Hi Camille,

Technically half & half is half heavy cream and half whole milk, so that would be the best option. However, in a pinch, you can just use whole milk. :)

This recipe is great! Added a little more spices and substituted beef for ground chicken. I’m also allergic to tomato’s so I doubled up on the mustard. 

Fantastic! 

This recipe was absolutely delicious!  I wasn’t sure about the blend of spices but it’s genius!  My only complaint is there weren’t enough noodles so I made more and added to the pot.  Then it was perfect.  I added about 16oz of noodles overall.  Will definitely make again. Thank you!

Hi Nicole,

I don’t drain off the fat, because it adds extra flavor, but you can if you want. :)

I made a vegan version of this tonight and it was INCREDIBLE. I used Alpha crumbles instead of the beef, Chao shreds for the cheese, Ripple Half and Half, and Reduced Sodium Better Than Bouillon. The only adjustment it really needed was a reduction in the added salt, since the vegan substitutions are pretty salty.

Thank you for this FANTASTIC recipe. The thyme and cayenne really made this dish, in my opinion. This is going into regular rotation.

In reply to Andrew Helmus.

By the way, I’m making this tonight!

This recipe is simple and a definite crowd pleaser! I don’t normally have the time to leave reviews on the recipes that I find online, but this one was talked about so much, and after a couple of small changes, we’ve taken it to the max! I feel like it would be irresponsible for me to not share this.

Like I said, the recipe as it reads is such a hit, but that didn’t stop me from taking it up a level by implementing a couple minor changes. Now, my wife keeps begging me to make it again and again. First, the recipe doesn’t call for draining the ground beef fat, so what I’ve actually been doing is draining it anyways but then replacing it with wagyu beef tallow that I’ve infused with fresh garlic, fresh thyme and fresh rosemary. (You can get the wagyu beef tallow on Amazon). This alone absolutely sets this recipe off! The wagyu flavor is definitely noticeable and the infusion of the fresh garlic and herbs just elevates the whole recipe. Now because I do this, I actually add the spices after the browning and draining of the meat and after adding the infused wagyu tallow (the recipe calls for adding the spices while browning). I do this because I assume some of the flavor from the seasonings will be lost when the beef fat is drained, and we want to retain those flavors.

The only other thing I do is use equal parts sharp cheddar and monterey jack cheese instead of just the cheddar (just a personal preference), and I find that it’s vital to shred your own cheese and avoid those pre-shredded cheeses for recipes like this. Do it and you’ll see why!