Ricotta-Velveeta® Mac ‘n Cheese

You can never have too many mac and cheese recipes.

Sometimes you might be in the mood for a sharp cheddar or a nutty Gruyere or even a little blue, but you just about always want a creamy texture, not one that separates, leaving an oily trail and little curds of cheese—well, I would eat that, too. The following recipe starts out with a variation of this one from Kraft and adds whipped ricotta to the sauce, so that it’s extra creamy. I am not adding any cheddar to the top of the casserole, just a panko topping. I like to get a little crust on my mac and cheese, but sometimes you just want to eat it out of the pan, so skip the crumb topping and baking if you like.

The base recipe starts out with a very thick white sauce, into which cubes of Velveeta® are stirred. I usually make my white sauce with 2 tablespoons of flour per cup of milk, but this one uses 4 tablespoons per cup. Like any other cheese sauce, you need this flour base to keep the cheese from separating. I’ve tried that recipe making the rounds, where you use only evaporated milk and cheese, and it does not hold up—beware fads.

Notice the whipped ricotta

Stir in Velveeta

Stir in whipped ricotta

Thick and creamy sauce

Just eat it like this…

…or bake it

Ricotta-Velveeta® Mac 'n Cheese

Servings: 4-6
Time: 40 mins
Difficulty: easy
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Preheat oven to 350°; butter a 2-quart casserole dish.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
8 oz. original Velveeta® cheese, cut into cubes
8 oz. whole milk ricotta, whipped in a food processor until smooth and fluffy
8 oz. macaroni or other pasta shape—I used whole wheat fusilli
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preparation

Boil the pasta according to the package directions while making the sauce. Drain the pasta and place in casserole dish.
In a small saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Stir in flour until fully combined. Stir in milk and continue stirring until smooth and thickened.
Stir cheese cubes into thickened white sauce until all the cheese is melted. This takes a few minutes.
Stir whipped ricotta into cheese sauce until combined.
Pour sauce over pasta and stir to combine. You could serve it at this point without baking, or go to the next step.
Combine panko crumbs and 2 tablespoons butter. Sprinkle over macaroni. Bake for 20 minutes until lightly browned and bubbly.

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