Happy National Mac n' Cheese Day: Best in RVA

It's August 26. Do you know what that means? It's quite possibly the coolest "strange national food holiday" to ever exist - yes, it's National Mac n' Cheese Day!



Mac n' Cheese is all I ate as a kid, and all I wish I could eat as an adult. Therefore it's pretty much the only food I've loved for literally my entire life. So this is kind of a big holiday to me. Like, I almost took the day off.

The only way to do this day justice is to roundup a few of the best places to get Mac n' Cheese in RVA. You'll want to read through to the end, where I share a recipe for the best (and surprisingly, really simple) Mac n' Cheese from an old-school Richmond favorite.

Mosaic
smoked gouda cream sauce, cavatappi pasta and bacon–parmesan panko crust

Bistro Bobette
Truffle Mac and Cheese: Béchamel parmesan & Swiss black truffle oil

Metro Bar & Grill
Lobster Mac: cavatappi, Parmesan, white cheddar, feta, Italian herb crust

Have you had enough? Even after all that Mac n' Cheese heaven, I'm not done yet! I think it's only fitting to end with a classic; one that all Richmonders (and even non-Richmonders) know and love.

...recognize that? ^ ^ I think you do. It's...

Ukrop's Three Cheese Macaroni & Cheese
Cheddar, parmesan, cottage cheese

I've been eating and loving this stuff since as far back as I can remember. I did some research (er, I Googled) the recipe. Apparently, this type of Mac n' Cheese recipe which for calls cottage cheese is popular all over the South; there are ample recipes available for your choosing. We tested it out and it tasted so similar to the real deal that I died a little inside.

Without further adieu, here's the recipe for Homemade Ukrop's Macaroni & Cheese!

Jazzed up with cavatappi pasta instead of elbow macaroni, this might be one of my greatest achievements.



Okay, so it definitely is.

Homemade Ukrop's Macaroni & Cheese

• 5 cups cooked macaroni (a little more than 2 cups, or 8 ounces, uncooked)
• 2 cups small curd cottage cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
• 8 ounces block cheddar cheese, shredded by hand (or, use store bought shredded)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cottage cheese, sour cream, egg, salt, pepper, and mustard in a large mixing bowl.

2. Stir in cheddar cheese.

3. Gently add cooked macaroni. Spoon into a greased 3-quart baking dish. Top with grated Parmesan and paprika.

4. Bake about 40 minutes or until set. Do not over bake. Serves 10.