FOUR CHEESE MAC

Posted on by eefulton

Oh boy, is this stuff good.

Truly, I’ll eat just about any mac & cheese, simply because I love it all. So maybe now you don’t trust my mac & cheese opinion, but you really should. I’ve tried a lot of different macs & it takes a lot for me to say it’s good mac.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still probably eat bad mac & be happy ( because I’m eating mac & cheese. ) That’s how much I love it! For it to be good mac it has to hit a few points for me…

  1. The noodles cannot be mushy. Uck! Cannot. It’s so important to undercook the noodles before you bake them.
  2. It cannot be dry. Again, before you bake the mac it needs to look suuuuuuper saucy.
  3. It needs to have something crispy. Whether it’s the cheese or a form of topping, I need a little textural change.

See! I’m not asking for much, just perfectly tender, saucy mac with a little crunch.

And hey! This recipe hits all those point. Wow! Isn’t that crazy? It’s almost like I planned it….

xx

ellyn

SERVINGS: 4-6 (depending on if eating as main dish or side!)

TIME: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS: 

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 cup half & half
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire 
• 4 oz white cheddar cheese
• 4 oz monterey jack cheese
• 4 oz goat cheese
• 4 oz romano cheese
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• ½ cup panko mixed with 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 2 cups elbow pasta
• ½ cup reserved pasta water

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Cook pasta in salted, boiling water. Cook extra al dente – about 3 minutes less than what the box advises. 
3. In a large skillet melt butter. Add flour over medium heat. Whisk together for 1-2 minutes until the butter/flour mixture is golden brown. * this is a roux!
4. Slowly add in half & half, continually whisking. Simmer on medium low for 5 minutes until beginning to thicken. 
5. Reduce heat to low. Add in Dijon mustard & worcestershire. * you can also add in a couple dashes of hot sauce!
6. Slowly add in shredded cheese about a ½ cup at a time, whisking until melted in before adding more.
7. If the sauce becomes too thick, add in the pasta water a little at a time until desired consistency.
8. Season with salt & pepper. 
9. Mix in pasta. 
10. Add mac to oven safe dish & top with the panko/butter mixture. 
11. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden & bubbly. 
12. Enjoy!