Mac and cheese is the king of all side dishes and very easy to make at home!

Here's what you'll need:

• Elbow macaroni
• Cheddar Cheese
• Velveeta Cheese
• Milk
• Butter
• Flour
• Monterey jack cheese

The Process

Start by boiling a large pot of water. Sprinkle a little salt into the water to help flavor the noodles. Add in 3 cups of elbow macaroni and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the noodles are tender. This could take 13-15 minutes. Once cooked, strain the noodles and set aside.

In a large sauce pan on medium heat, make a roux by melting 3 tablespoons of butter and whisking in 3 tablespoons of flour. Cook for a couple minutes while whisking. Slowly add in the milk. Pour in a little at a time while whisking to ensure the sauce is smooth. Continue until all 3 cups of milk have been whisked in. Bring the sauce to a bubble while constantly stirring until it thickens. The sauce will not be too thick, so do not be alarmed. The cheese and starch from the noodles will thicken the macaroni up as well.

Once the sauce has thickened and become more cohesive, stir in 6 ounces of velveeta cheese and whisk until it has completely melted. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the shredded cheddar cheese. Do not add all 3 cups of cheese at once. Add the cheese in a cup at a time. Avoid using pre-shredded bags of cheese. Grate your own cheese as it will melt much better.

When all the cheddar cheese has melted into the sauce, taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. In a large bowl, combine the noodles and sauce. At this point, the mac and cheese is ready to eat as is, but we like to take it a step further! Pour the mac and cheese into a casserole dish and top with a blend of cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese. Bake at 375°F for 30 minutes in the oven or on a smoker. For this recipe, we used the Traeger Ironwood 650 to add a subtle smokey flavor to our mac and cheese!