Five Cheese Mac & Cheese
That’s right….I said it…Five Cheese Mac & Cheese! We were invited to a Halloween party last night and I volunteered to bring a Mac and Cheese dish. Well, I couldn’t decide on which recipe I wanted to make…so I made two! After returning from vacation where I was out of the kitchen for a week but filled with daily cooking inspiration, I jumped at the chance. That may sound weird, but it is actually really tough for me to stay out of any kitchen! So, this is the first one, stay tuned for the second, I’m sure it will surface soon. Hint….it included bacon!
I do love my comfort foods. We have one child who shall remain nameless but is 10 and loves Mac and Cheese out of a box…you know the one. Does anyone else have one of these kids? I just keep hoping that one day when he’s off in college, he’ll appreciate my home cooking. I considered it a challenge to come up with the right cheese combination where it’s tasty, kid-friendly (i.e. not too stinky) and definitely healthier. This, my friends is it. It’s ooey, it’s gooey, delicious and has a nice crunchy topping to add texture to every bite. There are so many versions out there, this is my favorite and was inspired with elements from Tyler Florence.
I consider this an elevated version of your typical Mac and Cheese because to me, each cheese adds its own value and each cheese has a synergistic effect to the entire dish. So, whether you decide to make this for your family on a cold, rainy night or you bring it to someone’s home for a party…it’s sure to impress. Easy to prepare, ingredients are readily available and who doesn’t love a little Mac & Cheese now and then? I will post the other variations and recipes on my blog as well, it’s really a versatile dish that you can do so much with and have a lot of fun with!
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Total Time
1 hour
Course
Entree, Side
Cuisine
Asmerican
Servings
8 servings
Ingredients
3 Tablespoons Butter
3 Tablespoons Flour
2 cups Heavy Cream
2 cups Milk
1/2 Tablespoon Dry Mustard
2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups Sharp Cheddar grated fresh
2 cup Muenster Cheese grated fresh
1 cup Emmentaler Swiss grated fresh
3 oz. Mascarpone Cheese
1 lb. Elbow Pasta or any kind you like
2 cups Pasta Water Reserved
2 Tablespoons Butter
1/2 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
1 Garlic Clove minced
1/2 cup Grated Parmesan
1 Tablespoon Chopped Fresh Parsley
Instructions
Heat oven to 450 F. Bring large pot of salted water to a boil.
In a large saute pan, add 3 Tablespoons butter and melt. Add 3 Tablespoons flour and cook for about 5 minutes until light golden in color, this is the roux.
Add cream and milk slowly into flour mixture, whisk as you add it so that you don't get any lumps. Add dry mustard, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Remove from heat for 1-2 minutes.
Boil pasta for 5 minutes (package instructions), drain, reserving about 2 cups of pasta water to loosen sauce as it sits, if needed.
Slowly add cheeses to the slightly cooled béchamel sauce and stir until completely smooth.
In another small pan, heat over medium low, add butter, panko bread crumbs, minced garlic and chopped parsley to lightly toast. Set aside.
Add cooked pasta to the cheese sauce and combine completely. Taste for seasoning, you may need to add more salt and pepper at this point. Pour into a baking dish, top with panko crumb mixture. Place in the oven for about 5 minutes just to toast the top. Serve!
Notes
I realize it's more work to grate each cheese by hand (or food processor), but I promise it's worth it. Some of the packaged shredded cheeses sold in the store are actually padded with fillers.