Bake until golden brown and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes.
Find more cheesy favorites in our newest issue of Southern Cast Iron.
I gave this a try tonight. It is amazing. Granted I forgot chives at the store but still great.
Love the recipe
But need help
The pasta measurement: 1 pound of noodles: is the weight for dry noodles or 1 pound of cooked noodles
When I cook a pound of dry noodles I need a deep 9×13 lasagna pan to fit everything, will not fit into 12” skillet
As I like to cook this in the smoker, it makes clean up a chore on the corning ware
If the weight is for cooked noodles what is the equivalent dry weight uncooked?
Hi Matt, this recipe uses 1 pound of dry pasta that is cooked according to package directions. A 13×9 pan and 12-inch cast-iron skillet have the same capacity by volume. Your skillet will be full, but assuming that you are using a traditional cast-iron skillet and not an enamel-coated cast-iron skillet (which is usually a little shallower than traditional cast iron) everything will fit. Enjoy!
I love this skillet recipe. I use a sharp white Irish cheddar and I reduce the noodle amount to 14 ounces – we prefer a bit saucier pasta. I also put in 1 1/2 lbs of bacon – no side meat needed and the boys are happy