Sunny Anderson's Spicy Mac & Cheese

Did you know that in the South, mac 'n cheese is actually considered a vegetable?

On a related note, I have a great idea!  Go make this mac 'n cheese.

What do you think?  Sound good?

My husband and I were watching Best Thing I Ever Made, and Sunny made this mac 'n cheese.  I felt so justified because I'm not the only one who uses (over) a pound of cheese in one dish!  In the spirit of full disclosure, this recipe actually has a pound and a half.  I thought it looked soooo good, so I made it.  Only I made it my own way.

For example, I just couldn't bring myself to put cream and half-and-half in it, so I used whole milk.

This just in: even I have limits.

And I left out the nutmeg.  I'm just not a fan of nutmeg in my cream sauces (how very un-French of me).

Oh, and I left off the croutons on top.  But if you want to include that step, just check out Sunny's actual recipe (before I adulterated it).

And I left out the cayenne pepper, because I wanted my kids to eat it.

Other than those things, this is just like Sunny's.  Either way, it's totally awesome.

This mac 'n cheese is pretty much incredible.  Yeah, it really is.  If I could tell you how good it is, I totally would.  But I just can't.

You should try it right now.  After all, we all need more veggies in our diet.

I said now.  Go.

Sunny Anderson's Spicy Mac & Cheese
Heavily Adapted from Sunny Anderson

8 oz. (about 2 cups uncooked) elbow macaroni, cooked according to package directions and drained
4 oz. sharp cheddar, cubed
4 oz. sharp cheddar, shredded
8 oz. Colby cheese, cubed
8 oz. Pepper jack, shredded
2 tsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1/4 cup sour cream
1 egg, beaten
2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup grated onion

In a greased 7x11 inch (or you can use a 9x13 inch dish if you want it thinner) baking dish, toss together the hot pasta and cubed cheddar and Colby cheeses and the shredded pepper jack.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, pepper, mustard, sour cream, egg, milk and onion.  Pour over the pasta and cheese.  Top with the shredded cheddar.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30-35 minutes, until golden and bubbly.