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My friends and I all love mac and cheese. I mean, love. And we’re not talking “passing cute notes in 8th grade Homeroom” puppy love. I’m talking “would marry it if it were legal to marry inanimate objects” kind of love. And, I thought I knew everything that I needed to know about mac and cheese, until one of my friends asked me if I had ever made it with more “exotic” cheese like goat cheese or blue cheese. I hadn’t, but that conversation is how this Mac and Blue Cheese was born. I made it my weekend mission to try and make a delicious mac and cheese with a blue cheese flavor that was present, but not overpowering. So, armed with my pressure cooker, I went to work. The results blew all of my taste-testers away, so I just had to share.
There is something about this creamy pasta dish that takes the pungent flavor of blue cheese and mellows it down to a gentle note in the back of your taste buds. In fact, the mac and cheese is mellow enough to be eaten as-is, but isn’t hurt in the slightest by a generous sprinkling of crumbled bacon for a salty punch.
If you REALLY want to impress, though, try serving it topped with some boneless buffalo chicken. It’s like elevating your favorite bar food. When the tang of buffalo sauce meets the cooling factor of blue cheese, all sorts of magic happens in your palate. And, no need for wet wipes! For tips on making boneless buffalo chicken, check out my recipe here.
This mac and cheese is best served fresh, but you can also reheat with a little bit of milk to get it creamy again.
Pressure Cooker Mac and Blue Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 lb cavatappi pasta (or elbow macaroni)
- 4 cups water
- 4 tbsp butter
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp hot sauce
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 cup milk
- 8oz mascarpone cheese (or cream cheese)
- 10 oz white cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 1/2 cups)
- 1 1/2 cups crumbled blue cheese
Directions
Combine the pasta, water, butter, Dijon mustard, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and onion powder in the liner of your electric pressure cooker. Stir to combine.
Cover and seal the pressure cooker, then cook on High Pressure for 4 minutes. When the time is up, release the pressure manually.
Open the pressure cooker, then add the mascarpone cheese, stirring until melted. Stir in the milk, and then the cheeses, a little bit at a time, until melted and combined. Serve the mac and blue cheese immediately.