Don’t Judge….
Sometimes on a really bad day, I put a brick of Velveeta in the crockpot, add a can of Rotel tomatoes with chilis, open a bottle of wine and a bag of chips and watch mindless television. I know, I know… I only do it about once every couple of years or so on a REALLY bad day, ok? sheesh!
This recipe, however, I make quite often. It’s great for a crowd, everyone loves it! You don’t have to confess to the Velveeta if you don’t want to, I certainly won’t tell…
PrintMy Guilty Pleasure
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 16 oz package penne pasta
- 2 slices white bread
- 6 T butter
- 1/2 t Hungarian Paprika
- 1 t thyme
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 C flour
- 1/8 t cayenne pepper
- 3 C milk
- 10 oz cheddar cheese
- 10 oz Gruyere cheese
- 6 oz Velveeta
- 1 oz blue cheese
- salt and pepper from the mill to taste
Instructions
- In a large saucepan of salty water, cook the pasta for 1/2 time on the package, drain and set aside
- Cut the ends off the bread and slice
- Process bread in a food processor until it’s chopped, a few pulses is enough
- Melt 3 T butter in a skillet
- Add the bread crumbs, stir to combine and set aside
- Melt the remaining butter in a Dutch Oven, add shallots and saute for a few minutes until they soften
- Add paprika, bay leaf, thyme, cayenne and flour, cook another couple of minutes until mixture thickens a bit
- Add milk slowly, whisking constantly
- Let cook for 8 – 10 minutes, whisking frequently over low heat until mixture thickens slightly
- Process all of the cheese except for 2 oz of the Gruyere and add to the milk mixture, stirring constantly until it all melts
- Remove the bay leaf
- Mix the pasta into the sauce
- Turn the whole thing into a casserole dish, salt and pepper to taste
- Grate the remaining Gruyere and sprinkle on the top with the bread crumbs
- Bake about 30 minutes or until the bread crumbs start to brown and the pasta is cooked through
- Let it sit for a few minutes before serving so it can set up
Adapted from Saveur Magazine
ohmygoodness this looks WONderful. Where has this been all my cheesy pasta life?
Pinning this faster that it takes Velveeta to melt. 🙂
I’m not judging! I made a version of this recently but didn’t have to cook the pasta – just baked an hour and it got soft. (I think the recipe is called No-cook mac and cheese.)
The perfect pot luck dish and I have one coming up next week. Thanks.
I’ve never had Velveeta but I do like the sounds of how you like to eat it! 😀
MMM! That’s lunch sorted today!
Have a great weekend!
Hah! It was a staple in my childhood and I have quite a number of recipes from my mother that use it as an ingredient. Your dish is gorgeous and I bet delicious. When I need comfort, I just boil some pasta, fry it in pan with Velveeta. That’s MY guilty secret!
Velveeta makes the best dip. So I can understand you pleasure, and wine and chips just make it so much better.
The Mac and Cheese recipe I make calls specifically for Velveeta, but next time I may throw in some blue cheese. That is one of my guilty pleasures.
I had no idea. I had no idea of your secret! I started cracking up when I saw what it was! I still can’t figure it out–I think it weirds me out too much, but your dish looks and sounds hecka good! Maybe I’ll bust down and try it…:)
That dip sounds almost perfect right now. Maybe with a little bulk sausage browned and thrown into the pot? I want some now. I won’t judge if you don’t.
I haven’t ever tried this. Now I must. And if people judge me, I will let them coz this sounds very delicious.
I have to admit I’m a fan of Velveeta. This looks just delicious!
I never judge those who enjoy a terrible vice like I do! HaHaHaHa! Sometime you have to be bad. It makes a person feel good. Or guilty! Great recipe, we use it often.
I’ve actually never had velveeta! But hey – we all have our guilty pleasures!
Guilt. Schmilt.
Ha!
I like the queso variety of velveeta.
I mean.
If I was confessing it – ha!