Outback Mac and Cheese
A stovetop copycat of the mac and cheese Outback Steakhouse serves on both the kids' menu and the adult sides list. Velveeta keeps the sauce glossy and unsplittable, and half a cup of sharp cheddar puts the real cheese flavor back in.
Ingredients
For the Pasta
- 12 ounces elbow macaroni or cavatappi, cellentani or small rigatoni
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt for the pasta water
For the Cheese Sauce
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk or half-and-half for a richer sauce
- 12 ounces Velveeta cut into 1/2-inch cubes, or deli white American
- 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded from a block, never bagged
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika plus more for the top
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- 1 pinch white pepper
Equipment
- Large pot
- Medium saucepan
- Whisk
- Wooden spoon or spatula
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Colander
Instructions
Cook the Pasta
- First, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, add the tablespoon of salt, and cook the macaroni 1 minute short of the time on the box. It carries on cooking once it meets the hot sauce.
- Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water before draining. Starchy water is what loosens a stiff sauce later without watering down the flavor.
Build the Sauce
- Next, melt the butter in a wide saucepan over medium heat, whisk in the flour, and cook it for a full minute so the sauce does not taste of raw flour.
- Then pour in the milk gradually, whisking hard after each addition to keep it smooth, and bring it to a bare simmer until it coats the back of a spoon.
Melt the Cheese
- After that, drop the heat to its lowest setting and add the cubed Velveeta a handful at a time, stirring until each addition has completely disappeared before the next goes in. The sauce must not bubble again from this point on.
- Pull the pan off the heat and stir in the cheddar, the paprika, the salt and the white pepper until the surface is glossy rather than matte.
Finish and Serve
- Finally, fold the drained pasta through the sauce. It should look a little loose, because the pasta keeps absorbing for several minutes, so add a splash of the reserved pasta water if it has already tightened.
- Serve within about 10 minutes, dusted with a little more paprika. Drag a spoon through the pan first: the trail should close over slowly rather than instantly.
Notes
Cheese: Velveeta and deli white American both carry emulsifying salts, which is why the sauce stays glossy. Cheddar alone will split. For an all-cheddar version, whisk 1/4 teaspoon sodium citrate per cup of milk in before the cheese.
Heat: once the cheese goes in the sauce must never bubble again. A rolling simmer squeezes the fat out and turns it grainy.
Shred your own: bagged shreds are dusted with cellulose, which leaves grit behind.
Consistency: it should look slightly loose in the pan, because the pasta keeps absorbing for several minutes. Loosen it with reserved pasta water rather than milk.
Make-ahead: the sauce keeps 2 days refrigerated in a jar and comes back with gentle heat and a splash of milk.
Storage: 4 days refrigerated or 2 months frozen in single portions. Reheat on the stove over low heat, never in a microwave.
Nutrition values are an estimate.
Nutrition
Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 523kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 920mg | Potassium: 340mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1810IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 823mg | Iron: 1mg