5-Cheese Baked Mac & Cheese
5-Cheese Baked Mac & Cheese, the ooiest-gooiest blend of sharp cheddar, white cheddar, mozzarella, Asiago, and Parmesan.
Equipment
- Large Pot
- Strainer
- Medium Mixing Bowl
- 8x8 Baking Dish
Ingredients
- ½ lb short cut pasta such as cellentani, macaroni, or rotini
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1.5 cups cream whole milk or half & half
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Fresh cracked pepper
- 3 cups shredded cheese see notes below
Instructions
- 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 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 remaing pasta and shredded cheese. Bake mac and cheese uncovered for 25-30 minutes until melted and bubbly.
Notes
Shredded Cheese Blend:
1 cup sharp cheddar
½ cup white cheddar
½ cup mozzarella
½ cup Asiago
½ cup Parmesan
For a pre-shredded mix, 1.5 cups of Triple Cheddar Blend and 1.5 cups of Italian Blend can be used.
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!