Mega Mac High-Protein Mac and Cheese

Ingredients

• 1 box Mega Mac (Cheesy Cheese or White Cheddar), which includes the fusillini and the cheese powder packet
• 4 cups water
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp reserved pasta water

Optional, if you want it richer: 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp milk. See the notes below.

Instructions

1. Boil. Bring 4 cups of water to a rolling boil and add the salt. Four cups is less water than you might reach for, and that's on purpose. A smaller pot gets starchier as the pasta cooks, and that water becomes your sauce in a few minutes.
2. Cook the pasta, about 6 minutes. Add the fusillini and stir here and there so nothing sticks. Six minutes gets you al dente. Start checking at five if you like it firmer.
3. Save 2 tablespoons of the pasta water. Do this before you drain. Scoop it out and set it aside. It's full of starch, and starch is what turns cheese powder into an actual sauce instead of a gritty coating.
4. Drain well. Don't rinse, and give the strainer a few good shakes. Water clinging to the pasta thins out the sauce you're about to make.
5. Mix the sauce in a bowl. Add the cheese powder and the 2 tablespoons of hot pasta water to a separate bowl. Stir until smooth and glossy, about 10 to 15 seconds. Doing this in a bowl instead of dumping the powder onto the pasta is what keeps it from clumping.
6. Combine. Pour the sauce over the drained pasta and stir until every piece is coated.
7. Eat. Serve it hot. Don't expect leftovers.

Notes & Tips

• Want it richer? For creaminess, use 1 tbsp pasta water plus 1 tbsp milk instead of 2 tbsp pasta water. Same total liquid, so the sauce stays thick. Warm the milk for ten seconds first if it's cold. For flavor, melt 1 tbsp butter into the hot pasta water before you stir the powder in. Butter before the powder, not after, or you'll get slick spots instead of a sauce.
• Forgot to save the water? Use 2 tbsp of hot tap water. A little thinner, but it still comes together.
• Which flavor? Cheesy Cheese is the classic orange, sharper and closer to what most people grew up on. White Cheddar is smoother and more mellow. One gram of protein apart, so pick on flavor.
• Don't microwave it. A microwave cooks premium pasta unevenly, soft outside and chalky in the middle. You'd also lose the starchy pasta water the sauce depends on. Six minutes on the stove is worth the pot.
• Not gluten free. It's real wheat pasta, and that was the trade we chose on purpose. Most high-protein mac swaps the pasta for chickpeas or lentils to hit a label. We kept the pasta and put the protein in the sauce.
• Make it a meal. Toss a handful of frozen broccoli into the pasta water for the last three minutes, or stir in shredded rotisserie chicken and a few shakes of hot sauce at the end. For a baked version, spread the finished mac in a small dish, top with breadcrumbs and a little extra cheese, and broil three to four minutes.
• Storage. Keeps in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days. Reheat on the stove over low heat with a splash of water or milk to loosen the sauce.