Cheesy, creamy, and delicious, the Best Three Cheese Mac n cheese is made with easy-to-find ingredients. Serve it for dinner with vegetables, chicken, or salad.
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This mouth-watering three-cheese mac n' cheese is the ultimate comfort food. It is made with cheddar, mozzarella and red Leicester cheese, heavy cream, butter, flour, milk seasoning and elbow pasta. All of these ingredients come together to make a tasty crowd-pleasing dinner.
If you like the best three cheese mac n cheese recipe, you'll also love my 5 cheese mac n cheese and jerk shrimp rasta pasta.
Why You Should Try This Recipe
- It is cheesy, creamy, and delicious.
- This mac n cheese is an easy-filling, crowd-pleasing dish
- Pair the best three-cheese mac n cheese with many sides, like these Creamy Garlic Parmesan Wings, to make a tasty dinner.
- You can also add additional ingredients like shrimp for more flavor.
Ingredients
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Elbow macaroni: I use elbow macaroni for this recipe because it absorbs the cheesy sauce well.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter to make the roux.
- Garlic: Grate fresh ginger and combine it with the roux for extra savory flavor.
- Flour: Use plain or all-purpose flour to make the roux.
- Milk: Select full-fat milk to make a creamy base.
- Cream: Use heavy or double cream to thicken the macaroni and cheese sauce.
- Salt: For taste.
- Paprika: To add heat to the sauce. Feel free to reduce the amount of paprika to suit your taste. You can also add cayenne and black or white pepper for more heat.
- mustard
- Onion powder: For savory flavor.
- Mozzarella: Adds cheesy flavor and the cheese pull effect.
- Red cheese: Grate a block of red cheese to top the mac and make the sauce.
- Cheddar: Grate a block of cheddar to add cheesy flavor to the dish.
- Chives: Serve with chopped chives.
Tips and Substitutions
- Seasoning: The beauty of homemade 3 cheese macaroni and cheese is that you can adjust the flavors to your liking. Don’t be afraid to tweak the amounts of each ingredient in the sauce.
- Pasta: For the perfect texture, do not overcook the pasta. It can become overly soft and lose shape if cooked for too long. The pasta should still be firm before baking.
- Sauce: The consistency of the sauce is key to a great mac and cheese. If you prefer a thinner sauce, feel free to add more milk. Conversely, use less milk if you like your sauce thick and creamy. Remember, the sauce will thicken as it cools, so it’s better to be thinner when you remove it from the heat.
- Variations: The best three cheese mac n cheese is very versatile. You can elevate this classic dish by adding a variety of additional ingredients. For instance, if you're a seafood lover, consider adding some cooked shrimp or crab to make this crab mac' n cheese. Grilled or roasted chicken would be a great addition if you prefer poultry.
- Cheese: If you love cheese, consider adding Gruyere cheese to your mix. Blue cheese can also be added if you enjoy its unique flavor.
How to Make The Best Three Cheese Mac N Cheese
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°. Start by boiling water in a pot and add a pinch of salt. Next, add pasta to the boiling water and cook for 8-10 minutes. Cook the sauce as the pasta cooks.
2. Grab another pot and melt unsalted butter on low heat. Then, add grated garlic.
3. Pour in the flour and mix for seconds until combined.
4. Remove the pot from the heat, pour one-third of the milk, and stir until combined.
5. Repeat this step with the remaining milk, mixing until smooth.
6. Heat the stove, pour in the cream, salt, paprika, onion powder, mixed herbs, and mustard (optional), and stir.
7. Cook the sauce for 5-8 minutes and stir to thicken.
8. Remove the pot from the saucepan from the stove and add half of the grated mozzarella, cheddar and red Leicester cheese. Stir until combined.
9. Once the pasta is ready, drain the water and pour the cheesy sauce into it.
10. Add half of the pasta to a baking dish.
11. Add a layer of all three cheeses.
12. Then add the final layer of pasta and top it with the remaining cheese.
13. Cook in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden.
14. Serve this delicious golden three-cheese pasta with Sticky Oven Chicken Thighs BBQ or broccoli and garnish with chives.
Recipe FAQs
Mozzarella, cheddar, and gruyere are three popular cheeses that are usually added to mac.
Avoid dry cheeses like feta when making mac n cheese.
Store your macaroni dish in an airtight container for 4 days in a refrigerator.
More Delicious Pasta Recipes
Best Three Cheese Mac N Cheese
Equipment
- 2 Saucepans
- 1 Grater
- Large Baking dish
Ingredients
- 400 g of elbow macaroni
- 60 g of unsalted butter
- 2-3 grated garlic cloves
- 60 g of all-purpose flour
- 2 cups of full-fat milk
- 2 cups of heavy cream
- Salt to taste
- ¼-1/2 teaspoon of paprika
- ¼ teaspoon of mixed herbs or oregano
- ¼ teaspoon of onion powder
- 1 tablespoon Mustard optional
- 1 cup of mozzarella
- 1 cup of red cheese
- 1 cup of cheddar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a generous pinch of salt for flavor. Once the water is boiling, add your pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until al dente.
- While the pasta is cooking, start on your sauce. In a separate pot, melt unsalted butter over low heat. Add in the grated garlic and cook until fragrant. Sprinkle in the flour, stirring constantly for a few seconds until the mixture is well combined.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Gradually pour in a third of the milk, stirring continuously until the mixture is smooth. Repeat this process with the remaining milk. Return the pot to the heat, then add the cream, salt, paprika, onion powder, mixed herbs, and mustard (if using). Stir well to combine.
- Allow the sauce to cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it begins to thicken.
- Remove the pot from the heat once more and stir in half of the grated mozzarella, cheddar, and red Leicester cheese until fully melted and combined.
- Once the pasta is cooked, drain it well. Pour the creamy cheese sauce over the pasta, stirring well to ensure every piece is coated.
- Spoon half of the pasta into a baking dish. Sprinkle a layer of the remaining three cheeses over the top, then add the rest of the pasta. Finish with a final layer of cheese.
- Place the dish in your preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and bubbly.
- Serve this delicious golden three-cheese pasta hot, with a side of grilled chicken or steamed broccoli. Garnish with fresh chives for a pop of color and extra flavor.
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