Pimento white cheddar macaroni and cheese
I had a moment of brilliance one day (though it wasn’t a unique idea) to add pimentos to macaroni and cheese. I lovelovelove pimento cheese, so pimento white cheddar macaroni and cheese had to be awesome by extension. My first experiment with this recipe came when I bought a two-pound block of Cabot white cheddar at Sam’s Club. Their white cheddar is deliciously sharp and melts into a wonderfully creamy sauce. I really liked the sharpness of the cheddar with the subtle spice of the pimentos, so I opted to keep the white cheddar instead of yellow cheddar.
It reheats well and is a solid option for a freezer meal. I made a big batch of this, divided it into smaller portions, and froze it. But be sure to use diced pimentos. I bought sliced pimentos one time I made this and realized that they don’t mix as well as their diced friends.
This pimento white cheddar macaroni and cheese recipe is adapted from Southern Living’s classic creamy mac and cheese. You can also serve this as an entree or a side dish with something else like fried chicken.
Pimento and white cheddar macaroni and cheese
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Ingredients
- 1 pound of macaroni, cooked and drained
- 1 pound of shredded white cheddar cheese, divided
- 2 7-ounce jars of diced pimentos, drained well
- 1/2 cup of flour
- 1/2 cup of butter
- 2 cups of milk
- Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne to taste
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the flour to and whisk until smooth to make a roux. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Slowly stir in milk until a smooth, white sauce forms. The sauce should be thick enough that it doesn’t run off the back of a spoon.
- Whisk in white cheddar (reserve 1/2 a cup of cheese for the topping) and continue stirring to eliminate lumps. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne to taste.
- Stir in pimentos and pasta. Toss to coat pasta evenly with sauce.
- Pour into a greased casserole dish. Top with 1/2 cup of white cheddar.
- Bake at 375 for 25 minutes until golden brown.
Notes
Optional: mix 1/2 a cup of breadcrumbs with 2-3 tablespoons of melted butter. Toss the breadcrumb mixture with the remaining half cup of cheddar cheese and sprinkle evenly over the macaroni before baking.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 20
