Oh baby! This one has been stewing around in my brain for quite some time. You are so, so welcome that I finally brought it to fruition. I would like to thank all the hipsters that posted their food pics from Coachella. I saw a Flamin’ Hot Cheetos version of this, possibly on a stick, in a Buzzfeed round-up of cool and weird Coachella foods. That being said, this recipe would be sooo good with some Flamin’ Hot Cheetos crushed up on top too!
Since I am a mom and in charge of the shopping and allowable snacks, we went with Baked Cheetos. You know, because that’s sooooo much healthier.
Remember when I discovered that eating cheese basically made my face go into teenage acne mode? Well, I have been slowly reintroducing cheese back into my life. Sparingly of course.
I found that pizza every other week is ok. Queso Fresco crumbles on tacos is just enough to sooth my cheese-craving self. Plus, Queso Fresco doesn’t melt all over the taco fillings so it is kinda my fave.
When it comes to mac and cheese, I have my standard go-to blend of cheese, a double-cream gouda and a sharp orange cheddar. I prefer Cabot Alpine Cheddar, but for some reason if my kids see that the mac and cheese is not orange, they will not eat it. I don’t get it.
That gouda just ends up making the creamiest sauce ever. Do not skip that!
This recipe I did a little differently to take into account the fact that it was about 90 degrees and I didn’t want to heat up the upstairs too much for nap time. This mac is like a stovetop and baked mac hybrid. You cook the mac and cheese on the stovetop, transfer it to a big oven-safe skillet, top with ground Cheetos, and then stick it under the broiler for a few minutes just to toast the Cheetos. Done!
My next version of this recipe is going to have a cauliflower cream sauce instead of a cheese sauce, because well, my face hated me after I ate this (it was worth it though) and I think my kids would overlook anything if it was covered in Cheetos!
Cheetos Crusted Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 lb Macaroni Noodles
- 1/4 Cup Unsalted Butter
- 1/4 Cup All-Purpose Flour
- 3 Cups 1% Milk
- 1 Small Garlic clove grated
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1/4 Teaspoon Ground mustard
- 1/2 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 8 Ounces Sharp Cheddar Cheese grated
- 8 Ounces Double-Cream Gouda grated
- 1 Cup Baked Cheetos
Instructions
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Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Once boiling add macaroni noodles and cook according to the packages instructions. Drain noodles and set off to the side.
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Add butter to a large saucepan. Melt the butter over medium heat.
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Add the flour to the butter, whisk to combine into a roux. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
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Slowly stream in the milk, continuously whisking. Add in all the seasonings and garlic. Whisk to combine.
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Once the milk starts to thicken up a little bit, add all the grated cheese. Whisk until fully melted.
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Add in the noodles to the pot. Reduce heat to low. Stir to combine.
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Preheat the broiler to high.
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Grease a large oven safe skillet with butter.
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Add Cheetos to a food processor and pulse a few times until ground.
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Remove the mac and cheese from the heat. Pour the mac and cheese into the prepared pan. Cover with a good layer of ground Cheetos.
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Place on the middle rack under the broiler for 3-4 minutes until the Cheetos start to turn golden and toast.
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Let the mac and cheese sit for a few minutes before serving.
