Ingredients
5 tablespoons butter, divided and diced
3 cups elbow macaroni pasta
4 tablespoons flour
Several cracks black pepper
Pinch salt
3 cups half-and-half (warmed)
4 1/2 cups shredded cheese, divided
(1 cup each Monterrey jack, queso, sharp cheddar, mild cheddar)
Heavy pinch paprika
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons hickory-smoked BBQ sauce
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare an oven-safe dish by coating it with 1 tablespoon of butter.
Boil pasta for 8 minutes, drain and set aside.
In a heavy-bottomed pot, melt 4 tablespoons of butter.
Stir in flour, pinch of salt and black pepper. Stir well to combine.
Cook flour and butter mixture until golden blonde in color.
Whisk in warmed half-and-half.
Continually stirring, add 4 cups of shredded cheese 1/2 cup at a time, until well blended and the cheese has melted. Reserve 1/2 cup of cheese for garnish.
Turn off heat.
Stir in paprika, sour cream and BBQ sauce.
Add pasta to cheese sauce.
Mix well and pour into prepared oven-safe dish.
Top with 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, until golden and bubbly.
Serve and Enjoy!
Candace Boyd Wylie is an Indianapolis native who believes in the power of a good meal. She is the recipe developer, content creator and recipe slanger at FoodLoveTog.com. FoodLoveTog is a food blog that is dedicated to sharing good eats and food for the soul.
