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Cursed Cauldron Mac and Cheese Recipe
Ash Tyrrell

Cursed Cauldron Mac and Cheese Recipe

I made this Cursed Cauldron Mac and Cheese Recipe on a rainy October evening when I wanted something comforting but also a little bit theatrical. I was honestly nervous that black pasta and glowing green cheese sauce would taste as strange as they looked, but the first spoonful proved me completely wrong.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 12 oz black squid ink pasta or elbow macaroni – the dark base that makes the green sauce pop
  • 1 tsp black gel food coloring only if using regular pasta – gel works far better than liquid drops
  • 2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar cheese – grate it fresh pre-shredded bags melt grainy
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese – this is what gives you that slow stretchy pull
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter – the fat base of your roux do not swap for oil
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour – thickens the sauce so it clings instead of sliding off
  • 2 cups whole milk – whole or 2% only skim makes a thin and sad sauce
  • 4 to 6 drops neon green gel food coloring – add it slowly you can always deepen the shade
  • 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper – the little flecks of ash that sell the whole look
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder – a quiet background flavor so the dish is not just cheese
  • 1 tsp salt for the pasta water – seasons the noodles from the inside out

Method
 

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add the salt. Drop in the pasta and cook it to just under al dente, since it will soften a little more in the hot sauce. If you are dyeing regular macaroni, stir the black gel coloring into the boiling water before adding the noodles.
  2. Drain the pasta in a colander but do not rinse it. That thin layer of starch on the surface is what helps the cheese sauce grip every noodle. Set it aside and give it an occasional toss so it does not clump together while you finish the sauce.
  3. Melt the butter in your saucepan over medium heat until it foams gently. Whisk in the flour and keep whisking for about a minute until the mixture looks smooth and smells slightly nutty. This short cooking step removes the raw flour taste that ruins so many homemade cheese sauces.
  4. Pour the milk in slowly, a splash at a time, whisking constantly as you go. Adding it all at once is the fastest way to end up with lumps you cannot whisk out. Keep stirring over medium heat until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of your spoon.
  5. Turn the heat down to low before the cheese goes anywhere near the pan. Add the cheddar and mozzarella in small handfuls, stirring until each addition disappears completely. Low and slow is the rule here, because high heat will split the sauce and leave it oily.
  6. Take the pan off the heat and add the green gel coloring a few drops at a time. Stir thoroughly after each addition until the color is even throughout. I usually stop at four drops, but go deeper if you want that full radioactive swamp effect.
  7. Stir in the black pepper and garlic powder, then taste the sauce properly. Cheese brings its own salt, so season carefully rather than dumping it in. Those black pepper flecks floating in the green also look exactly like ash from a witch's fire.
  8. Tip the drained pasta into the sauce and fold it through gently with your spatula. Keep turning until every strand is coated and the color looks uniform. If it feels too thick, loosen it with a splash of warm milk until it moves like lava.
  9. Spoon it straight into mini cauldrons, black bowls, or a cast iron pan while it is still steaming. A tiny swirl of black gel coloring dragged across the top right before serving makes it look like something is brewing underneath. Serve immediately, because this dish is at its creamiest in the first ten minutes.

Notes

  • I always let my milk sit out for fifteen minutes first, because room temperature milk blends into the roux far more smoothly than cold milk straight from the fridge.
  • I grate my own cheese every single time now, since the anti-caking powder on bagged cheese left my sauce slightly gritty the first time I tried it.
  • I add the green coloring off the heat, because I noticed the color shifts and dulls if it sits over a flame for too long.
  • I reserve about half a cup of pasta water before draining, and a splash of it rescues the sauce whenever it tightens up too much.
  • I taste the sauce before the pasta goes in, since it is almost impossible to season evenly once everything is combined