Chef and influencer Tineke “Tini” Younger debuted her mac and cheese recipe in 2023. Now that the holidays are coming around, fans like TikTok user @yourmamamia_vlogs are flocking to the stores to stock up on the ingredients to try their hand at making it.
The recipe calls for cavatappi pasta noodles, which are spiral-shaped and less popular than elbow noodles for mac and cheese recipes. So TikToker @yourmamamia_vlogs headed to Target to pick some up. Only she was met with disappointment when she entered the pasta aisle.
In her video, which now has 1.7 million views, she zooms in on the shelves. There isn’t a box of Barilla Cellentani in sight. Cellentani is an alternative name for cavatappi and is trademarked by Barilla.
“It’s literally 11.11. 2024. Baby whyyy are they sold out?” she asks in the text overlay, referencing how early in the year it is to be preparing for Thanksgiving.
It seems the content creator’s search for Cavatappi started and ended at Target. She revealed she gave up on looking for the pasta in the caption. “I guess my mac and cheese is [gonna] be basic this year…. Again lol,” she wrote.
The Daily Dot reached out to @yourmamamia_vlogs via TikTok comment and direct message.
Viewers shared that they stocked up on the pasta for this very reason.
“I bought mine the week of Halloween just to be safe,” one said.
“I have sm cavatappi noodles sitting in my cabinet FOR THIS REASON,” another wrote.
A third shared, “So i should be buying the cheese now.”
Does Target even sell Barilla Cavatappi?
Some viewers claimed that Target doesn’t offer Barilla Cellentani/cavatappi.
“if i’m not mistaken Target doesn’t even carry cavatappi pasta,” one user commented.
“I don’t think they are sold there since they don’t seem to have a spot on the shelf,” another echoed.
According to Target’s website, these viewers are correct. Target doesn’t seem to carry that type of pasta by Barilla.
Shoppers, however, can easily find it on Amazon. Some Targets also carry non-Barilla-branded Cavatappi pasta.
@yourmamamia_vlogs I guess my mac and cheese is gna be basic this year…. Again lol #macncheese #macandcheese #cooking #viralmacncheese #noodles #pasta #thanksgiving #thanksgivingdinner ♬ OH MA GAWD – 𝘮𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯🍸
What else does the recipe call for?
In a recent TikTok video, Tini demonstrates once again how to make the mac and cheese. The recipe requires 1 pound of hand-shredded mozzarella, 1 pound of Colby Jack, and 8 ounces of sharp cheddar. It also calls for 8 tablespoons of butter, 3 tablespoons of flour, 12 ounces of evaporated milk, 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard, and 2 cups of heavy cream.
Because she doesn’t measure her spices, Tini recommends starting with a teaspoon of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika and then adjusting from there based on taste and your preferences.
Read all about Tini’s mac and cheese and the controversy surrounding it here.
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