Recipes

Reuben Mac

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Description

Not your typical mac and cheese. This recipe won 1st place at the Iowa State Fair.

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces large elbow macaroni
  • ¼ cup butter
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon spicy brown mustard
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
  • ⅛ teaspoon garlic granules
  • 1 cup half-and-half
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 12 ounces shredded aged gouda cheese (such as frisian farms®), divided
  • 4 ounces chevre (goat cheese)
  • 1 ½ ounces blue cheese (such as maytag®), divided
  • 1 cup diced corned beef, warmed
  • ½ cup sauerkraut (such as frank's®), warmed
  • ¼ cup thousand island dressing
  • 6 slices rye bread

Directions

  1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Whisk flour in gradually until smooth. Cook and whisk continually for 2 minutes. Add mustard, salt, pepper, cayenne, and garlic; stir to combine. Gradually whisk in half-and-half and milk. Cook, whisking continually, until thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add 9 ounces Gouda cheese and stir. Add chevre and 1 ounce blue cheese and stir until smooth. Remove skillet from heat. Stir cooked macaroni into cheese mixture.
  3. Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
  4. Divide macaroni and cheese into 6 greased 6-inch cast iron skillets. Top each with corned beef, sauerkraut, a drizzle of Thousand Island dressing, and equal amounts of remaining Gouda and blue cheeses.
  5. Broil skillets in the preheated oven until cheese is golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
  6. Toast rye bread in a toaster and cut each slice diagonally into points. Serve rye bread with Reuben mac.