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.
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
How do we make this Four Cheese Mac and Cheese?
To begin, we'll grease a baking dish with oil and set it aside for later.
We're also going to grate or chop any of the ingredients beforehand. You can chop the cheeses or grate them into chunks for your convenience. Don't forget to peel and dice the onion beforehand as well.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
Finally, we're going to transfer this mixture to the baking dish.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Serving Suggestions
This extravagant version of macaroni and cheese makes for a yummy scrumptious delight on its very own. Pair it with some Brussels sprout, garlic bread and coleslaw 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 meatloaf, some grilled chicken or steak. 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
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.
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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Recipe
4 Cheese Mac And Cheese
Ingredients
- 400 g dried cavatappi shape pasta
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 small onion , finely chopped
- 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 ½ cups milk
- 1 cup Gouda cheese , shredded
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese , shredded
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese , shredded
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese , grated
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- ¾ cup panko
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Grease a baking dish with oil. Cook the pasta in lightly salted boiling water according to package instructions. Drain and return to the warm pot.
- In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat, add onion and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Now, stir in flour, salt, and black pepper, and add milk (whisking constantly) until thickened. Then remove from heat.
- Add mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, Gouda cheese, and half of the Parmesan cheese, whisking until cheeses are melted and the sauce is smooth.
- Now, pour the cheese sauce over the cooked pasta; stir to coat. Transfer the mixture to the baking dish.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the 1 teaspoon butter, then stir in panko and the remaining Parmesan cheese and sprinkle the mixture over the pasta.
- Bake for 5-10 minutes or until the top is browned. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Notes
- 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.
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.
Beatrix
Delicious and super easy to make, I didn't have Panko, so I only topped it with parmesan cheese, and it was so good.
Melissa
So delicious and creamy, I loved it so much.