This 5 Cheese Mac n' Cheese is every cheese lover's dream. It includes mozzarella, cheddar, red cheddar, grana padano, and Gruyère cheese. Serve as a main.
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Who doesn’t love macaroni and cheese? Perhaps one of the all-time favorite comfort meals worldwide, it’s a simple recipe that satisfies the soul. I wanted to show you my take on this classic dish, which uses simple ingredients for a made-from-scratch feel. Serve with Southern Fried Chicken without Buttermilk, Quick Fried Crispy Chicken Wings, Sticky Oven Chicken Thighs BBQ or Parmesan Garlic Wings.
You'll also enjoy my Best Three Cheese Mac N Cheese, Best Spicy Mac and Cheese with Jalapeños and this festive Creamy Pumpkin Mac ‘n’ Cheese.
Why You Should Try This Recipe
- 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!
- It is creamy, filling, comforting, and delicious.
- Combining mozzarella, grana pandan, cheddar, red cheddar, and gruyere cheese makes the ultimate cheesy dinner.
- It can also be served with vegetables like Quick Cauliflower in Air Fryer or Roasted Carrots, Parsnips and Brussels Sprouts.
Tips and Substitutions
- Cheese: Smoked Gouda—This cheese is known for its smoky flavor, 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 is a soft cheese that is already used in many pasta dishes. If you’re a fan of the super silky texture of mac' n’ cheese, this is the cheese for you. You can swap grana padano cheese with parmesan.
- Breadcrumbs: Season the golden breadcrumbs with salt and paprika to add more flavor. Stir them and then add them to the top of the macaroni.
- More Cheese: To achieve a more stretchy cheese effect, add a layer of mozzarella between half of the macaroni when adding it to the dish.
- Garlic: For a stronger garlicky flavor, add 2-3 crushed garlic cloves while you melt the butter in the first step (see step 1 in the instructions).
- Grill: If you want a richer crust, switch the oven to grill for the last 5 minutes!
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 ¼ 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 teaspoon of garlic powder, a pinch of oregano, 2-3 tablespoon of mustard, and ¼-1 teaspoon 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!
Serve with Red and White Cabbage Coleslaw Recipe, Easy Jamaican Oxtail Recipe or Baked Bbq Chicken Wings.
NB: Do not bake the mac for too long because the creamy cheesy sauce will disappear!
Recipe FAQs
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 Pasta Recipes
5 Cheese Mac N’ Cheese
Equipment
- 1 Oven
- 1 Oven tray
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
- 2 teaspoon of garlic powder
- a pinch of oregano
- 2 tablespoon of mustard
- 1 teaspoon 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
- ½ 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 ¼ 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 teaspoon of garlic powder, a pinch of oregano, 1-2 tablespoon of mustard, and ¼ teaspoon 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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