Crispy Four Cheese Mac

Bring your typical mac and cheese to a new level with some smoked gouda and a crispy crumble on top! I’ve always been a fan of plain pasta with olive oil or butter, but I couldn’t help but sneak a few bites of this yummy concoction.

Sophie has wanted to make a charcuterie board for a while now, so I took the opportunity to grab some more cheeses that would make for a delicious mac. The gooey sauce is trapped in all the swirls of rotini pasta and baked. Whip this up as a hefty side dish or a small main course—It doesn’t take long, and most of the time is spent waiting for it to finish in the oven.

Tips

Cook your pasta just shy of al dente. The pasta will continue to cook in the sauce and a bit in the oven.

Avoid pre-shredded cheese. They’re packaged with other ingredients that prevent the cheese from clumping, and it won’t melt properly into the sauce.

Remove the sauce from the heat before adding cheese. If it really doesn’t want to melt, you can heat it over low until it just combines. The first time I tried to make this, I removed the sauce from the heat too late and the entire sauce split—YUCK.

Add a bit of pasta water to the sauce. It helps bind the sauce to the cheese and makes it smoother.

Crispy Four Cheese Mac
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 35 mins
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients
For pasta:

• 8 oz dry pasta (I use rotini)
• water
• salt

For cheese sauce:

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup milk
• 4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
• 4 oz swiss gruyere cheese, freshly grated
• 2 oz smoked gouda cheese, freshly grated
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

For topping:

• 1 oz parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper

For garnish:

• fresh parsley, finely chopped
  
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and liberally salt it. Add pasta and set a timer to cook 2-3 minutes shy of the total cooking time.
3. Heat butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat until melted.
4. Whisk in the flour and garlic powder. Cook until mixture thickens and turns golden brown.
5. Pour in milk. Use a spatula and stir the mixture until smooth and thick enough to stick to the spatula. Remove from heat.
6. Add cheeses and stir until melted through. Season with salt, adjusting as needed.
7. Strain out the pasta once cooked and add to the cheese mixture along with about 1/4 cup of pasta water. Stir until evenly distributed.
8. Transfer to a 9x9 glass baking dish and spread out into an even layer.
9. Prepare the crumb in a bowl by combining all topping ingredients (parmesan cheese, melted butter, panko bread crumbs, paprika, and black pepper).
10. Add crumb mixture on top of the mac and cheese in an even layer.
11. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. Garnish with parsley and serve.