I recently shared a video that's gone super viral on TikTok about how mac & cheese has become an unexpected meal component in my freezer meal stash. Originally, I just saw it as a side, but I’ve been experimenting by mixing it with other things I had in the freezer, first just adding some pesto, then mixing it with butter chicken, and lastly, I made birria mac and cheese with the last of the birria and mac and cheese in my freezer.
Since it was time to restock the mac & cheese for the freezer, I decided I would share the recipe. This is a modified version of Tini’s mac & cheese, so check her recipe out if you want the original.
I’ve found that most casserole recipes freeze perfectly into about 8 cups, so if you’re using Souper Cubes trays, you’ll need two trays of either the 1-cup size or the 2-cup size.
If you want to see a longer version of me making this recipe, I cooked it live on YouTube a while back, but more recently made a short-form video as well.
1 lb cavatappi pasta
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
12 oz evaporated milk
2 cups heavy cream
8 oz Colby Jack cheese
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese
8 oz smoked Gruyère cheese
8 oz Cooper sharp American cheese
Bring a pot of water to a boil and undercook your pasta by 2 minutes (I did 7 minutes total). This will help your pasta not to get mushy in the freezer.
Next, shred all your cheese. Don’t use pre-shredded cheese for this recipe.
In a saucepan, melt the butter and add half of the seasonings to bloom them in the fat. Then add the flour and whisk together to make a roux. Slowly whisk in the evaporated milk until it is all added and begins to thicken. Then add the heavy cream and whisk to incorporate. Add the rest of the seasonings, then turn the heat to low and slowly add half of your shredded cheese. Let each handful of cheese fully melt into the sauce before adding more.
Once half of the cheese is melted into the sauce, add the cooked and drained noodles to the pot and stir together.
Next, layer your freezer containers with noodles and sauce, followed by a layer of shredded cheese. Then, add more noodles and sauce on top, and finally, top with the cheese.
This recipe makes 8 cups of mac & cheese and freezes into two Souper Cubes trays (either the 1-cup trays or the 2-cup trays).
Freeze solid and you can bake from frozen, 375°f for 45 minutes or until the center reaches 165°f.
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