STORE BOUGHT MAC AND CHEESE RECIPES

The new Mac & Cheese at Chick-fil-A is baked fresh every day, and the recipe is more complex than you might expect from a fast food chicken chain. According to the official list of ingredients, the formula includes several different kinds of cheese including Parmesan, Romano, and award-winning hard cheese from Wisconsin called BellaVitano. The BellaVitano cheese adds a subtle nuttiness to the mix and all three hard cheeses contribute big umami flavor that nicely complements the blend of white and yellow cheddars. Those five kinds of cheese combine to make a great flavor, but the blend would melt into a greasy mess if it weren’t for the assistance of one more ubiquitous cheese: American. The benefit of American cheese—which makes up for its lack of flavor—is found in the sodium citrate it contains. This natural sodium salt is an emulsifier that keeps the fat in the cheese from separating (and it also happens to be useful in preventing kidney stones!). By first melting several slices of American cheese in the milk we don’t need to make a roux to create a perfectly smooth cheese sauce. As for cooking the macaroni, here’s another secret: don’t follow the directions on the box for al dente pasta, because you don’t want the pasta to be al dente, or slightly tough. You want to cook the elbow macaroni for 20 minutes so that it absorbs as much water as possible. This will ensure that the pasta won’t suck up liquid in the cheese sauce when they are combined, and the sauce will maintain a perfectly creamy consistency.       If you like this copycat Chick-fil-A mac and cheese recipe, click here for more Chick-fil-A clone recipes.

Provided by Todd Wilbur

Total Time 45 minutes0S

Prep Time 20 minutes0S

Cook Time 25 minutes0S

Number Of Ingredients 12

• Ingredients

This is by far the creamiest, tastiest and most special macaroni and cheese I have ever tried. I'm not usually a fan of the homemade kind, but when a friend served this mac and cheese with cream cheese, I had to have the recipe. Since it's so little fuss and well received, it's a terrific potluck dish. —Catherine Odgen, Middlegrove, New York

Provided by Taste of Home

Categories     Dinner

Total Time 30 minutes

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Yield 8 servings.

Number Of Ingredients 11

• Ingredients

Nutrition Facts : Calories 468 calories, FatContent 31g fat (18g saturated fat), CholesterolContent 86mg cholesterol, SodiumContent 604mg sodium, CarbohydrateContent 33g carbohydrate (6g sugars, FiberContent 1g fiber), ProteinContent 15g protein.