Perfect Boxed Mac and Cheese

Ingredients  

(serves 2)

Level: Barely Cooking

• 1 box of mac and cheese (I’m loyal to Annie’s Shells & Real Aged Cheddar)
• 2 tablespoons of Butter
• ¼ cup of your milk of choice
• ¾ cup of shredded Colby Jack cheese (cheese is always better when you grate it yourself, but I loathe cleaning, so I buy the bagged kind)
• 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan

How TF To Make It

1. Boil water in a large pot, add a few generous pinches of salt.
2. Cook pasta for 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Use your measuring cup or mug to reserve about ¼ cup of pasta water right before you strain it. Set aside.
4. Once strained, add pasta back to the pot and turn to low heat.
5. Add butter and the cheese packet to the pot and stir until the butter is melted and the cheese is evenly distributed.
6. Add a generous pinch (not all!!) of your shredded cheese, a splash of milk, and stir until combined.
7. When the cheese is melted and stringy, add a splash of your reserved pasta water!
8. Repeat the above step until you reach your desired cheesiness, obviously tasting as you go.
9. Add parmesan to the pot and stir until combined.
10. Serve it up in a mug. It just hits different in a mug.