Recipe Ingredients
- Kosher salt to taste
- 1 pound elbow macaroni
- 6 tablespoons unsalted Land O’Lakes butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
- 2 ½ cups Organic Valley whole milk
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Kosher salt to taste
- 1 cup shredded Jack blend
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 3 slices provolone, torn into pieces
- Large pinch cayenne pepper
Recipe Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line 24 regular-sized muffin tins with paper liners and spray with nonstick spray (you can also just bake the mac and cheese muffins directly in the muffin cups, sprayed first with nonstick spray).
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and salt it generously. Allow the water to return to a boil and cook the macaroni according to package directions. Just before the pasta is finished, remove about 3/4 cup of the cooking water. Drain the pasta.
- Melt the butter in the same pot you used to cook the pasta, over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently for 2 minutes, until it starts to color. Add the evaporated and whole milks, then the reserved pasta cooking water, and bring to a simmer, stirring frequently until it thickens slightly after a few minutes of simmering. Stir in the mustard and salt, and then add all of the cheeses, stirring until the cheese is melted.
- Add the cayenne, then return the drained pasta to the pot. Stir well until the pasta is well coated with the cheese sauce, then scoop the macaroni and cheese into the prepared muffin cups (about 1/2 cup per cup), filling them to the top, and bake for 20 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Let the macaroni and cheese muffins cool in the tins on a wire rack for 5 minutes before taking them out of the tins and then serve them hot or warm.
Cooking Tips:
- You could use a mixed blend of cheese, such as Italian Blend of Mexican Blend, instead of combining your own cheese, which is a great shortcut.
- Fill the muffin tins with the macaroni and cheese mixture up to two days ahead of time, and store covered in the fridge. Either bring to room temperature before baking, or add another 5 minutes of baking time to the muffins if you are baking them straight from the refrigerator.
- If you want the muffin cups to have the tops a bit more browned, run them under the broiler for 1 or 2 minutes at the end of the cooking time.
