Dolly Parton's Secret For Creamy Mac And Cheese

Is there anything Dolly Parton can't do? Everyone knows the icon's classic country music and Southern style, but did you know she is also a master of cooking Southern recipes?

Between the culinary destination that is Dollywood and her growing empire as a celebrity chef with her own line of baking mixes and frozen entrees, Dolly is making sure everyone knows that her love of good country cooking runs just as deep as her love of music.

The internet has already collectively fawned over Dolly's flavor collab with Jeni's Ice Cream, as well as her totally relatable Taco Bello order, but now we know her secret on how to make Dolly's ultimate mac and cheese. Not only does she rely on Velveeta to ensure the creamiest and meltiest cheese sauce, but Dolly also does it differently by serving her mac and cheese with fried apples for an unexpected kick of sweetness.

There are tons of ways to take your mac and cheese game to the next level, and Dolly Parton's preferred recipe includes a variety of different cheeses to make the most flavorful cheese sauce possible. Dolly always throws two different cheeses in her mac, with shredded cheddar and Velveeta as the base for her favorite mac.

A combination of cheeses is a great tip to add layers of flavor to such a rich dish that can sometimes be a little one-note tastewise. But in Dolly's opinion, the Velveeta is a key ingredient for a smooth, creamy sauce that delivers the best texture. Velveeta has a particular additive in it called sodium alginate that helps the cheese melt evenly. When added to the cheese sauce for mac and cheese, Velveeta helps the sauce all bind together, as well as adding the salty and mild creamy flavors people have come to know and love from the brand.

Mac and cheese almost always makes a winning side dish to any meal, but Dolly likes her mac and cheese front and center with a special side dish to add an unexpected sweetness. You have probably seen mac and cheese served alongside cole slaw or baked beans on a barbeque platter, but Parton's side of choice with her mac and cheese is fried apples.

Dolly told the story of how the surprise flavor pairing came together; "One time I didn't have a whole lot of stuff in my refrigerator and I was hungry. I don't even know if it was some macaroni I'd made before or store-bought, but I just remember having some fried apples that had come out of another order of food from somewhere."

Now she never eats her mac without some fried apples — and she can't forget a sprinkle of cinnamon on the apples for extra flavor. Though cheese and apples might sound bizarre, it actually makes sense when you consider how many people love cheese on apple pie, or apples on a cheese board. And if you really can't wrap your head around it, it is not even as weird as mac and cheese ice cream.