The Best Stove-top Mac and Cheese

• Vegetarian

• Pasta & Grains

  • 8 oz Elbow pasta

• Baking & Spices

  • 1/2 tsp Black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp Chili powder
  • 4 tbsp Flour
  • 1 Salt

• Dairy

  • 4 tbsp Butter
  • 8 oz Cheddar cheese
  • 4 oz Cream cheese
  • 2 cups Milk

Found on dontwastethecrumbs.com

Description

Ingredients

• 8 oz elbow pasta
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 4 Tbsp flour
• 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature and cubed
• 8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2-2½ cups milk, divided
• ¼ tsp each: garlic powder, ground nutmeg, onion powder, paprika
• ¼ tsp chili powder (optional)
• ½ tsp black pepper
• salt, to taste

Directions

• Cook pasta al dente according to package directions. Strain in a colander and set aside.
• In the same pot, melt butter. Add flour and stir so that it makes a paste with the melted butter. Allow the flour to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often.
• Add 1½ cups of milk while stirring constantly. Stir until the sauce is smooth.
• Add the cream cheese and cheddar cheese and stir often until the cheese is melted.
• Season with the garlic powder, nutmeg, onion powder, paprika, pepper and chili powder, if using.
• Rinse the pasta with water so that the noodles dont stick together. Add the pasta to the cheese sauce and stir well, but gently so that the noodles dont break. Taste and add additional seasoning as desired. If the sauce is too thick, thin with milk ¼ cup at a time.