Copycat Noodles & Company™ Mac and Cheese

More About This Recipe

• A homemade version of the famously cheesy macaroni dish. Noodles & Company™ is known for mastering flavorful pasta dishes from all over the world, so for simple, classic mac and cheese to be one of their most famous menu items tells you there is something truly special about that bowl of pasta. If there isn’t a location near you, or you just want to try making it at home, here’s my go-to method for making a super-cheesy batch of creamy mac and cheese every time. For starters, you’ll need pasta! I like just plain elbow macaroni, but lots of smaller pasta shapes would work. Just don’t use any long spaghetti-like noodles, and you’ll be good. Cook the pasta in salted water and then drain it when it’s al dente. If you aren’t finishing the macaroni and cheese right away, rinse the pasta with cold water to stop the cooking process and make sure the noodles don’t stick together. Don’t worry! The hot cheese sauce will warm up the pasta later. Speaking of cheese, you’ll need a LOT of it for this recipe. You’ll want about a pound just for the cheese sauce, and you’ll also want a cup or two of finely grated cheese for piling on top at the end (I use a microplane grater for mine). The cheese shreds are so fine, they’ll melt into your noodles really quickly. Once the sauce is done, stir in the pasta, divide the cheesy goodness between bowls, and top each serving with AT LEAST one handful of finely grated cheese!