Velveeta recently offered a new tasting experience, taking diners on an Italian-inspired adventure with its signature Shells & Cheese pasta. This isn't the first time the American cheese product has launched a head-turning collaboration. In 2022, the brand introduced a small that was so popular, the first run sold out in just nine hours.
That collaboration was followed by the Veltini, a dirty martini-style cocktail made in collaboration with BLT Restaurant Group and served in locations across the country. And most recently, the — a first-of-its-kind chocolate and cheese truffle. So when Velveeta announced its newest creation, the WheelVeeta, I couldn't help but want to know what kind of mischief my favorite boxed mac and cheese brand had gotten itself into.
The WheelVeeta, a giant wheel of Velveeta in which its signature Shells & Cheese is made and served with lavish toppings, was available at in Montauk, New York, and Delray Beach, Florida, for one week. The trendy, comfortable, and airy oceanside venues set the scene for beachgoers looking to add both entertainment and a little bit of luxe to their meals, and at the center of it all was Velveeta's newest creation. Read more: While the WheelVeeta is an impressively extra way to prepare a bowl of classic Shells & Cheese tableside, the technique is inspired by the Italian pasta alla ruota, also known as .
The original technique employs a large round of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and is prepared tableside for maximum entertainment, although large rounds of cheese other than Parmesan can also be used. The center of the Parmesan wheel is scraped until a well forms, and hot water is poured into the cavity to help turn the cheese scrapings into a paste (some versions add wine and set it on fire with a torch to melt the cheese). Freshly cooked pasta is then added to the well, where it melts the cheese paste and pulls even more cheese from the surface of the Parmesan round.
The pasta is hand-tossed until completely coated in a self-made cheese sauce, before getting heaped into pasta bowls and immediately served. Not only is this a dramatic and tasty way to prepare a bowl of pasta, but it also helps ensure that very little cheese goes to waste. A bowl of Parmesan tossed pasta alla ruota is a relatively simple dish, which is why it lends itself so well to creative interpretation.
Not only can the cheese itself be substituted, but it's common for additional toppings to be added to the pasta once it's plated. Yes — believe it or not, the WheelVeeta is actually a giant block of Velveeta. While , it gets molded into the shape of a giant wheel of cheese, stamped with the Velveeta logo, and refrigerated to stay firm for this dish.
From there, the center is carved out to create a well for the pasta, just like it's done in the classic pasta alla ruota method. A healthy drizzle of Velveeta cheese sauce is added to the wheel well first, similar to the hot water first poured into a round of Parmigiano Reggiano to help loosen the cheese. Hot, freshly cooked pasta shells — the same pasta you'll find in a box of Velveeta Shells & Cheese — are then added to the wheel, which melts even more of the cheese from the wheel and combines with the Velveeta cheese sauce.
After several minutes of folding and mixing, the pasta shells are thoroughly coated in an ultra-cheesy Velveeta sauce, ready to be served. The WheelVeeta is certainly an elaborate way to prepare a relatively humble bowl of American mac and cheese, but it's all of the additional touches that really give it the luxurious flair. Enjoying the entire experience just steps away from the beach in Montauk instantly made me feel like I was taking a seaside holiday in Italy (although a beachfront vacation in the village at the eastern end of the Long Island peninsula isn't too shabby of an option either).
The WheelVeeta pasta was served with my choice of fresh-cooked lobster, crispy shallots, or shaved truffles — so naturally, I got them all. Serving it alongside a crisp, cool glass of white wine or a martini would really take the entire experience to a new level of luxury. And while one bowl of pasta was more than enough to satisfy me, a side dish of fresh or grilled vegetables or an entrée of grilled fish or steak would make it a top-tier dining experience.
The same experience might be a little complicated to recreate at home, but all the upgrades offered at the restaurant can be made using a regular batch of boxed Velveeta Shells & Cheese. And if you're feeling especially ambitious, you could try melting several pounds worth of Velveeta blocks in a large, wide stock pot, then chilling the mixture to create your own WheelVeeta. But fair warning: It will take a lot of Velveeta to recreate.
Straight out of the WheelVeeta, the pasta itself tastes just like the cheesy Velveeta you're already familiar with. So, if you're already a fan of Velveeta Shells & Cheese, this is really just a clever way to serve it with some upgrades. This particular experience cost $60 and yielded enough portions of fancy mac and cheese to serve as side dish-sized servings for six people (or entrée-sized servings for two or three people).
The WheelVeeta tasting experience was only available at two locations for one week, so there's a good chance you didn't get to try it. Velveeta has yet to announce any future WheelVeeta experience dates or locations, but that doesn't mean you're entirely out of luck. You can just as easily take that $60 to the grocery store and pick up a few boxes of Velveeta, along with your favorite mac and cheese upgrades, and create your own luxe dining experience at home.
You'll have to provide your own gorgeous ocean-side view, though. No matter how many delicate, artisan, and imported cheeses I've had the pleasure of tasting over the years, I can't forget the humble roots of my life-long cheese affair — a box of yellow American mac and cheese is always going to live in my pantry. My first "La Dolce Velveeta" experience was back in 2022 with the launch of the Veltini, with BLT Restaurant Group, which caused waves of both shocked and curious responses from everyone who encountered it.
Not one to judge a cheese (or processed cheese product) before tasting it, I've jumped head-first into Velveeta's wild collaborations with reserved expectations, looking to see how each lives up to the following criteria: Does it still taste like Velveeta? Does the Velveeta in this new technique or product help, hurt, or otherwise embellish the final product? Is it well-executed, clever, entertaining, and enjoyable? And so far, for as outlandish as some of Velveeta's collaborations have been — -- it has met those expectations with a delightful amount of flair and nostalgia. Read the ..
