21 December 2015

Holiday Entertaining with a Mac n Cheese Bar!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #NaturallyCheesy #CollectiveBias



Happy Christmas week, ya'll!

This Sunday, Jake and I hosted a little holiday get together and served the most delicious Mac n Cheese bar, and I couldn't wait to pop in to share the beloved recipe made with Kraft Natural Cheese.

I made this Mac for this first time last Christmas, and my family has requested demanded that I make it every holiday since! It was the perfect recipe for the crowd we hosted over the weekend. Creamy, indulgent, and of course cheesy!


We made it even more fun by having a ton of yummy toppings, so everyone could customize their own Mac, making this even more of a crowd-pleaser! The recipe is so easy to whip up quickly, making it awesome to entertain a large group during the holidays, while not slaving away in the kitchen away from your guests.

Head to the Cheese Aisle and pick up the following:




You will need:

  • 1 pound Kraft Naturals Sharp Cheddar Cheese
  • 1 pound Kraft Naturals Swiss Cheese
  • 1 pound Velveeta cheese, cubed
  • 1 container Kraft cottage cheese
  • 1.5 cups Kraft sour cream
  • 4 cups milk
  • 6 tbs butter
  • 6 tbs flour
  • 1 tsp each; salt, nutmeg, chili powder, garlic powder
  • 1 tbs black pepper
  • 4 cups dry elbow macaroni (1 package)
  • 30 crushed butter crackers for topping
Mac N Cheese Toppings: we used-
  • crumbled bacon
  • chorizo sausage
  • green onions
  • peas
  • broccoli
  • jalapeños
  • tomatoes
  • sautéed mushrooms
  • sun dried tomatoes
  • Kraft parmesan cheese
I need to apologize for how yellow the ending shots turned out...when everyone arrived and I snapped the pictures and we have the worst night-light in our kitchen, and it was already dark out!

To start, a few hours before your planning on serving dinner, chop your toppings and put them in your serving bowls, this can be done days in advance!



I made a little spot in my fridge for the items that still needed to be cooked, like the broccoli and mushrooms, and everything else I wrapped in plastic until serving time.

I like to get everything nice and prepped, so I cubed my Velveeta, and shredded up my swiss and cheddar for easy mixing. 


I measure out my spices, flour, and milk as well, so everything comes together even quicker!


Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and set a pot of water on the stove to boil.

...and lets get cheesy!

Melt down your 6 tbs butter, and sprinkle in your flour. Let it cook down over low heat for about a minute. Slowly pour in your 4 cups of milk, whisking over medium heat until thick. Once thick, drop in your velveeta cubes until melted and smooth. Once the Velveeta melts, add your container of cottage cheese as well as your sour cream. Sprinkle your spices in and stir until well combined.




You will have a delicious, creamy sauce that looks like this. Feel free to lick the spoon...I won't tell.

Once your pasta is cooked to al dente (just about 2 minutes undercooked) in a very large bowl, mix together your 2 cheeses, your creamy sauce, and the elbow pasta until well combined.




Add to a greased baking dish, and top with your crushed butter crackers. Pop in the oven for 50 minutes to an hour...and get ready for real bubbly goodness!

While the Mac n Cheese was in the oven, I did the dishes quickly, set out our toppings, and became incredibly hungry smelling everything as I waited for our guests to arrive!




Drool.




Everyone loved the toppings and cleaned their plates! Nothing compliments the cook quite like no leftovers. :)

You can find more awesome holiday recipes using Kraft products here! Also look for other great savings on Kraft Heinz products.  You can save $1.00 when you buy two 8 oz bags of Kraft Natural Shreds or Chunks-perfect for this recipe. But that's not all...you can save up to $13 this holiday season!




Do you have fun plans for Christmas week? Jake and I cheated and both let each other open one gift last night...we just couldn't wait!

Thanks for coming by, friends!

Recipe adapted from Just a Spoonful

Until Next Time,


7 comments:

  1. I have never made my own mac n cheese... but this recipe has be ready to try! YUM - this looks delicious! {client}

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's fantastic! Maybe not so great for your New Years diet, but oh so fabulous for the holidays!

      Delete
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