Creamy Mac and Cheese with Ritz Cracker Topping
This Creamy Mac and Cheese is made with a blend of four cheeses, and topped with crushed Ritz crackers and melted butter, then baked for a buttery crispy crust!
Servings: 10 -12
Ingredients
- 16 oz. elbow pasta
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsalted butter (8 Tbsp)
- 2 teaspoon sea salt* if using other cheeses, see notes
- ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 ¼ cup heavy cream aka heavy whipping cream
- 3 cups whole milk
- 4 oz. cream cheese full fat, cut into small chunks
- 5 oz. gruyere cheese shredded (makes about 1 ½ cups tightly packed, see notes for substitutions)
- 8 oz. extra sharp white cheddar cheese shredded (about 2 cups tightly packed, I used Cabot brand)
- 8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese shredded (about 2 cups tightly packed, I used Tillamook brand)
- more salt & pepper to taste for the sauce I usually add ¼ teaspoon each
For the Ritz topping:
- 2 tablespoon butter melted
- 30 Ritz crackers crushed
Instructions
Prepping the Ingredients:
- In a large bowl, mix together shredded gruyere, sharp cheddar, and extra sharp cheddar cheeses. Reserve 2 cups for the topping in a separate bowl. Set bowls aside.
- In another bowl or large measuring cup, combine the heavy cream and whole milk. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the crushed Ritz crackers and melted butter. Set aside.
- Cook the elbow pasta according to package directions, but cook it 2 minutes under al dente. (Mine took 6 minutes).
- Rinse the pasta with cold water, and drain. Pour the pasta into a large mixing bowl, and set aside.
Cooking the Mac and Cheese:
- In a large sauce pan, over medium heat, add the butter and cook until melted.
- Add the flour, and cook for about 1 minute, constantly whisking.
- Slowly add in the milk & cream mixture, about half at a time.
- Cook for about 5 minutes, constantly whisking.
- Once the mixture is slightly thickened, add the spices.
- Turn off the heat, and immediately whisk in the cream cheese and stir until melted.
- Add in about half of the shredded cheese mixture, whisk until melted and repeat with the remaining cheese. (If needed, turn the heat back onto low to help melt the rest of the cheese.) Season with more salt & pepper to taste, if desired.
- Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta, and mix well.
- Pour the mac and cheese into a greased casserole dish (I used non-stick cooking spray), and top with the reserved 2 cups of shredded cheese mixture and crushed Ritz crackers mixture.
- Bake at 375ºF for 20-25 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. (I usually bake mine 20 minutes, then broil for about 2-5 minutes, untl lighlty browned. If you do broil at the end: Make sure to check every minute because it can burn quickly under broiler!)
Video
Notes
*You can sub romano or parmesan cheese for the gruyere cheese. But those cheeses are much saltier than gruyere, so if you don't reduce the salt in the recipe, your sauce will come out way to salty! Reduce the salt to ½ tsp. Then add salt to taste once the cheese sauce is made.