Recipe Background
Time to get fancy! Put on a bow tie or a fancy dress! Pour the champagne and get those pinkies out! And for the main course, Pinkies-Up Pasta! How appropriate for the occasion! This is a super creamy, super cheesy mac and cheese, with a crunchy, buttery cracker crust that has a hint of zesty ranch mixed right in! Plenty of garlic helps elevate the tender noodles to black-tie status! Pinkies-Up Pasta is a fancy and fantastic dish designed (and dressed) to impress.
Time to get fancy! Put on a bow tie or a fancy dress! Pour the champagne and get those pinkies out! And for the main course, Pinkies-Up Pasta! How appropriate for the occasion! This is a super creamy, super cheesy mac and cheese, with a crunchy, buttery cracker crust that has a hint of zesty ranch mixed right in! Plenty of garlic helps elevate the tender noodles to black-tie status! Pinkies-Up Pasta is a fancy and fantastic dish designed (and dressed) to impress.
Ingredients
- 2 cups buttery round crackers lightly crushed
- 2 tablespoons powdered ranch dressing mix
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 1 pound elbow macaroni
- kosher salt to taste
- 1 small yellow onion grated
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups whole milk
- 12 ounces sharp yellow cheddar grated
- 12 ounces Monterey Jack grated
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Lightly grease a 9x13-inch or 3-quart baking dish.
- Combine the cracker crumbs and the powdered ranch in a bowl.
- Microwave 4 tablespoons of the butter in a bowl until melted and pour it over the cracker mixture, tossing to coat.
- Cook the macaroni in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente.
- Drain the pasta and reserve the pot.
- Melt the remaining butter in the reserved pot over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion and the garlic to the butter.
- Cook the onion mixture, stirring, until it begins to soften, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the flour to the onion mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until a film starts to form on the bottom of the pot, about 1 minute.
- Gradually whisk the milk into the onion mixture and whisk until smooth, after each addition.
- Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook, whisking occasionally, until it is thickened and smooth, about 6-8 minutes.
- Gradually add the cheddar and the Monterey Jack to the sauce, whisking until the cheese has melted, after each addition.
- Season the sauce with the salt.
- Stir the noodles into the sauce.
- Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared pan.
- Top the pasta mixture with the cracker mixture.
- Bake until the cheese is bubbly and the crumbs are golden-brown, about 18-20 minutes.
- Allow the pasta to cool slightly before serving.
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