Active Time

　　10 minutes

　　Total Time

　　45 minutes

　　Chef Erick Williams didn’t really like mac and cheese until he and his sous-chef spent a few years perfecting this recipe for his Chicago restaurant, Virtue. The thing about it that converted Williams into a fan? It’s silky and creamy throughout, with (almost) no crispy bits (the chef is generally against cheese getting crunchy). Don’t be fooled by the fact that a hot oven is involved in this Thanksgiving side dish—this is really a stovetop mac and cheese. It only hangs out in the oven for 10 minutes, just long enough to get all the cheese properly melted.

　　

Ingredients

6-8 side servings

　　1 cup evaporated milk

　　1 cup whole milk

　　1 tsp. garlic powder

　　1 tsp. onion powder

　　1 tsp. smoked paprika

　　½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

　　1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more

　　2 lb. extra-sharp cheddar, coarsely grated

　　4 oz. full-fat cream cheese

　　1 lb. elbow macaroni

　　

Step 1

Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 400°. Bring evaporated milk and whole milk to a bare simmer in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, pepper, and 1 tsp. salt. Working in batches, whisk in three fourths of the cheddar, then all of the cream cheese.

　　

Step 2

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil (it should have a little less salt than seawater). Cook macaroni, stirring occasionally, until very al dente, about 4 minutes. Drain in a colander.

　　

Step 3

Add macaroni to cheese sauce in pan and mix until well coated. Evenly spread out half of macaroni mixture in a 13x9" baking dish. Sprinkle half of remaining cheddar evenly over. Layer remaining macaroni mixture on top and sprinkle with remaining cheddar. Bake until all of the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.