Copy-Cat Panera Mac and Cheese

Two things I want to say right away:

1.  I wish I had a different colored bowl to help the mac and cheese really pop.  Because I'm not a fancy food photographer (though I wouldn't mind being ;)...).
2.  I've never actually been to Panera and had their mac and cheese.  So I cannot say if this is a good copy-cat or not.  It's times like these when I need to have my dear friend Stacy living nearby so she can be my taste-tester.  Not only has she eaten the real thing, she also has exquisite taste in things like cheese.

That said...  I have been doing a lot of searching Pinterest for stove-top recipes for summer-time.  And, because I'm a huge macaroni and cheese enthusiast, I am always drawn to pins for macaroni and cheese -- of pretty much any sort.  But when I saw this was a copycat of Panera's...  Well, I've heard the scuttlebutt from Stacy about that stuff.  So I knew I needed to try it.  And we did.

I definitely like that the recipe doesn't call for hard-to-find ingredients.  True, they aren't all ingredients I have on hand all the time, so I did have to do some shopping (mostly for the cheese), but they weren't difficult to find.

Also, the recipe was easy.  And I followed it almost exactly, except for the type of pasta I used (I used shell pasta) and I used salted butter, so omitted the salt.

Here's the recipe:

16 oz pipette pasta or other small pasta shape
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk, heavy cream, or half-and-half
4 oz white American cheese, chopped or torn into pieces
8 oz extra sharp white Vermont cheddar, shredded
2 tsp - 1 tbsp Dijon mustard (adjust according to your tastes)
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp hot sauce (like Frank's)

In a large stockpot, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well.

While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a 4-quart sauce pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and has started to bubble, whisk in the flour; cook for 1 1/2 minutes whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in the milk until no lumps remain. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook milk mixture, whisking frequently, until it thickens and bubbles, about 8 minutes.

Remove sauce pan from the heat and by the handful, stir in the cheeses allowing all of the cheese to melt into the sauce before adding more. Stir in the mustard, salt, and hot sauce. Return the sauce pan to the heat and stir in the pasta. Be sure to stir up the sauce from the bottom of the sauce pan and thoroughly coat all of the pasta with sauce. Cook for 1-2 minutes over medium-low heat until heated through. Serve hot in bowls with spoons.

(Again, recipe is from http://www.smells-like-home.com)

My thoughts:  This is definitely rich and creamy.  And very, very filling.  The recipe claims to serve 4.  Often, in our house, that just isn't the case.  I love macaroni and cheese.  And my husband can eat a lot (though I have no idea where he puts it).  But this is definitely a macaroni and cheese that literally serves 4, in my opinion.  I was beyond full after 1 bowl (the one pictured).  My husband had seconds, but not a huge helping.  And I put plenty away for leftovers.  My toddler loved this too, but didn't eat a lot of it -- again, I think because it's so filling.  She ate everything I gave her happily and excitedly, but didn't want more food when she was done. 

I honestly don't know if I'll make this recipe again.  It was good.  But it may have been a little too rich for me (I'm glad I used whole milk and not heavy cream!).  I will be trying to try the Panera, though...  Just so I know how close this recipe is :). 

Crunch Wrap Supremes -- At Home!

Back when I had just started my addiction to Pinterest, I found a pin for home-made Crunch Wrap Supremes.

Call me gross, but I'm a total Taco Bell fan.  (Unless the recent report I read is true...  Then I'll have to stop being a fan.)

Of course, now I don't have to worry about what meat I'm eating, if I make it at home, right?

Anyway, we really like these.  I've made them with shredded cheddar cheese as well as with the canned nacho cheese.  I think I prefer the cheddar.

The one thing that prevents me from making these often is that they are all "hands-on."  It's not a fix-it-and-forget-it type of thing.  But they are easy.  And they do go relatively fast, considering you can only do so many at a time (if I had a griddle, it'd go quicker).

So here's where I found the recipe originally.

And here's the recipe:

1/2 to 1 pound ground beef*
taco seasoning
chopped tomatoes
shredded lettuce
shredded Cheddar or nacho cheese
sour cream*
large burrito-sized flour tortillas (the bigger you can get them the better)
crunchy round corn tortillas

*If I use 1/2 pound of beef, I add a small can (14 ounce) of refried beans to the meat.  I have also used plain yogurt to replace the sour cream, but I prefer the sour cream.

Brown meat.  Drain.  Add taco seasoning to taste.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat.

On a flat surface, lay out a flour tortilla.  Place a portion of the meat and shredded cheese in the center of the tortilla.  Lay a crunchy corn tortilla on top.  Then put a layer of sour cream, lettuce, and tomato.  Fold edges of flour tortilla up and over, working to encase the filling.  I find I usually have to tear pieces from an extra tortilla and place over the lettuce and tomato in order to make the flour tortilla cover the filling completely. 

Spray cooking spray in pan.  Place in pan and cover.  Cook about 1 to 2 minutes.  Then flip and cook another 1 to 2 minutes.  Repeat with remaining ingredients.

I find that I usually get about 6 crunch-wraps out of this.  And they are filling (I usually only eat one).