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.
Jump to:
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 share my take on this classic dish, which utilizes simple ingredients to achieve a homemade 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 This Recipe Works
- 5 cheese mac n' 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 Padano, cheddar, red cheddar, and Gruyère cheese makes the ultimate cheesy dinner.
- This 5 cheese mac n’ cheese can also be served with vegetables like Quick Cauliflower in Air Fryer or Roasted Carrots, Parsnips and Brussels Sprouts.
5 Cheese Mac N’ Cheese Ingredients
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities
- Elbow pasta: This is my pasta of choice for the 5 cheese mac n’ cheese recipe; however, it can be swapped with macaroni.
- Unsalted butter: Use unsalted butter to control the salt content in the dish.
- Cheese: Mozzarella, Grana Padano, Cheddar, Red Cheese, and Gruyère are the preferred cheeses for this 5 cheese mac n' cheese recipe.
- Milk: Use full-fat milk to make a rich sauce.
- Double cream: Use full-fat double cream for a creamy sauce.
Tips and Substitutions
- Cheese: Smoked Gouda—This cheese is renowned for its smoky flavor, which pairs well with sweet foods 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 commonly used in many pasta dishes. If you’re a fan of the super silky texture of 5 cheese 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 5 cheese mac n' cheese.
- 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: For a richer crust, switch the oven to grill mode for the last 5 minutes.
How to Make 5 Cheese Mac N’ Cheese
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. While it's heating up, grease a baking dish with your favorite non-stick cooking spray and set it aside for later.
2. Bring water and a pinch of salt to a boil in a pot. Once it’s boiling, add the elbow pasta and cook for about 10 minutes. Then, strain it. At this point, it will still be al dente.
3. Meanwhile, start the cheesy sauce by melting unsalted butter in a saucepan. Then, add plain flour to the saucepan and stir until the butter and flour are well combined. Remove the mixture from the heat and add ¼ cup of milk. Stir until well mixed, and then add ¼ cup of milk. Repeat until the entire 2 cups of milk have been added. Pour in the double cream on top.
4. Place the saucepan back on medium heat and bring it to a boil. Once the sauce is bubbling, add the salt, pepper, garlic powder, a pinch of oregano, mustard, and paprika. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Reduce the heat and simmer for an additional 5-7 minutes. Then, turn off the heat and add mozzarella, Grana Padano, cheddar cheese, red cheddar and Gruyere cheese. Stir until combined. Reserve some cheddar cheese for topping (see recipe card).
5. Add the macaroni to the pot of sauce and mix until well combined.
6. Add the remaining cheddar cheese and top with golden breadcrumbs (optional). Bake the 5 cheese mac n' cheese for 15-20 minutes, or until golden.
7. Serve this mouthwatering 5 cheese mac n' cheese with Red and White Cabbage Coleslaw Recipe, Easy Jamaican Oxtail Recipe or Baked Bbq Chicken Wings.
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 do the pasta, so it’s best to 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 optional
- Chopped parsley to garnish optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Then, lightly grease a baking dish with oil or butter and set it aside.
- Bring water and a pinch of salt to a boil in a pot. Once it’s boiling, add elbow pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes. Strain it and set it aside for later. You can reserve pasta water if you want to loosen the consistency of the creamy sauce later (see notes).
- Meanwhile, melt unsalted butter in a separate saucepan. Then, add plain flour and stir until the butter and flour are well combined. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add ¼ cup of milk, stirring until it’s mixed. Repeat this step with the remaining milk. Then, pour in double cream and stir.
- Return the saucepan to medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Once it starts bubbling, season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, a pinch of oregano, mustard, and paprika, stir well to combine all the flavors. Reduce the heat and let the sauce simmer for 5–7 minutes, allowing it to thicken slightly. Turn off the heat, then stir in the mozzarella, Grana Padano, 0.5 cups of cheddar, red cheddar, and Gruyère until melted and smooth.
- Add the cooked pasta to the creamy sauce and mix everything well. Then, pour it into a baking dish. Add the remaining cheddar cheese and top with golden breadcrumbs (optional). Bake the 5 cheese mac n' cheese for 15-20 minutes or until golden.
- Once done, remove the delicious 5 cheese mac n' cheese from the oven and garnish with parsley. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
- Cheese: Smoked Gouda has a deep, smoky flavor that pairs beautifully with sweet ingredients, such as carrots or apples. It’s a great way to give your mac ’n’ cheese a bit of extra flair. Fontina is another tasty option—it’s a soft, melt-in-your-mouth cheese that brings a rich, creamy texture. If you don’t have Grana Padano, feel free to sub in Parmesan instead.
- Breadcrumbs: Mix golden breadcrumbs with a bit of salt and paprika for a flavor boost. Give them a good stir and sprinkle over the top of the mac before baking.
- More Cheese: Want that irresistible cheesy stretch? Add a layer of mozzarella in the middle as you layer the macaroni into the dish.
- Garlic: Craving more garlicky goodness? Add 2–3 crushed garlic cloves to the butter as it melts in step one to enhance the flavor.
- Grill: For an extra golden, crispy topping, switch to grill mode for the last 5 minutes of baking.
- Pasta water: Feel free to add some reserved pasta water to the creamy sauce if it is too thick.
Leave a Reply