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ALL-IN MACARONI AND CHEESE

SERVES 6 (5 MG THC PER SERVING)

I’M NOT EVEN GOING TO PRETEND that this macaroni and cheese is healthy—when you commit to making this, you’ve got to go all in! It’s all about a luscious and creamy three-cheese sauce made with cheddar, Gruyère, and Parmigiano-Reggiano that gets finished with a crisp panko-parmesan bread crumb topping. It is rich, and is so, so good on a rainy or snowy day when all you want to do is chill out and watch movies with friends. For a large group of people, double the recipe and use a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. You can also make individual servings by using ramekins, which you then serve on a plate. So cute! At 5 milligrams THC per serving, seconds of this are totally cool (but you may want to think twice on thirds . . .).

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 slices white bread, crusts removed

⅓ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1¾ teaspoons fine sea salt, plus extra for cooking the pasta

½ pound elbow macaroni

¼ cup all-purpose flour

2 cups whole milk, warmed

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon CannaOil or CannaButter

1½ cups grated Gruyère cheese (6 ounces)

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese (4 ounces)

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish or 2-quart casserole with 1 tablespoon of the butter.
  2. Finely chop the bread to make bread crumbs (or pulse them in a food processor until fine) and place them in a medium bowl. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and pour over the bread crumbs. Add half of the Parmigiano and ¼ teaspoon of the salt and toss to combine. Set aside.
  3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and some salt and cook until al dente, according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
  4. Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until it is smooth. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, whisking constantly, until the flour turns pale golden, about 2 minutes.
  5. Whisk in the warm milk, a little at a time to avoid lumps (it will thicken with each addition), and once all the milk is added, continue to cook the mixture, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in the turmeric, allspice, cayenne (if using), garlic powder, nutmeg, remaining salt, and black pepper. Remove from the heat, stir in the CannaOil or CannaButter, and add the Gruyère, cheddar, and remaining Parmigiano. Use a wooden spoon to stir until the cheese is mostly melted, then stir in the cooked pasta.
  6. Turn the mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle evenly with the bread crumb mixture. Bake until the bread crumbs are browned and the macaroni and cheese is bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.