The Best Traeger Mac and Cheese
This traeger mac and cheese recipe is, in my humble opinion, the best. Why? It only needs one kind of cheese while still boasting fantastic flavour. It's not overly rich (but appropriately so) and it's so easy to make!
Equipment
- Traeger or Pellet Grill or oven
- Oven-safe baking dish
Ingredients
- 12 oz dry tubular pasta*, I prefer cavatappi/scoobi doo
- 4 tbsp butter
- 4 tbsp all-purpose flour*
- ¾ tsp salt, or to taste
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp dry mustard
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 2 cups whole or 2% milk
- 8 oz shredded old cheddar, ~3 cups
Directions
Prep
- Preheat the Traegar to 425°F or oven to 400°F.
- Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil. Once at a rapid boil, add your noodles. Cook, stirring occasionally, until very al dente/chewy. Typically this is 2-3 minutes shorter than what I'd typically cook noodles for when eating them.
- Once the pasta is cooked, drain it in a colander and rinse well under cold water until the pasta is cool. Set aside to drain.
Make the Roux
- In a medium pot/skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat.
- Once the butter is foamy and melted, add in the flour, salt, paprika, dry mustard powder, and black pepper. Stir well until the flour, spices, and butter form a paste.
- Allow the flour and butter mixture to foam and cook for a minute or two, stirring occasionally until the colour deepens.
- Add in ¼ cup of the milk, whisk/stir well until cohesive, then repeat 3-4 times until it's not instantly thickening when milk is added. Pour in the remainder of the milk while whisking/stirring. If it begins to clump, stop adding milk and whisk until it comes together.
- Once all the milk is added, cook over medium-low heat until it thickens and heavily coats the back of a spoon.
- Remove from the heat and stir in ⅔ of the cheese. Stir well until melted - do not return to the heat. Taste and adjust for seasonings if needed.
Assembly and Bake
- Place the cooled pasta into an oven-safe dish and pour the cheese sauce over it. Stir well to coat all the noodles. Distribute the remaining cheese evenly over top and lightly sprinkle paprika (or smoked paprika if using the oven) over top.
- Put the mac and cheese on the preheated Traeger on the "cool side" so it doesn't receive direct heat. Close the lid and bake for about 25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and starting to brown on the top and edges.
- Let it cool for a few minutes before digging in. Enjoy!
Notes
Main Dish: Should serve 3-4 as a main, but we've never eaten just the mac and cheese at a meal - that's just asking for trouble.
Gluten-Free*: Use gluten-free pasta and make sure you undercook it! Sub the flour for GF AP flour. The pasta usually doesn't hold its texture up as well leftover, but still tastes incredible.
If you're looking for a dairy-free version, try my Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese.
Nutrition
Calories: 446kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 20.1gFat: 17.8gSodium: 677.4mgPotassium: 137.7mgFiber: 2.9gCalcium: 370mgIron: 1.6mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!