Creamy Ranch Mac-n-Cheese
If you know anything about me, you know that I love cheese, particularly mac-n-cheese. Love it. I eat it at least five or six times a month, whether it’s from a Kraft box or ordered at a restaurant or made from scratch. I try to keep variety in the recipes I make for this blog, but when I saw this recipe on Noble Pig (the writer, Cathy, adapted it from Taste of Home), I knew I had to share it—with my own flair, of course.
A side note on Noble Pig: this food blog is, by far, one of the best I’ve seen. The recipes are usually a little decadent (I had to college-budget-ize this one, in fact), but the writing is exceptional, the photography is phenomenal and the food is to die for. If you haven’t checked it out yet, I strongly suggest that you do.
But enough gushing. It’s time for deliciousness.
You will need:
- · ¾ of a 16 oz box of elbow macaroni
- · 1 cup milk
- · ¼ cup butter, cut into cubes (you can substitute margarine, but honestly, real butter tastes so much better)
- · 1 tsp garlic powder
- · 2 tsp pepper
- · 1 tsp salt
- · 1 ½ cup Colby-Jack cheese
- · ½ cup cheddar cheese
- · ½ cup ranch dressing
- · ½ cup crushed saltine or Ritz crackers (I used saltines)
- · ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Cook the noodles according to package directions. I know I usually insist that you add salt to the boiling water before the noodles, but you should skip that step this time.
While you’re waiting for the noodles to cook, add the milk, butter, garlic powder, salt and pepper to a large pot over medium-low heat. When the butter is melted, add the Colby-Jack and cheddar cheeses in three or four increments, waiting until all the cheese is completely melted in before adding the next batch. Add the ranch after all the cheese is melted. The sauce will look a little thin, but don’t worry. It’ll thicken when you add the noodles and crackers.
When the noodles are cooked, drain them and add to the sauce mixture, stirring everything together before adding the crackers and the Parmesan cheese. Mix well and serve immediately.
Tags: Emma Frankart, Mac-n-Cheese