Weed Mac and Cheese Recipe

As far as comfort foods go, macaroni and cheese is a serious contender for the first spot. You can make it as simple as following the instructions on the box or as complex as you want by adding whatever tickles your fancy. For instance, using a different kind of cheese or a mixture of many, adding some chopped vegetables, and maybe ham or bacon. Stir it, bake it, make it au gratin. The possibilities are endless.

And there’s also weed. You can turn your lunch into an excellent edible by adding a bit of cannabis-infused butter. Let’s roll our sleeves and dip into the world of cannabis cooking to make a tasty weed mac and cheese.

Weed Mac and Cheese Recipe

Ingredients

Macaroni and cheese

• ½ lb elbow macaroni.
• 1 tbsp salt.
• 3 tbsp cannabutter.
• 1 tbsps regular butter.
• 1 small onion, finely chopped.
• 3 cups milk.
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese.
• 1 cup grated gruyere cheese.
• ¼ lb crisp bacon, diced.
• 2 cups chopped cooked vegetables of your choice (broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, green peppers, red peppers, get crazy here).
• ½ cup seeded and chopped tomatoes.

Topping

• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese.
• 1 cup breadcrumbs.
• 2 tbsp butter (or a cannabutter mix).

Make your Cannabutter

First, we will need to prepare our cannabis-infused butter. Since the process takes some time, you might want to make a decent batch beforehand so you can use it in different recipes. 

Making cannabutter is almost an art itself. The idea is to activate the cannabinoids inside the flowers and then infuse these compounds into the butter. Here we have an easy recipe for our mac and cheese cannabutter.

You will need:

• 1 cup of unsalted butter. Get the good stuff, not margarine or “fake” butter.
• 1 cup of water.
• 4 - 8 grams of ground weed, depending on the strength of the flowers and the desired results. We suggest using a KLIP grinder so that the trichomes, which carry all the terpenes and cannabinoids of your buds, don’t get crushed in the process.

Decarboxylating activates the cannabinoids in weed. This process uses heat to activate the chemical compounds in cannabis and turn them into the cannabinoids we will need for our recipe.

• Preheat your oven at 240°F (115°C). 
• Cover a non-stick, oven-safe tray in foil or parchment paper and spread the ground flowers on it evenly. Bake it for 20 minutes, or as long as it takes for the weed to change color from bright green to dark brown-green. Remove it from the oven and let it cool.
• Meanwhile, use a saucepan with a lid on low heat to bring the water to a boil. Add the butter and let it melt completely. Stir it well and add the decarbed cannabis.
• Let it simmer for 3 - 4 hours, stirring every 20 - 30 minutes, without letting it boil. When it becomes thick and glossy at the top, take it down and let it cool off a bit.
• Cover a glass jar with cheesecloth. You can also line a funnel with cheesecloth and place it over a glass container to avoid spills. Pour your cannabutter on it and let it strain without pushing it.
• Let the liquid cool at room temperature for an hour before placing it in the refrigerator. When the butter is solid, it will float to the top and let you remove the excess water.
• You can store the cannabutter in the refrigerator for short-term use or keep it in an air-tight container in the freezer, where it will last up to 6 months.

You can use any other oil you fancy, like coconut oil, ghee, or even olive oil.

Step-by-Step

• Fill a large pot with cold water and bring it to a boil. Salt it.
• Add the macaroni when the water is boiling with wide bubbles. The right water temperature will give your pasta the best texture. Stir and cover the pot. Take out the lid when the water boils again and wait until it is al dente.
• Drain the water, saving ½ cup for your sauce. Don’t rinse the pasta, so the starch on the surface will help the sauce stick better.
• Put a medium saucepan to low heat and melt the cannabutter with the regular butter. You can change the proportions to adapt to your tastes. 
• Saute the onion in the cannabutter mix. Whisk in the flour while taking care of not leaving any lumps. Add the milk and the reserved pasta water in a slow stream. Stir constantly until the sauce is thick and smooth. If it comes out too thick, you can add more milk.
• Cheese time! Add the cheeses and seasons with salt and pepper. When the cheese starts melting, stir in the bacon and vegetables.
• Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a greased casserole dish.
• For the topping, melt the butter and mix in the breadcrumbs and the cheddar cheese. Sprinkle the mix over the casserole and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 30 minutes or until the topping is brown and crusty.
• Remove from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes.
• Serve and enjoy your cannabis mac and cheese.