Description
Tini’s Viral TikTok Mac and Cheese with creamy cheese sauce, elbow macaroni, and savory seasonings – quick, comforting, crowd-pleasing recipe.
Ingredients
Scale
- 16 oz (454g) elbow macaroni or cavatappi pasta
- 4 tbsp (56g) unsalted butter
- ¼ cup (32g) all-purpose flour
- 3 cups (720ml) whole milk, room temperature
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
- 4 cups (452g) sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated (pre-shredded won’t melt properly)
- 2 cups (226g) gruyere cheese, freshly grated (the secret to the perfect cheese pull)
- 1 tbsp (15g) dijon mustard
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp onion powder
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Step 1: Prepare Your Ingredients Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for your pasta. While waiting, grate all your cheese by hand and set aside at room temperature. This prep step is crucial for **Tini’s Viral TikTok Mac and Cheese** success—having everything ready ensures your sauce won’t break while you’re scrambling to grate cheese.
- Step 2: Cook The Pasta Add your pasta to the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes less than the package directions suggest. You want it slightly underdone as it’ll finish cooking in the oven. Drain the pasta and rinse briefly with cool water to stop the cooking process. Give it a gentle shake to remove excess water, then set aside.
- Step 3: Make The Roux Base In a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Once melted, add flour and whisk constantly for 2-3 minutes until the mixture turns light golden and smells slightly nutty. This cooking process eliminates the raw flour taste that would otherwise affect your **Tini’s Viral TikTok Mac and Cheese**.
- Step 4: Create The Sauce Gradually add room temperature milk and cream to your roux, whisking continuously to prevent lumps from forming. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring frequently until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon—about 5-7 minutes. The patience here pays off with an ultra-creamy base.
- Step 5: Add Cheese And Seasonings Remove the pot from heat and add the cheeses in small handfuls, stirring well between additions to ensure smooth melting. Then stir in the dijon mustard, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, salt, and pepper. The combination of these seasonings creates the distinctive flavor profile that made **Tini’s Viral TikTok Mac and Cheese** a sensation.
- Step 6: Combine And Bake Fold your cooked pasta into the cheese sauce until thoroughly coated. Transfer the mixture to a buttered 9×13 inch baking dish. For the optional but recommended crispy top, sprinkle on an additional ½ cup each of cheddar and gruyere. Bake for 25-30 minutes until bubbling around the edges with a golden-brown top. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes before serving to achieve those picture-perfect cheese pulls.
Notes
Fresh ingredients will always yield the best flavor results.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 550
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 750mg
- Fat: 38g
- Saturated Fat: 23g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 24g
- Cholesterol: 115mg