4 Cheese Mac And Cheese

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When you think of comfort food, you think of mac and cheese. Except for the fact that this 4 cheese mac and cheese takes it up a notch with four extravagant blends of cheeses, all with varying degrees of melting points oozing over some beautiful cavatappi-shaped pasta.

Serve for lunch or dinner with Caramelized Mushrooms And Onions, Lamb Tikka Masala, Creamy Lamb Korma or Chicken Bolognese.

After trying this mac and cheese recipe, rich in both cheese and flavour, you'll never look at mac and cheese like the staple it is in most homes. Instead, it'll remind you of some gourmet delicacy packed with an assorted number of cheeses from all over the world, exquisitely garnished with fresh parsley.

The Best 4 Cheese Mac and Cheese Recipe

The 4 Cheese Mac and Cheese is a lovely spin on the European household staple of Mac and Cheese, which is classically made with only one cheese- cheddar.

It's also usually made with some elbow pasta, but because this is a more lavish style of macaroni cheese (as it is called in the UK), we're cooking it with some cavatappi-shaped pasta instead. We'll use four kinds of cheese for this recipe: gouda, sharp cheddar, mozzarella and parmesan. Keep reading to find out just how we bring the four together.

What's in this 4 Cheese Mac and Cheese?

Dried cavatappi shape pasta: Pick up at the grocery store
Butter: Just what you have at home
Onion: Essential to the flavour
All-purpose flour: To make the pasta extra gooey
Salt: As per your liking
Ground black pepper: Or whatever black pepper you have
Milk: A key component in blending everything together
Gouda cheese: Take off the red wax if you'd like
Sharp cheddar cheese: 'Sharp' describes that's been aged for a long time
Mozzarella cheese: Also known as the cheese we put on pizza
Parmesan cheese: Used twice in this recipe
Panko: Breadcrumbs used for coating food for that extra crisp
Fresh parsley: For garnish at the end

“See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.”

Recipe Variations

Add a spoonful of cream to the béchamel sauce for a richer consistency and taste.
You can also add a bit of garlic to your mac and cheese for flavour.
We've kept this recipe quite subtle. Nevertheless, feel free to spice it with herbs or condiments of your choice. It can be mustard powder, chilli powder, nutmeg or miso paste for all you like.
You can also substitute the cheeses for any cheese of your choice. It's a good idea to keep the cheddar for that classic flavour, but you can consider adding blue, gruyere cheese etc.

How do we make this Four Cheese Mac and Cheese?

One: To begin, we'll grease a baking dish with oil and set it aside for later.

Two: We're also going to grate or chop any of the ingredients beforehand. You can grate the cheeses or chop them into chunks for your convenience. Don't forget to peel and dice the onion beforehand as well.

Three: Now, let's cook the pasta. You can follow the instructions mentioned on the package or follow this standard procedure:

Put a pot of water on the stove, add salt, and a spoonful of oil of your choice to it and let it boil.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and let it cook until al dente. Al dente translates to 'to the tooth' in Italian, meaning that it should have a bite to it. It should neither be too mushy nor uncooked and hard.
Once al dente, drain the warm water.

Whilst you're waiting for the pasta to boil, it's a good idea to start making the cream sauce for the pasta:

Saute onion in butter then add flour, milk and the four kinds of cheese.

Four: Take out a large saucepan and melt butter over medium heat. Now add the diced onion and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes until they turn slightly transparent and the edges have turned brown (photo 1).

Five: Now, stir in flour, salt, and black pepper, and then add milk. Go slow with adding these ingredients while continuously whisking them together. Once this mixture is thick, remove the saucepan from the heat (photo 2).

Six: It's time to add the four kinds of cheese to the saucepan. Add the mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, Gouda cheese and half of Parmesan cheese until a creamy sauce is prepared. Make sure the cheese melts and blends well together (photo 3 & 4).

Pour the cheese mixture all over the pasta and stir well.

Seven: As your pasta has probably come to a boil and is ready to go, pour the saucepan mixture all over the pasta. Coat the pasta with the cheesy sauce, stirring it a few times (photo 5 & 6).

Eight: Finally, we're going to transfer this mixture to the baking dish (photo 8).

For that extra gourmet touch, we're going to top the pasta with a layer of panko and parmesan cheese which will give us that extra crunch.

Transfer this mixture to the baking dish and top with panko and parmesan.

Nine: For this, in a microwave-safe bowl, melt 1 teaspoon of butter. Mix the panko and the remaining second half of the parmesan cheese into this butter. Lastly, sprinkle this mixture, creating a top layer over the pasta and place it into the oven (photo 7 & 9).

Ten: Bake for 5-10 minutes or until the top is beautifully golden brown. Plate the mac and cheese garnished with fresh parsley and serve.

Voila! You're gourmet-style mac and cheese is now yours to be relished.

Top Tips

When taking the saucepan off the heat to add the cheeses, go slow with the process. Add the one cheese, and let it dissolve into the sauce before adding the next. It's also a good idea to have them cut in chunks or grated for a faster liquefying process.
When you're making the béchamel sauce which is the name of the sauce, right before you add the cheeses in, make sure the milk doesn't come to a boil.

Serving Suggestions

This extravagant version of macaroni and cheese makes for a yummy scrumptious delight on its very own. Pair it with some Roasted Green Beans and Carrots or Buttered Peas, Tomato And Onion Salad, Japanese Seaweed Salad, or Summer Coleslaw Salad on the side, and you've got yourself a fancy meal!

This macaroni and cheese, however, also makes for an excellent side! Whether it's Lamb Seekh Kebab, Cajun Fried Shrimp, Boom Boom Shrimp, Savoury Mince or Baked Chicken Poppers. Happy Munching!

Storage

Make ahead of time: You can make the mac and cheese and place it in the baking dish and then in the fridge. It'll last for two good days, in between which you can take it out and bake it in the oven. Since it's cold, it'll take a little longer to bake, though.

Store: You can store this macaroni and cheese recipe in the fridge for a good 3-5 days, where it'll still taste the same. It's best to refrigerate them within two hours of them being cooked.

Freeze: Wrap up the mac and cheese in an air-tight container or freezer bag, which can last in the freezer for 2-3 months.

To reheat: Take out the macaroni and cheese a couple of hours before you plan on serving it. Reheat it in a skillet, and it should be good to go.

Recipe FAQs

I can't find cavatappi-shaped pasta or all 4 kinds of cheese. Can I substitute or leave them out?

Suppose you can't find this specifically shaped pasta that we used in this recipe. In that case, it's totally fine to use elbow-shaped pasta instead. It's what the classic macaroni and cheese are made out of anyway. You can also use the cheeses you have available in your kitchen and leave out the rest. Although it would be a good idea to include gouda or cheddar because these are the cheeses that make for the best consistency of the pasta.

I don't have panko. Is it possible to make it from scrap?

Yes, you absolutely can. Panko is just store-bought breadcrumbs that you can easily make at home. All you'll need are 3-4 slices of bread that are preferable 2 to 3 days old. Take these slices of bread and grind them in a dry grinder and mixer. Now you can substitute these breadcrumbs for panko in this recipe. That was easy, wasn't it?

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