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Buffalo Mac And Cheese
This creamy Buffalo mac and cheese brings together spicy buffalo sauce and melty cheese for the ultimate comfort food combination. It’s bold, buttery, and ready in 20 minutes. Perfect for game day or whenever you’re craving a cozy bowl of stove top mac and cheese.
Servings: 10
Calories: 350kcal
Ingredients
- 1 lb elbow pasta
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ½ cup Trader Joe’s Buffalo Blue Unexpected Cheddar Cheese Spread*
- ¾ cup Trader Joe’s Quattro Formaggi
- ¾ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional, for more heat
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 teaspoons fresh chopped chives or parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until just al dente (about 10 minutes). Drain and set aside. You can toss it with a drizzle of olive oil to keep it from sticking if you need to.1 lb elbow pasta
- While the pasta is cooking, melt 1 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the panko breadcrumbs and toss to coat. Toast the panko for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Transfer the toasted panko to a plate and set aside.3 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- In the same pot, melt 2 tbsp of butter over medium heat. Then whisk in the flour and cook for 1–2 minutes until light golden.2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- Gradually whisk in the warm milk and heavy cream until smooth. Simmer for 3–4 minutes until slightly thickened.2 cups whole milk, ½ cup heavy cream
- Lower the heat and whisk in the Dijon mustard, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and cayenne if using. Stir in the Buffalo Blue Cheese Spread until fully melted and creamy. Add the shredded cheeses, stirring until smooth.1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, ½ cup Trader Joe’s Buffalo Blue Unexpected Cheddar Cheese Spread*, ¾ cup Trader Joe’s Quattro Formaggi, ¾ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Add the cooked pasta and toss to coat evenly in the sauce, taste and adjust the salt and pepper if needed. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the sour cream.2 tablespoons sour cream
- Transfer the warm mac and cheese to a serving dish (I like to warm mine in the oven first). Then garnish with chopped chives or parsley and drizzle with Buffalo sauce if desired.2 teaspoons fresh chopped chives or parsley
Notes
- For extra buffalo flavor, stir in 1–2 teaspoons of Buffalo sauce with the cheeses, or drizzle over the finished mac and cheese before adding the toasted panko. Adding too much during cooking may cause the sauce to break due to the vinegar content.
- Fold in crumbled blue cheese or use it as a garnish after adding the toasted panko for bold blue cheese flavor.
- The Trader Joe's Buffalo Blue Unexpected Cheddar Spread can be substituted for 4oz of cream cheese and 1/2 cup of buffalo hot sauce. The quattro formaggi can be swapped with a 4 cheese blend of your choice.
Nutrition
Calories: 350kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 189mg | Potassium: 214mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 529IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 153mg | Iron: 1mg
