This 5-cheese mac n’ cheese is every cheese lover’s dream. It includes mozzarella, cheddar, red cheddar, grana padano, and Gruyère cheese.
Who doesn’t love macaroni and cheese? Perhaps one of the all-time favorite comfort meals across the globe, it’s a simple recipe that really satisfies the soul. I wanted to show you my take on this classic dish that uses simple ingredients for a made-from-scratch feel.
Table of Contents
The Best Cheeses for Mac and Cheese
Mac and cheese is one of those dishes that you want to eat time and time again. Nobody ever seems to get tired of it! But with so many different types of cheeses in the world, it’s hard not to get creative after some time.
So, after a little bit of experimenting, we found out that there are some cheeses that work better for mac n’ cheese than others. While my recipe below uses the top 5 favourites (mozzarella, grana padano, cheddar, red cheddar, and gruyere), there are some other types you might want to try as well.
Here are some additional options:
- Smoked Gouda – This cheese is known for its smoky flavour and it pairs well with sweet things like carrots and apples. It’s perfect for mac n’ cheese if you want just a little something extra in your meal.
- Fontina – This is a really soft cheese that is already used in a lot of pasta dishes. If you’re a fan of the super silky texture of mac n’ cheese, this is the cheese for you.
NB: You can replace grana padano cheese with parmesan.
Which one do you prefer?
How to Make 5-Cheese Mac N’ Cheese
1. Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. While it is heating up, grease a baking dish with your favorite non-stick substance and set it aside for later.
2. Bring water and a pinch of salt to boil in a pot. Once it’s boiling, add 500g of macaroni pasta, cook it for about 12 minutes, then strain it. At this point, it will still be al dente.
3. Meanwhile, start the cheesy sauce by melting 80g of unsalted butter in a saucepan. Then, add 80g of plain flour to the saucepan and stir until the butter and flour are well combined. Remove from heat and add ¼ cup of milk to the mixture. Stir until it’s mixed, and then add another 1/4 cup of milk. Repeat until the entire 2 cups of milk has been added. Pour in 1 cup of double cream on top.
4. Put the saucepan back on a medium heat and boil it. Once the sauce is bubbling, lower the heat and boil for another 10 minutes. Then, turn off the heat and add your grated cheeses: 1 cup of mozzarella, 1 cup of grana padano, 1 cups of cheddar cheese, 1 cup of red cheddar and 1 cup of Gruyere cheese. You can also add the salt, pepper, 1-2 tsp of garlic powder, a pinch of oregano, 2-3 Tbsp of mustard, and ¼-1 tsp of paprika. Stir until fully mixed.
5. Add the sauce to the pot of macaroni, mix it all together, and pour it into a baking dish. Add the rest of the cheddar cheese and top with golden breadcrumbs. Bake it for 20 minutes or until it is golden. And enjoy!
NB: Do not bake the mac for too long because the creamy cheesy sauce will disappear!
Want More Flavour?
- You can add more flavour to the golden breadcrumbs by seasoning it with a pinch of salt and a pinch of paprika. Stir and then add it the top of the macaroni.
- If you want to get more of a stretchy cheese effect then add a layer of mozzarella in between half of the macaroni when adding it to the dish.
- For a stronger garlicky flavour, add 2-3 crushed garlic cloves while you melt the butter in the first step (see step 1 in instructions).
- If you want a richer crust then switch the oven to grill for the last 5 minutes!
Storage Options
Depending on the type of cheese you choose, you can store your macaroni dish in the refrigerator for a few days. However, the cheese tends to harden over time, as does the noodles, so it’s best to try and eat it right away!
More Delicious Cheesy Recipes
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5-Cheese Mac N’ Cheese
Ingredients
- 500 g of macaroni pasta
- 80 g of unsalted butter
- 80 g of plain flour
- 3 cups of milk
- 1 cup of double cream
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- 1-2 tsp of garlic powder
- a pinch of oregano
- 2-3 Tbsp of mustard
- ¼-1 tsp of paprika
- 1 cup of mozzarella grated
- 1 cup of grana padano grated
- 2 cups of cheddar cheese grated
- 1 cup of red cheddar grated
- 1 cup of Gruyere cheese grated
- 1/2 a cup of golden breadcrumbs or enough to cover the macaroni
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. While it is heating up, grease a baking dish with your favorite non-stick substance and set it aside for later.
- Bring water and a pinch of salt to boil in a pot. Once it’s boiling, add 500g of macaroni pasta, cook it for about 12 minutes, then strain it. At this point, it will still be al dente.
- Meanwhile, start the cheesy sauce by melting 80g of unsalted butter in a saucepan. Then, add 80g of plain flour to the saucepan and stir until the butter and flour are well combined. Remove from heat and add ¼ cup of milk to the mixture. Stir until it’s mixed, and then add another 1/4 cup of milk. Repeat until the entire 2 cups of milk has been added. Pour in 1 cup of double cream on top.
- Put the saucepan back on a medium heat and boil it. Once the sauce is bubbling, lower the heat and boil for another 10 minutes. Then, turn off the heat and add your grated cheeses: 1 cup of mozzarella, 1 cup of grana padano, 2 cups of cheddar cheese, 1 cup of red cheddar and 1 cup of Gruyere cheese. You can also add the salt, pepper, 1-2 tsp of garlic powder, a pinch of oregano, 1-2 Tbsp of mustard, and ¼ tsp of paprika. Stir until fully mixed.
- Add the sauce to the pot of macaroni, mix it all together, and pour it into a baking dish. Add the rest of the cheddar cheese and top with golden breadcrumbs. Bake it for 20 minutes or until it is golden. And enjoy!
Notes
- You can replace grana padano cheese with parmesan.
- Do not bake the mac for too long because the creamy cheesy sauce will disappear!
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