Kickin' Cajun Mac & Cheese

Ingredients

1 lb dried pasta of choice, cooked
½ cup butter, unsalted (1 stick)
½ cup all-purpose flour
Pepper Palace Out of This World Dip Mix: Roasted Garlic & Onion
1 to 2 TBSP Dijon mustard
1 ½ cups whole milk
2 ½ cups half and half
4 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups gruyere cheese, shredded
2 to 3 TBSP Pepper Palace Big Easy
1 bottle Pepper Palace Gator Bite, Gator Swamp Gas, or Gator Death Roll Hot Sauce

Preheat oven to 350°F. Boil off dry pasta in salted water until it is a minute away from al dente, drain and set aside. Shred any cheese if necessary.
Melt butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once completely melted, slowly whisk in flour and Out of This World Dip Mix until there are no lumps. Keep whisking frequently until mixture becomes a thick, golden-brown paste. Mix in mustard.
Slowly whisk in milk and half and half until everything is combined and smooth. Keep whisking as mixture begins to thicken, almost to a soup consistency. Remove from heat.
Leaving 1 to 1 ½ cups of shredded cheese aside, start slowly adding the remaining cheese to the milk mixture along with Big Easy Seasoning and one of our Gator Line Hot Sauces to taste, whisking well.
Once the cheese sauce is smooth, add in cooked noodles and mix to coat all of the noodles evenly. Pour mixture into a greased baking dish and sprinkle the cheese that was set aside to evenly cover the top.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 30 minutes until the mac and cheese is bubbling and the top layer of cheese is golden-brown.
Let sit for a few minutes to cool before serving, add some more hot sauce for an extra kick if you’d like, and enjoy!