Monster Mac and Cheese

My family are big fans of Mac & Cheese!

Just for my family, on Sunday's for the next few weeks I will be posting one of their favorite Mac & Cheese recipe picks.

Disclaimer: Mac and Cheese is not my biggest love, but there are some really great recipes that just make you say YUM! 
 

This recipe is one that I made often for my kids when they were small, and I always made it at Halloween time. Any food with the word monster in it was sure to make them happy!  I don't really know why this dish is called Monster Mac, but adding green food coloring to the sauce would make my wee people giggle all through dinner 'cause they were "eating monster guts". Gross I know...

12 oz. Cavatappi pasta

10 oz. bag frozen broccoli florets, thawed

1- 16oz. jar Alfredo sauce

8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded-about 2 cups

(I admit that I always add extra cheese)

1/3 c. milk

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

3/4 tsp. Italian seasoning spice

1/4 c. pepper

4-5 drops green food coloring (optional)

Coat a 2 qt. baking dish with cooking spray.  Cook pasta according to package directions, adding the broccoli to the boiling pasta during the last 3 min. of cooking time. Drain.

Meanwhile, position your oven rack to 4" from the broiler source, and preheat broiler on high.

Return the pasta/broccoli to the pot, and over low heat stir in the Alfredo sauce, milk, Worcestershire, seasoning and pepper. Add 1 c. shredded cheese. Stir until smooth and heated through.

Transfer the pasta mix to the prepared baking dish, and sprinkle with remaining 1 c. cheese. Broil until the cheese is melted and just starts to brown, about 3-4 minutes.

Tip: Don't rinse the pasta after draining it, the starch helps thicken the sauce a bit more.

(Now that my kids are grown, I just couldn't bring myself to color the pasta green...sorry!)

Special note: Cavatappi pasta is a large corkscrew pasta that I always use when making a recipe with a heavier sauce. Everything just clings to it so well!  However you can use penne, elbow, or rigatoni pasta in place of the cavatappi if you can't find cavatappi at your grocery store.