Gooey Three Cheese Mac and Cheese
To skip the post and step-by-step instructions and go straight to recipe, click here.Have you ever ordered a really good macaroni and cheese at a restaurant and wondered how the heck they get it SO ooey gooey? How do they get that PERFECT cheese stretch every time? If that’s your kinda mac and cheese, then this is your kinda mac and cheese. Perfectly creamy, flavorful, and with that perfect cheese stretch that makes you wanna shove it in your mouth before it cools, even though you know your tongue will regret it. It’s true love. My husband even told me that if I die young, this is the recipe he would make when he’s thinking about me. *tear*
Here’s my first trick to perfectly creamy, yet stretchy mac and cheese - don’t add too much cheese into your sauce. I know, it sounds backwards. But here’s the thing - when you add good, real cheese to the sauce, it’ll get thicker. And while it might look super delicious while you’re mixing that super cheesy, steamy hot sauce into your pasta, the second it starts to cool down, you’ll lose the stretch and it’ll become a pasty, stodgy mush. So, to fix that and get a super cheesy but still creamy mac and cheese, the secret is to add less cheese, yet very flavorful cheese, to the actual sauce to give it a nice cheese flavor but remain thin enough to generously coat the pasta without being pasty. Then, layer the pasta in the serving dish with an easily-melting cheese (in this case I chose monterey jack) to get the stretch!
This dish has everything I want from a restaurant macaroni and cheese, and doesn’t take long to whip up for my husband or friends when we need a little comfort food. It’s perfect for a cozy day in, or after a long day of work. Great for picky eaters, too! It’s delicious with some vegetables or protein thrown in. I’d recommend grilled chicken breast, sausage, steamed broccoli, tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms, or roasted peppers and onions.
Step-By-Step Walk-Through
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Step 1:
Boil Pasta
Add 7 cups of water to a large pot and boil over high heat. Add 1 tsp. salt and 1/3 of a 1 lb. box of rotini or other medium pasta (such as elbow macaroni or shells) to the pot. Stirring every minute or so to prevent sticking, boil 10-12 minutes, or until tender. If you like, feel free to continue to step 2 and begin the sauce while the pasta is boiling, but don’t forget to stir it.
When finished, drain with colander or strainer and return to pot. Cover to keep warm, but don’t place the pot back on your burner or the pasta could burn to the bottom.
Step 2:
Prepare Ingredients
Measure out 2 ½ tablespoons of salted butter, 1 ½ tablespoons of all-purpose flour, 1 ¾ cups of whole milk, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (pre-ground is ok as well, but freshly ground will give you a much better pepper flavor, so I’d recommend getting a pepper grinder if you don’t have one), ⅛ teaspoon paprika, ¼ teaspoon ground mustard, and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder. If using sliced scallion for garnish, slice that now as well.
Shred and grate all of your cheeses. Pre-shredded cheese isn’t recommended, as it often contains extra starch or preservatives to keep it from clumping in the bag, so it doesn’t melt as well. Shred 3/4 cup sharp cheddar and 1 1/2 cups monterey jack with the largest size on a box grater, and grate 1/4 cup parmesan with the second largest.
Step 3:
Make Roux
A roux is a mixture of fat and flour that is used to make a sauce thicker. To start, melt your salted butter in a medium pot over medium heat.
Once melted, add all-purpose flour and whisk it together fully.
Turn the heat up to medium high. Whisking continuously, cook the roux until it’s slightly browned and beginning to smell fragrant and nutty (about 3 to 5 minutes).
Step 4:
Make Sauce
Then, add whole milk to the pot. Whisking continuously, cook until thickened and just beginning to boil (stop whisking periodically to check if it’s beginning to bubble yet), then remove from heat.
Whisk in salt and spices.
Then, gradually add the sharp cheddar and parmesan about ¼ cup at a time, whisking it in completely and allowing it to fully melt between additions (don’t add the monterey jack cheese, this will come in later).
Step 5:
Combine
Pour the sauce over the pasta and mix in the pot until pasta is fully coated.
Step 6:
Serve
Fill 3 to 4 small bowls halfway with the saucy pasta, then sprinkle on a thin layer of the monterey jack cheese. Repeat to fill the bowls, and if desired, sprinkle with thinly sliced scallions, and eat up!
Gooey Three Cheese Mac and Cheese
Servings: 3-4 Time: 30-40 minutes
Difficulty: 🧡🧡🤍🤍🤍
Ingredients
2 ½ TBS. salted butter
1 ½ TBS. all-purpose flour
1 ¾ cups whole milk
¾ cup freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese
¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 tsp. salt, separated (one for the sauce, one for the pasta)
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
⅛ tsp. paprika
¼ tsp. ground mustard
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ lb. rotini pasta, or other medium to small sized pasta
1 cup freshly shredded monterey jack cheese
1 scallion, thinly sliced (optional)
Directions
Step 1: Boil Pasta
Add 7 cups of water to a large pot and boil over high heat. Add 1 tsp. salt and the pasta to the pot. Stirring every minute or so to prevent sticking, boil 10-12 minutes, or until tender. When finished, drain water and return to pot. Cover to keep warm. You can proceed to step 2 and begin the sauce while pasta is cooking if desired.
Step 2: Prep Ingredients
Measure out your butter, flour, spices, and milk, and shred all of your cheeses so they’re ready to go when you need them. If using sliced scallion to garnish, slice that now as well.
Step 3: Make Roux
In a small pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Once fully melted, add the flour, and whisk together. Turn heat up to medium high. Whisking every few seconds, cook flour butter mixture until lightly browned and smelling fragrant and nutty, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Step 4: Make Sauce
Add the milk to the roux. Whisk constantly over medium high heat until slightly thickened and beginning to boil. Remove from heat and whisk in the salt, pepper, paprika, mustard, and garlic powder. Then, adding about ¼ cup at a time, whisk in the sharp cheddar and parmesan (not the monterey jack, this will be saved for later), allowing each addition to melt completely and be fully incorporated before the next is added.
Step 5: Combine
Add the sauce to the pasta and mix until fully coated.
Step 6: Serve
To serve, fill 3 or 4 bowls halfway with the saucy pasta. Then, sprinkle on a thin layer of monterey jack cheese. Repeat with a second layer. Sprinkle scallions over pasta if desired. Eat up!