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Growing Chefs! Ontario Pimiento Macaroni and Cheese

Pimiento Macaroni and Cheese

“Pimiento is not just the thing inside of olives! Pimientos are mild peppers, which add a touch of spice and flavour to the mac and cheese, and make a perfect pairing with bbq food! Ritz crackers are a classic macaroni topping, but feel free to substitute other breadcrumbs. ”
Difficulty
Intermediate
Yield
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
1 pound macaroni noodles, cooked(reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid)1/4 cup butter1/4 cup flour1 teaspoon garlic powder1 teaspoon onion powder1 teaspoon smoked paprika1 teaspoon mustard powder2 cups milk3 cups old white cheddar cheese, grated1 cup cream cheese1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, grated1/2 cup ritz crackers1 cup pimentos, finely chopped salt to taste pepper to taste
Equipment
Measuring cupsMeasuring spoonsCutting boardChef’s knifeBowls, various sizesWhiskLarge potWooden spoonBlenderCasserole dishTasting spoonsDish towel

Directions

Get Organized!

Gather your mise en place; get together all of the equipment needed for the recipe and gather your ingredients.

Get Prepped!

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt well. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook according to box directions. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water.

Measure out the butter, flour, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard powder, smoked paprika, milk and ritz crackers.

Grate and measure the mozzarella and cheddar cheese, keep separate. Measure out the cream cheese.

Finely chop the pimientos.

Finely crumble the ritz crackers.

Mix the ritz crackers with the mozzarella cheese and set aside.

Get Cooking!

Melt the butter in a large pot on medium low heat. Once the butter is melted, stir in the flour and cook until a smooth paste has formed, being careful not to let it brown.

Once the paste has cooked for about one minute, stir in the onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika and mustard powder. Stir until all of the spices have been well combined.

Slowly add the milk in batches, mixing thoroughly in between each addition to prevent lumps.

Stir in the cream cheese and cheddar and cook until melted. Add the pimentos. Season with salt and pepper.

Mix in the cooked pasta noodles and stir until all of the noodles have been coated in the sauce. Pour into a casserole dish.

Top the dish with the crackers and mozzarella cheese and bake in the preheated oven for about 10 – 12 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the crumbs are golden brown.