Mac n' Cheese Soup
Ingredients
For the Topping: (optional)
- 3 slices bacon
- ¼ cup blue cheese optional
- 1 green onion sliced
For the Soup
- 2 cups dry elbow macaroni
- 3 tbs butter
- 1/2 stalk of celery minced fine
- 1/2 medium onion minced fine
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 2-1/2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups whole milk
- 4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard
- Pinch nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning Slap Ya Mama, or favorite Cajun/Creole seasoning, or to taste
- Salt to taste only if needed
Instructions
Topping
- Cook the bacon until crisp; cool, chop, and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the blue cheese and green onion. Add the chopped bacon and set aside. Prepare pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.
Soup
- Melt butter in a small soup pot; add the celery and onion and saute until tender but not browned. Sprinkle in the flour and cook over medium to medium high heat, stirring constantly for about a minute. Begin to whisk in the broth about 1/2 cup at a time, constantly whisking until fully incorporated and smooth. Repeat with the milk. Bring the mixture back up to heat until fully warmed through, but do not allow it to boil! Begin to stir in the cheese, about 1 cup at a time. Allow the cheese to fully melt before adding in the next cup.
- Add the dry mustard, Cajun seasoning and a grating of nutmeg - about 4 or 5 passes on a microplane if using whole nutmeg - and heat through until hot. Add the cooked pasta and stir to break up the noodles. Heat through, but do not allow the soup to boil. Taste and add salt, only if needed. Remove soup from the heat and serve immediately, garnished with a pinch of the blue cheese mixture.
Notes
This recipe can be easily turned into a Gluten Free recipe. Use Gluten Free noodles (Barilla), Cajun seasoning, and gluten free flour (All-Purpose or Simple Flour)
