This is the quintessential winter comfort food—only made even more awesome.

Everyone has a favorite recipe for good old-fashioned mac-n-cheese, and this is mine. It’s rich and creamy with just a hint of tang, thanks to the addition of a little cream cheese.

Give it a try—you’ll never eat the boxed version again!

You’ll notice in the directions that I don’t make a roux. That’s simply because I hate fiddling around with them—and truthfully, I don’t notice any difference in the taste when I do it this way, which is far less finicky.

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Ingredients:

1/2 c. butter (melted)

1/2 c. flour

4 c. milk

1/4 c. cream cheese

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper (white pepper if you prefer)

1 c. Havarti cheese (shredded)

1 c. sharp white cheddar (shredded)

6 c. macaroni noodles (cooked)

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Toasted Bread Crumbs:

1/4 c. butter (melted)

1 c. panko breadcrumbs

1 green onion

pinch of salt

small handful of finely chopped parsley

(Simply stir everything together and toast slightly in a non-stick pan for a minute or two. Set aside for later use.)

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Instructions:

Now that the bread crumbs are finished, you can go ahead and start making your sauce.

Pop the first six ingredients into your blender, and give it a whiz. Now, pour it into a large pot and set to medium-low heat.

Once the milk mixture is warm, stir in your shredded cheese and test to see if you need more salt. Continue to cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sauce has thickened.

Pour the sauce over the macaroni noodles, and give it a stir. I like to serve this in individual bowls, garnished with the toasted bread crumbs. At this point, you may bake it in the oven if you like—but I prefer my mac-n-cheese really saucy, so I don’t bake mine.

Enjoy!

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Relephant:

Unbelievable Mac ‘n Cheese. {Vegan, Gluten-Free Recipe}

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Author: Angela St. Cyr
Image: Author’s own
Editor: Yoli Ramazzina
Copy Editor: Callie Rushton
Social Editor: Cat Monkman