Ghostly Guinness and White Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese

Here we are, post 3 of 5! Chugging right along here and watching Donnie Darko a great film if you've never seen it. It's on Netflix, watch it immediately or we're no longer friends. I'll wait.

Ghostly Guinness and White Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese

1 lb macaroni or other shaped pasta
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
2/3 C Guinness stout
1 1/2 C 2% milk
1/2 C half and half
1/2 Tsp salt
1/4 Tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 oz jalapeno cream cheese (or plain if you're not of the spicy persuasion)
3 1/2 C shredded white cheddar cheese
Crunchy topping (recipe to follow)

Prepare pasta according package instruction. 

In a 6 qt dutch oven over medium-low heat, melt butter and add in flour. Whisk together and allow to achieve a delicious golden color. Add in beer, milk, half and half, seasonings and mustard. Bring the mixture to a simmer and allow to thicken for several minutes.

Add in cream cheese and 2 1/2 C of the shredded cheddar cheese. Whisk until smooth. Toss the pasta into the cheese sauce and stir to combine.

Top the macaroni and cheese with the remaining shredded cheddar and the crunchy topping. Stick under the broiler for 3 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden brown.

Crunchy Topping for Ghostly Guinness and White Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese

1 Tbsp butter, melted
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/2 C panko breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Combine all ingredients together in a bowl.

This macaroni and cheese was rich, delicious and yielded about 8 cups of macaroni and cheese for Nate and I to enjoy! We ate it Friday night and this evening for dinner and still have about a cup and a half serving leftover in our fridge for Nate to enjoy for lunch this week.