Best 3 Hometown Buffet Macaroni Cheese Copycat Recipes

HOMETOWN BUFFET MACARONI & CHEESE (COPYCAT)

Steps:

• BOIL 3 quarts salt-free water in a 4-quart pot; ADD 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni; SCRAPE bottom immediately with a wire whisk to avoid sticking; BOIL macaroni for 8-10 minutes.
• POUR macaroni into colander in sink (remove all pasta from bottom of pot); RINSE macaroni and pot with cold water; ALLOW to drain.
• RETURN empty pot to a new burner stovetop over medium-low heat; ADD 2 tablespoons margarine and allow to melt, then add 1 1/3 cups skim milk (or 50% milk with 50% water), 1/8 teaspoon white pepper, 1 pinch cayenne pepper, and 1 pinch garlic powder.
• RAISE heat to medium until heated; ADD the contents of one (8 ounce) jar Cheez-Whiz (or half the contents of one 15-ounce jar), scraping all contents from jar using a flexible spatula; ADD 8 ounces shredded medium cheddar cheese.
• WHISK mixture often without letting mixture boil, until thickened and glossy in appearance.
• ADD rinsed drained macaroni; FOLD mixture together until well-blended.
• POUR mixture into greased 8 x 8 baking dish.
• BAKE at 300°F for 15 minutes.
• REMOVE from oven with oven mitts; SPRINKLE top with 1/3 cup shredded medium cheddar cheese; ALLOW to set just long enough for the cheese to melt.
• SERVE and enjoy.

RESTAURANT STYLE MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• Return drained pasta to the pot. Mix in processed cheese, Cheddar cheese, and cream. Stir until cheeses melt. Sprinkle with salt.

LONGHORN STEAKHOUSE MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• FOR STOVETOP Bring the water to a boil and cook macaroni noodles until al dente (refer to noodle package for these instructions - usually around six minutes). In the meantime, melt butter in a pan and make a roux with 1 Tablespoon of flour. Add in the heavy cream and evaporated milk and whisk until incorporated with the roux. Add in cheeses and seasonings and stir constantly over medium heat. Once noodles are done cooking, drain the water (reserving 1/2 cup) and mix the pasta into the cheese mixture. Stir over medium heat for a couple of minutes to thicken the sauce slightly. Add water to thin the sauce. CONTINUE TO FOR BOTH METHODS SECTION. FOR INSTANT POTAdd 4 cups water, elbow pasta, paprika, salt, pepper, and ground mustard to the Instant Pot bowl. Stir and make sure the pasta is covered with the broth. Put lid on and set to manual high pressure for four minutes. After the timer goes off, release all the pressure. Once the pressure has been released, mix in the heavy cream, evaporated milk and butter Slowly mix in the cheeses until totally incorporated. It may be a little liquidy - this is okay Mix in bacon bits. Continue to the FOR BOTH METHODS section below FOR BOTH METHODSPreheat oven to 350 degrees. Transfer pasta to large baking dish Mix together the parsley flakes with the bread crumbs, bacon and butter and top the pasta. Bake covered with tin foil for about 30 minutes. Remove tin foil and bake for an additional five.