CopyCat recipe: Famous Dave’s Mac & Cheese.

In case you weren’t aware, I am a carb fiend.  And a cheese fiend.  Ooey gooey mac-n-cheese is one of the world’s most perfect foods.  And in my opinion, Famous Dave’s is one of those places that has improved upon this delectable dish…

…by adding two of my other favorite foods: Jalapenos & corn.

Alas…who has the time or funds to visit Famous Dave’s every time you get a hankering for amazing cheesy mac? Not I.  In fact, we (tending to be a bit on the cheap side when it comes to dining out), usually only make it to F.D’s once a year, on “Dave’s Day”…when fellas who are fortunate enough to have the name Dave get a free entrée…and The Hubs AND his best friend are both Daves.  So there ya go.

Thankfully, it is wickedly easy to replicate this tasty bite at home.  You COULD make it totally from scratch if the notion moved you… or you can go to the other extreme and buy a tray of Stouffer’s and just add some jalapenos & corn to it. 

Me, I like to swing somewhere in the middle of that.  And earlier this month, we had a Grillmaster Potluck at work the other day…and what goes better with burgers and brats than some mac & cheese?

Ingredients (makes one 9x13” pan):

2 boxes premium style mac-n-cheese (ie, comes with the packet of cheesy sauce, rather than the powder. Velveeta is recommended)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablepoons barbecue sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

4 ounces shredded cheese (I recommend pepper jack)

1/4 cup Parmesan

1 1/2 cups sweet corn niblets

2 jalapeños

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Topping:

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1 tbsp butter, melted

 

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350F.

De-seed the jalapenos, then place on a cookie sheet and roast in the oven for about 15-20 minutes.  This softens the pepper and gives it a more smoky flavor, in my opinion.  Once they’re out of the oven, remove the peels (they should blister and will come off easily) and dice.

Prepare the boxed mac & cheese as noted on the package in a large pot.  To this, add the salt, pepper, mustard, shredded cheese parmesan, corn, diced jalapenos, and parsley.  Stir well, and you can add more salt or pepper to taste at this point.

Pour the mac mixture into a lightly greased 9x13 pan, and then top with the breadcrumb mixture.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until the crumbs are golden.

I made one full tray for our work potluck…but made a couple small servings for the Hubs & I to enjoy that evening. YUM!

NutriFacts: (Makes 16 servings)

Calories 211.6

  Total Fat 8.1 g

  Saturated Fat 1.7 g

  Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1 g

  Monounsaturated Fat 0.3 g

  Cholesterol 11.2 mg

  Sodium 205.9 mg

  Potassium 55.4 mg

  Total Carbohydrate 6.7 g

  Dietary Fiber 0.6 g

  Sugars 1.8 g

  Protein 4.0 g