5-Cheese Baked Mac & Cheese

We have a saying in our house- "All of the Cheese Please".

And when we say all of the cheese, we mean it. There's never too much of it.

If you agree, you should definitely try out this 5-Cheese Baked Mac & Cheese. It's the ooiest-gooiest blend of sharp cheddar, white cheddar, mozzarella, Asiago, and Parmesan.

• Servings- 4 (Makes 8 x 8 baking dish)
• Total Time- 45 minutes

Baked Mac & Cheese Ingredients:

• Pasta- short cut pastas with grooves such as macaroni, cellentini, or rotini pasta work best to catch all of the cheesy sauce.
• Butter- either salted or unsalted.
• Flour- just general all-purpose. This is used to make a light roux and thicken your cheese sauce.
• Milk/Cream- Either half & half or whole milk. I tend to use half & half. It's creamier and has a better flavor than whole milk, but less fat than heavy cream.
• Seasonings & Herbs- fresh thyme, ground nutmeg, kosher salt, and fresh cracked pepper.
• Cheese- You can't have mac & cheese without cheese. I used a blend of sharp cheddar, white cheddar, mozzarella, Asiago, and Parmesan. This blend of cheeses works so well. They balance and compliment each other. Do you have to use this blend? No! Feel free to mix it up and get creative.

How to Make Baked Mac & Cheese:

• Prepare Noodles- bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add short-cut pasta and cook according to the directions on the package. Drain pasta and set aside.

• Make Cheese Sauce-
  • Grate all cheeses and mix together in a medium mixing bowl, set aside. In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat.
  • Add minced garlic and fresh thyme leaves, cook 1-2 minutes stirring often. Sprinkle flour over garlic butter mixture and stir until well incorporated and a light paste forms.
  • Slowly whisk in 1 cup of cream until smooth. Whisk in remaining cream, ground nutmeg, kosher salt, and fresh cracked pepper.
  • Continue whisking for a few minutes until the mixture has thickened slightly to the consistency of a thin-medium gravy. Mixture should be smooth and light in color.
  • Remove pot from heat and fold in 2 cups of grated cheese.

• Mix & Bake- preheat oven to 375F. Fold cooked pasta into cheese sauce. Pour half of pasta into a buttered 8x8 baking dish, and top with ½ cup remaining shredded cheese. Repeat with the remaining pasta and shredded cheese. Bake mac and cheese uncovered for 25-30 minutes until melted and bubbly.

Tips & Recipe Notes:

• Feel free to get creative with the cheese blend. I've made this before with Gouda cheese and the smokey flavor was fantastic.
• Other short-cut pastas that work well for this recipe: Rotini, Radiatori, Fusilli, or Cavatappi.
• For a crunchy topping, add crumbled ritz crackers mixed with a bit of melted butter!

More Cheesy Side Dish Recipes You Will Also Love:

• Asiago, Mozzarella, and Parmesan Scalloped Potatoes
• Easy Cheese Stuffed Garlic-Butter Crescent Rolls
• Cheesy Baked Pesto Chicken Pasta
• Cheesy Bacon Brussels Sprouts
• Sage + White Cheddar Mac & Cheese Stuffed Acorn Squash

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