easy, cozy mac + cheese
as a lactose intolerant, semi dairy-free individual, there are few things that I’ll willingly make the sacrifice for - a soft serve twist with rainbow sprinkles, cold foam on my otherwise DF latte, and the holy grail of food: mac + cheese.
especially once it starts getting chilly outside, my ultimate comfort food is a perfect bowl of mac + cheese. the best thanksgiving side? mac + cheese. the dish I always brought back to my college friends after a weekend home? my mom’s mac + cheese.
while I’ve tried DF versions (some of the boxed ones are okay, honestly), there’s just truly nothing quite like truly cheesy mac. I absolutely will not share my mom’s recipe, aka the one I now have been charged with making for holidays, but instead this simple, quick, fairly inexpensive crowdpleaser.
from start to finish, it’s ready in just about 30 minutes!
this is absolutely a recipe that’s chock full of dairy. i’ve tried it with vegan substitutes, and while it’s still good, it can’t beat the real thing, in my book. if you’d like to make it dairy free, I found it worked best with a combination of soy and cashew cheese alternatives, and non-fat oatmilk.
ingredients
1 box elbow macaroni (1 lb)
8 oz. extra sharp white cheddar cheese
8 oz. smoked cheddar cheese
8 oz. pepper jack cheese
½ cup non-fat milk (optional) - makes it creamier, totally a preference thing, though. I prefer mine without
salt + pepper
1 tbsp fresh parsley
instructions
preheat oven to 350ºF (~180ºC)
salt your pasta water and bring to a boil
cook pasta for 1-2 minutes under the box instructions.
while pasta is cooking, grate cheeses into a medium sized bowl, set aside.
drain pasta water.
in a glass or non-stick baking dish, place a single layer of cooked pasta
top with cheese mixture, sprinkle with pepper
repeat until all cheese is used (typically 3 layers, depending on pan size. there will be pasta leftover)
if adding milk, add It in now!
top final cheese layer with fresh parsley
bake for 15 minutes until cheese is completely melted, broil for an additional 5.
serve while hot, top with fresh parsley, enjoy!
