Cheez

If you're the type of person who likes mac and cheese with a side of extra cheese, then this is most definitely the recipe for you. Brought to us by recipe developer Kate Shungu, this cheez-on-cheese Velveeta mac and cheese features the classic pasta dish with everyone's favorite melty cheese, all topped off with a crunchy Cheez-Its topping. It's rich, it's creamy, it's savory, and most importantly, it's got all the cheesy goodness that one could possibly want in a single dish.

If you don't want to take our word for just how good this mac and cheese is, just ask Shungu. "I love how seriously creamy this mac & cheese is! The creaminess from the Velveeta and the flavor from the cheddar combine to create a cheesy, creamy, flavorful sauce for the pasta," she says. It perfectly complements the crunchiness from the Cheez-Its." This really is the ideal recipe to liven up your pasta repertoire, to make dinner a little more exciting, or to just try something new when it comes to mac and cheese.

You'll need classic elbow pasta as the base for this mac and cheese, along with some butter, flour, whole milk, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt. As for the cheese, you'll need some cubed Velveeta and shredded cheddar, along with some lightly-crushed Cheez-It crackers for the crunchy topping. "You could use any flavor of Cheez-Its or cheesy crackers that you like! Even Ritz crackers would be good here," Shungu says.

Start by preheating your oven to 350 F and grease an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Then, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the elbow pasta per package instructions.

Meanwhile, you can begin building the sauce by making a roux. To do so, add the butter to a large skillet over medium heat and, once melted, stir in the flour. Allow the roux to cook for about 2 minutes, making sure to give it the occasional stir.

Whisk the milk into the roux and let it cook for about 4 to 5 minutes, during which time the sauce should thicken up a bit. Add in the onion powder, garlic powder, salt, Velveeta (make sure it's cubed), and shredded cheddar. Mix until the cheeses have fully melted and you have a smooth, creamy sauce. Then, remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the cooked pasta, thoroughly mixing it into the cheese.

Pour the mac and cheese into the prepared baking dish before evenly sprinkling the crushed Cheez-Its across the top. "Most Velveeta mac and cheese recipes aren't baked in the oven nor topped with Cheez-Its," Shungu says, but these two factors are what really make this recipe so special. Pop the dish into the oven to bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the Cheez-Its are lightly toasted on top.

The mac and cheese is ready to serve fresh from the oven, so portion yourself a plate and be sure to get plenty of that crunchy Cheez-It topping. "I like serving it with roast chicken or crockpot pork chops," Shungu suggests for pairing. "It's also really nice with a rotisserie chicken if you want to keep things simple."

Mac and cheese typically keeps and reheats well, and this recipe is no exception, though the Cheez-It topping does make things a bit tricky. Luckily, Shungu has some tips for storing leftovers. "Since the Cheez-Its will get soggy as the mac and cheese sits, save some extra crushed Cheez-Its for sprinkling on top of leftovers," she says. "Leftovers can either be reheated in the microwave or in the oven."