Ingredients:
Cavatappi or Elbow Macaroni
3 Cups Whole Milk
1 Cup Heavy Cream
4 tbsp unsalted butter
4 tbsp All-Purpose Flour
8 oz Sharp Cheddar Cheese
8 oz Colby Jack Cheese
2 tbsp Fall Chili Seasoning
Crumbled Bacon (Optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)
Boil pasta 1 minute shy of al dente.
Drain and set aside once boiled.
While that's boiling, shred the cheese. You can use pre-shredded cheese, but you run the risk of the roux being grainy because of the coating they use to keep the cheese from sticking together.
Melt the butter over medium heat in a large oven-safe pan. If you don't have a large oven-safe pan, you can make the roux in a medium sauce pan.
Whisk in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. Make sure all the flour is incorporated so the roux doesn't come out grainy.
Whisk in 1 tbsp of Fall Chili and cook for 30 seconds. This blooms the spices and gives the macaroni a more pronounced flavor.
Slowly whisk in milk and heavy cream until smooth and it begins to thicken. To speed up this process, you can warm up the milk and cream over low heat while while melting the butter.
Once sauce begins to thicken, add in the remainder of the Fall Chili or, if you want a little kick, substitute 1 tbsp of Summer Heat.
Turn heat to Low.
Add half of the shredded cheese one handful at a time until it's melted.
Once the sauce is ready, add pasta.
If you're not using an oven-safe pan, pour sauce over pasta and mix until all the noodles are coated.
Add pasta and sauce to a 9 x 13 casserole dish and top with the remainder of the shredded cheese. Top with crumbled bacon if you use it.
If using an oven-safe pan, add pasta to sauce and top with the remainder of the shredded cheese. Top with crumbled bacon if you use it.
Add pan or casserole dish to oven and bake for 10 - 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
If you desire a crisp top, broil for 5 minutes, or until the cheese becomes a nice golden brown.
Serve with Spring Smoke Smash Burgers or Summer Heat Ribs.
Enjoy!