Comfort Food to the Max! Blue Cheese Mac and Cheese

This is extreme comfort food.  So creamy and so tangy with the blue cheese mixed with the sharp cheddar cheese.    My family is big aficionados of blue cheese.  They will eat it on burgers, with steak, salads and just slices of the stuff. They are also big fans of mac and cheese, so this one is a big hit.

 We made this on a night our son had a sleep over and one of his friends said he liked blue cheese, so he had a helping along with the pizza we had made for the sleepover.  I wonder if he went home and told his mom he had Mac and cheese and she thought it was just the regular old stuff? Nothing is ever the old regular stuff around here!

 

 

Blue Cheese Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

1 pound spiral tube-shaped pasta

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter

1/4 cup all purpose flour

2 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream 

3 cups grated cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups crumbled blue cheese

1 tablespoon minced fresh chives (optional)

bread crumbs

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add flour. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly (do not allow to brown).

Gradually whisk in milk and cream. Simmer until mixture thickens slightly, whisking occasionally, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add grated cheddar cheese and 1 cup crumbled blue cheese. Whisk until cheese melts, about 2 minutes. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Add cooked pasta to sauce; stir to coat. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup blue cheese. Sprinkle with bread crumbs.  Bake until sauce begins to bubble, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with chives and serve.