Sinfully Good Mac n’ Cheese Recipe

Recently, I made a recipe from the Kitchen Prescription called “Copycat J Alexander’s NYO (not your ordinary) Mac n’ Cheese” that was delicious.

I am not actually a huge fan of Mac n’ Cheese, but the one at J. Alexander’s restaurant in Tennessee has changed my opinion. My friend Renee Crosse sent me the link to the Kitchen Prescription after we indulged in an order from J. Alexanders. I made a few tweaks to their recipe to simplify it using the ingredients that were readily available and worked for me. Don’t be intimidated by the length of this recipe — the resulting Mac n’ Cheese is worth the effort!

Sinfully Good Mac n’ Cheese 

Ingredients
6 cups Chicken Stock
2 cups Large Sea Shells Pasta
3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tsp. Lemon Juice
1 ½ tsp. Sugar
4 tbsp. Butter
2 tbsp. Flour
1 ¼ cup Heavy Cream
½ cup Sour Cream
¼ cup Milk
½ small Red or Sweet Onion
1 clove minced Garlic
1 tsp. Tabasco sauce
16 ounces grated Gruyere Cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup Panko Bread Crumbs
Ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Prepare Noodles

• Bring 6 cups chicken stock to rolling boil in medium saucepan.
• Add pasta and cook 6 to 8 minutes.
• Drain noodles and put them back into the medium sauce pan, toss noodles with olive oil and lemon juice.

Sauté the Onions

• Mince onions and garlic
• Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil or butter until soft

Prepare Cheese Mixture

• Melt 2 of your 4 tablespoons of butter in large saucepan over medium to low heat.
• Once the butter melts whisk in flour
• Continue cooking while whisking for 3 minutes.
• Gradually whisk in heavy cream, milk and sour cream.

Prepare the Panko Topping

• Melt 1 tbsp. butter
• Pour over Panko and gently stir or toss.
• Set aside.

Blend

• Add sautéed onions and garlic to melted cheese mixture.
• Stir in Sugar and Tabasco sauce.
• Simmer mixture on low heat while occasionally stirring for 15 minutes.
• Add half of the gruyere and parmesan cheese and continue simmering on low heat.
• Add black pepper to taste.
• Stir in prepared noodles.

Prepare to Bake

• Grease a 10-12 cup baking dish with butter.
• Pour half of the noodle mixture into the baking dish.
• Sprinkle with the ½ of the remaining gruyere and parmesan cheese.
• Pour in the other half of the noodle mixture.
• Top with the remaining gruyere and parmesan cheese.
• Sprinkle buttered panko over top.
• Bake at 350 degrees F or until panko is lightly browned, about 20-25 minutes.
• Let stand 5 minutes before serving.