Four Cheese Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Remember when you were a kid, and on busy nights, Mom used to make macaroni and cheese? It came in this colorful little box, with a picture on the cover. Inside was about a cup of dry noodles and a little packet of bright orange powder that you had to mix up with milk and margarine to make the “cheese” sauce. It was comfort food, but not exactly gourmet cuisine.
Well, take that idea and toss it out the window.
We’re going to make macaroni and cheese with real ingredients. We’re going to start with real pasta, like penne, not those little elbows. We’re going to use four kinds of cheese: regular cheddar, extra-sharp cheddar, Havarti, and parmesan. We’re going to put real butter and heavy cream in the sauce.
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And when we’ve poured that sauce over the noodles, we’re going to sprinkle on a topping of panko bread crumbs and parmesan and pop it in the oven. When it comes out, it’ll be hot and bubbling, with a beautiful, crunchy, golden crust.
This macaroni and cheese is no last-minute supper for the kiddies. It’s a full-on gourmet experience. Forget those bright orange noodles – this is a macaroni and cheese that even picky grownups can love.
Four Cheese Baked Macaroni and Cheese. A super cheesy and flavorful macaroni and cheese recipe, featuring four varieties of cheese!
Four Cheese Baked Macaroni and Cheese
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb pasta
3/4 stick of butter
2 Tablespoon all purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 oz Havarti cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Parmesan
8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
8 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
TOPPING:
3 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 Tablespoon Olive oil
DIRECIOTNS:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Set aside a 2qt baking dish. Cook pasta according to package instructions and set aside.
2. Now let’s make the topping. In a bowl, combine panko bread crumbs, 3 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese, parsley and olive oil. Stir to combine and set aside.
3. In a medium pan, melt butter, whisking in flour. Slowly whisk in milk and cream, followed by seasonings and garlic.
4.When liquid is warm, add half of the cheese. Whisk occasionally until fully melted. Add remaining cheese, continuing to whisk occasionally until fully melted.
5. Add pasta to un-greased baking dish. Pour cheese sauce over pasta. Top off with Panko breadcrumb mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until breadcrumbs are lightly browned and cheese is bubbly. Serve immediately.
Four Cheese Baked Macaroni and Cheese
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Ingredients
- 1 lb pasta
- 3/4 stick of butter
- 2 Tablespoon all purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 4 oz Havarti cheese shredded
- 1/4 cup Parmesan
- 8 oz cheddar cheese shredded
- 8 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- TOPPING:
- 3 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Set aside a 2qt baking dish. Cook pasta according to package instructions and set aside.
- Now let's make the topping. In a bowl, combine panko bread crumbs, 3 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese, parsley and olive oil. Stir to combine and set aside.
- In a medium pan, melt butter, whisking in flour. Slowly whisk in milk and cream, followed by seasonings and garlic. When liquid is warm, add half of the cheese. Whisk occasionally until fully melted. Add remaining cheese, continuing to whisk occasionally until fully melted.
- Add pasta to un-greased baking dish. Pour cheese sauce over pasta. Top off with Panko breadcrumb mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until breadcrumbs are lightly browned and cheese is bubbly. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer: Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
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You make everything seem so simple! I’m gonna try this recipe for my lovely kids ! five star for your Four Cheese Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Thanks for sharing this recipe 😀
This does look delicious. I’ll let you know how mine turns out when I make this for family Christmas!
Looks great! Would the recipe be altered much if I added ham cubes?
I made this for our family reunion and everyone loves it. I would like to make it again for Thanksgiving but need to know if it can be made ahead and cooked a couple of days later. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Yes, that should work out just fine Brenda.