In partnership with Cabot
During the holidays, there are lots of opportunities to hang out with family and friends. We often feel like we have a revolving door– visitors come and go, some stay with us, we go to friends’ houses and there is lots of food involved. And then suddenly it’s Christmas Eve and it’s a chance to slow down and spend time at home with those you love. In our house, Christmas Eve dinner is always more simple, and this loaded baked mac n cheese on the Traeger is the perfect one-dish meal. We make it with lots of Cabot seriously sharp cheddar cheese and the end result is a dinner that everyone loves and doesn’t require people to be working away in the kitchen. Because, of course, that is saved for Christmas Day!
THE PERFECT CASUAL HOLIDAY MEAL
While you need a few pans to make this loaded baked mac n cheese, the end result is the dishes are mostly done before dinner is served, and the dish can be made a day or two in advance, even. Doing so will cut down on time spent in the kitchen when the ones you love are visiting, and a quick 45-minute bake in the Traeger results in the ultimate one-dish comfort food.
START WITH A FAMILY RECIPE
We started with recipe inspiration from one of my mother-in-law’s favorite dishes. She makes up a great mac and cheese and stirs in part of a can of diced tomatoes at the end. It sounds odd, but it is actually a fantastic addition. We thought that could be a starting point, and rather than serve mac n cheese as a side dish, loading it up with ingredients would make it the perfect one-pan dinner.
CHEESE, OF COURSE
There was no question that the best mac and cheese comes from a recipe that uses the best cheese. We headed to the fridge to pick out the best cheeses for this dish– and picked Cabot’s Seriously Sharp as the base for the dish. It’s smooth and melty with a good hint of tang and nuttiness. It would be the perfect cheese for the ultimate baked loaded mac and cheese.
In addition to Seriously Sharp, we grabbed a block of Alpine cheddar (from the legacy collection), a few sticks of the smoky bacon cheese snack sticks and a block of Cabot’s cream cheese. In addition, we needed butter to make the roux and grabbed our favorite Cabot unsalted sweet cream butter. With our Cabot arsenal on hand, we were ready to gather up the ingredients to make this dish really “loaded”.
OTHER FILLINGS TO LOAD IT UP
This loaded baked mac and cheese, cooked up on the Traeger, deserved some decadent ingredients to compliment the amazing cheese. We chopped up some Snake River Farms bacon to make lardons, sliced up a yellow onion to make caramelized onions, a can of diced tomatoes and a cup of frozen green peas. These ingredients will all complement each other and the cheese sauce, and bring a richness that qualifies it as a one-pan dinner.
THE RIGHT NOODLES TO PICK FOR MAC & CHEESE
We wanted to go with a big and bold noodle for this dish– that would hold up to the cheese sauce (and catch a lot of it in the nooks and crannies) and also hold up to the other ingredients. We picked out fussiloni from Target– they’re giant fussili and were perfect for the dish. Be sure to undercook the pasta just a bit– maybe 2 minutes less than al dente– as they will continue cooking when baked in the Traeger.
A TASTY CRUNCHY TOPPING
To top off this decadent mac and cheese (as though it needed more decadence!) we toasted panko breadcrumbs on the stove and mixed those with a generous dose of my Garlic Junkie seasoning. To that we added chopped green onions and lots of the Legacy Alpine cheddar from Cabot, grated very finely. This mixture went atop the loaded mac and cheese in the pan before it went in the Traeger. It gets crispy and melty- all at once- and adds a terrific texture and taste to the finished dish.
PRIMARY INGREDIENTS
- Cabot Creamery Cooperative sweet cream unsalted butter
- Cabot Creamery Cooperative cream cheese
- Cabot Creamery Cooperative Vermont Seriously Sharp cheddar
- Cabot Creamery Cooperative Alpine Legacy cheddar
- Cabot Creamery Cooperative smoky bacon snack sticks
- Large spiral-shaped pasta
- Yellow onion, finely sliced
- Bacon, chopped
- Diced canned tomatoes
- Frozen green peas
- Flour
- Milk
- Scallions
- Panko bread crumbs
- Garlic Junkie Seasoning
WHY COOKING BAKED MAC & CHEESE ON THE TRAEGER WORKS
This is the perfect dish to cook on the Traeger because it can be made ahead of time and simply cooked/reheated when you’re ready to serve. Doing so on the Traeger adds a bit of wood-fired flavor to the dish, and your home stays cool by not turning on the oven. Plus, there’s nothing quite like delighting your dinner guests on a cold, snowy December night by bringing in a piping hot pan of loaded baked mac and cheese straight off the Traeger grill!
STEP-BY-STEP
- Shred the Seriously Sharp cheddar cheese on a box grater (large grate). Shred the Alpine cheddar on fine grate. Unwrap the bacon cheddar sticks and cut into cubes.
- Boil a large pot of water and cook the pasta according to directions– draining the pasta just before it is al-dente.
- Rinse the pasta in cold water and set aside.
- In a small frying pan, fry the bacon pieces until cooked through. Drain the lardons on a paper towel.
- Pour off most of the bacon grease from the pan and add ½ a tablespoon of butter to the same pan. Cook the onions in that pan until golden brown and caramelized about 15 minutes.
- Set the onions aside and wipe the pan dry.
- Toast the breadcrumbs in the same pan until just golden brown. Transfer to a bowl.
- In a large saucepan, make the mac and cheese sauce.
- Begin by melting the butter until it begins to brown.
- Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until well combined.
- Pour in the milk, whisking constantly, until the sauce is smooth and thickened.
- Stir in the cream cheese and mix until it dissolves.
- Stir in the shredded Seriously Sharp cheddar cheese and cook, stirring constantly, until the cheese melts.
- Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
- Butter a 9×13 baking dish (sides and bottom) and pour in ½ of the cooked noodles.
- To the noodles, add ½ of the bacon pieces, the caramelized onions, the tomatoes (mostly drained) and the green peas.
- Sprinkle with additional shredded cheese and the cubed up bacon cheese sticks.
- Pour in half the cheese sauce and gently stir to combine.
- Repeat with a second layer, using up all the ingredients.
- In the bowl of toasted breadcrumbs, add the Garlic Junkie seasoning, finely shredded Alpine cheddar and the scallions. Mix to combine.
- Top the assembled mac and cheese with the breadcrumb mixture, covering heavily.
- Cover the top of the dish with aluminum foil and refrigerate until 1 hour before serving.
- 1 hour before serving, preheat your Traeger grill to 400*.
- Place the covered dish in the grill and allow to cook for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, remove the aluminum foil and continue cooking for another 20 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the Traeger when the dish is hot and bubbling.
- Allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Lots of cheesy goodness Mac and cheese on the Traeger
OTHER CHEESY RECIPES FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Here are some other cheesy dishes to share with family and friends this holiday season, all featuring Cabot Creamery Cooperative products:
- Smoky Sweet and Heat Cheese Ball
- Steak Tip Shepherd’s Pie with Cabot Cheese Crust
- Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole
- Smoked Jalapeno Popper Dip
Products used in this cook:
Cabot Creamery Cooperative: Our family loves using Cabot Creamery Co-operative’s cream cheese and extra sharp cheddar cheeses, and they work particularly well in this kind of recipe. Not only does the quality of the cheese stand out, but the distinct and sharp flavor of the cheddar cheese comes through really well with this combination of ingredients. We are using amazing ingredients in our cooking, but we are also using products made by a certified B-Corp that has an intent focus on sustainability, land stewardship, and being good community citizens. As a B-Corp, Cabot Creamery Co-operative has hung its hat on being a positive contributor to the community and environmental problems. As an elementary teacher, getting to partner with a company like Cabot means that I’m demonstrating to my students how corporate citizenship can make a positive impact!
Did you make this recipe?
I’d love to know how it turned out!
Leave a review below or snap a photo,
share it on Instagram and tag me at @ThisJewCanQue
Loaded Baked Mac and Cheese on the Traeger
Equipment
- Large pot of boiling water
- 9×13 baking dish
- Aluminum foil
- Whisk
- Cheese grater
- Frying pan
- Traeger grill
Ingredients
- 1/2 stick Cabot Creamery Cooperative sweet cream unsalted butter
- 1/2 block Cabot Creamery Cooperative cream cheese
- 1 block Cabot Creamery Cooperative Vermont Seriously Sharp cheddar
- 1/2 block Cabot Creamery Cooperative Alpine Legacy cheddar
- 3 stick sCabot Creamery Cooperative smoky bacon snack sticks
- 20 ounces Large spiral shaped pasta
- 1 Yellow onion finely sliced
- 1 cup bacon chopped
- 1 cup diced canned tomatoes
- 1 cup frozen green peas
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 2 scallions
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup Garlic Junkie Seasoning
Instructions
- Shred the Seriously Sharp cheddar cheese on a box grater (large grate). Shred the Alpine cheddar on fine grate. Unwrap the bacon cheddar sticks and cut into cubes.
- Boil a large pot of water and cook the pasta according to directions– draining the pasta just before it is al-dente.
- Rinse the pasta in cold water and set aside.
- In a small frying pan, fry the bacon pieces until cooked through. Drain the lardons on a paper towel.
- Pour off most of the bacon grease from the pan and add ½ a tablespoon of butter to the same pan. Cook the onions in that pan until golden brown and caramelized, about 15 minutes.
- Set the onions aside and wipe the pan dry.
- Toast the breadcrumbs in the same pan until just golden brown. Transfer to a bowl.
- In a large saucepan, make the mac and cheese sauce.
- Begin by melting the butter until it begins to brown.
- Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until well combined.
- Pour in the milk, whisking constantly, until the sauce is smooth and thickened.
- Stir in the cream cheese and mix until it dissolves.
- Stir in the shredded Seriously Sharp cheddar cheese and cook, stirring constantly, until the cheese melts.
- Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
- Butter a 9×13 baking dish (sides and bottom) and pour in ½ of the cooked noodles.
- To the noodles, add ½ of the bacon pieces, the caramelized onions, the tomatoes (mostly drained) and the green peas.
- Sprinkle with additional shredded cheese and the cubed up bacon cheese sticks.
- Pour in half the cheese sauce and gently stir to combine.
- Repeat with a second layer, using up all the ingredients.
- In the bowl of toasted breadcrumbs, add the Garlic Junkie seasoning, finely shredded Alpine cheddar and the scallions. Mix to combine.
- Top the assembled mac and cheese with the breadcrumb mixture, covering heavily.
- Cover the top of the dish with aluminum foil and refrigerate until 1 hour before serving.
- 1 hour before serving, preheat your Traeger grill to 400*.
- Place the covered dish in the grill and allow to cook for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, remove the alumninum foil and continue cooking for another 20 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the Traeger when the dish is hot and bubbling.
- Allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Leave a Reply