Long Day? 20 Minute Cheesy Goodness FTW!

Boxed Mac & Cheese with Leftover Jerk Pork topped with Caramelized Onions and Scallion



Cheese again! Or whatever she said. Sometimes, we lose time whether we think that it's a different day than it actually is, or we're just too busy with work and life. When this happens our stomachs feel the consequences of that neglect. But, no more, I say! NO MORE! 

I came up with this recipe one Sunday afternoon when I realized, around noon, that it was actually Sunday and not Saturday. I didn't make preparations for dinner. What to do? I looked in the fridge and I found leftover jerk pork, I saw boxed mac and cheese and I decided to make something out of it. 

So, I'd like to share this with you all. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. As usual, I'll give you my tips at the end for substitutions for this recipe. Jason, this one's for you! 

Full Disclosure: I don't have step by step pictures for this one, but it's super easy, so don't worry!

xoxo Danzii




Total Prep Time: 30 Minutes 


Ingredients

1 Box of Kraft Mac and Cheese
6 1/4 cups of water
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 1/4 cup of milk, heated
1/4 cup of grated cheddar cheese
1-2 tsp salt 
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup of left over cooked jerk pork
1 stalk of scallion
1/2 of medium onion 
1 tbsp olive oil 
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup pasta water 


The Pasta
  • Add 1 tsp of salt to 6 cups of water in a pot and bring to a boil. 
  • Once the water starts boiling, add the pasta from the boxed macaroni and cheese and cook for 7-9 minutes depending on how firm you enjoy your pasta. 
  • Strain the water from the pasta, reserving just about 1/4 cup of the pasta water (this comes in handy later). 
The Sauce
  • On medium heat, warm the milk. Do not boil. Little bubbles will form at the edges once its warm. Remove from heat. 
  • In the same pot, melt the butter then add in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Ensure that you have a wooden spoon handy to assist you in the stirring process. Do not let it brown.
  • Gradually pour in all the milk and stir as you pour. This will allow you to have a smooth and creamy sauce at the end. Keep stirring until the sauce begins to thicken. 
  • Add the cheese packet that comes with the macaroni and cheese and mix until dissolved, then add in the cayenne pepper. 
  • Add the grated cheddar and mix well. You should end up with a creamy gooey sauce. 
The Onions 
  • Slice the medium onion about 1/8 in thickness in the shape of rings. 
  • In a small pan on low to medium heat add olive oil and sweat the onions out for about 3-5 minutes. Careful not to burn them. If the onions start browning up reduce the heat from under them. 
  • Add balsamic vinegar and sugar to the pan and mix well. Once that mixture begins to bubble add about 2 tbsp of water to the pan. 
  • Add a pinch of salt and on low heat, let the onions caramelize for about about 5-10 minutes. 
The Grand Combination 
  • Ensure that the leftover jerk pork has been diced into 1/2 inch pieces. You can warm this up in the microwave before adding to the pot.
  • Add pasta to the cheese sauce and mix well. Add about half of the pasta water that was initially reserved to the sauce and continue mixing. 
  • Add the leftover pork to the pot and stir well. 
  • At this point, you should have creamy sauce coating your pasta. Cook for an additional 2 minutes and remove from the heat. 
Plating 
  • Chop the stalk of scallion finely. 
  • Add the finished product of the mac and cheese to the plate. 
  • Top with the caramelized onions. 
  • Top the onions with the freshly chopped scallion and enjoy. 


Danzii's Tips

  • I'm sure you might be thinking, "What if I live abroad and can't get good jerk pork, Danzii?" Easy, you can you use left over fried or rotisserie chicken. Just ensure that you're using a protein that doesn't have a high gravy content and you'll be good to go. 
  • That butter and flour combination is called a roux. These typically help you to build a sauce that is smooth and creamy. Also, that's the reason also why you heated the milk, the warm milk will help the roux to dissolve easier. 
  • What's up with the pasta water thing? Pasta water has a high starch content so it helps to bind your sauce to your pasta, so you don't end up with dry pasta. 
  • No balsamic vinegar? You can use 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar to substitute. 
  • I used Kraft 3 Cheese Mac and Cheese, you can use the regular cheddar mac and cheese and you'll be fine. If that's the case you can dial back some of the cheddar cheese if you think it's too much. 
  • A wooden spoon or whisk is a good investment for making sauces!

Your finished product should look a little like this, pardon my horrid knife work, I was starvingšŸ˜©





Who says you have to follow the box instructions for traditional Mac & Cheese? Exactly, nobody. This is a super simple, quick and easy twist on traditional macaroni and cheese. Double the recipe's ingredients and make it for the family...or self indulge, either way enjoy. Please let me know if you made it and how it came out in the comment box below. From my kitchen to yours, "Bone Apple Teeth!" 



Comments

Sloom said…
Fire pan Pork
April 5, 2020 at 8:43 AM
Trish said…
What Sloom said... šŸ¤£ but I wudda eat this still!
April 5, 2020 at 10:11 AM
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