Creamy Baked Four Cheese Macaroni and Cheese

Creamy Baked Four Cheese Macaroni and Cheese

This creamy four-cheese macaroni and cheese is the ultimate comfort food side dish for any holiday gathering. Made with four different cheeses, all melted into a remarkably creamy, decadent sauce, then baked to golden perfection. It's the side that everyone will be talking about.

Course Side Dish

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 23

Total Time 1 3

Servings

Calories 719kcal

Author Rebecca Taig

Ingredients

8 ounces elbow macaroni noodles, (see notes for gluten-free)
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
4 ounces mild cheddar cheese, shredded
2 ounces Gouda, shredded
2 ounces Gruyere, shredded
3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons (25g) all-purpose flour, (see notes for gluten-free)
1 ½ cups (360ml) whole milk
1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
½ cup (120g) sour cream
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Grate the cheese. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x9 or 8×11-inch baking dish. Set aside. Then, use your method of choice—a cheese grater or a stand mixer attachment—to grate the cheese. You should have a total of 16 ounces of grated cheese. Set aside 8 ounces to sprinkle on top of the dish before baking.
(I shred all four blocks of cheese using my Fresh Prep Shredder KitchenAid Attachment.)
Boil the noodles. On medium-high heat, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add half a tablespoon of salt and the macaroni noodles. Cook according to package instructions until the pasta is al dente—this usually takes about 9 minutes. Drain the pasta using a colander and set it aside.
Make the roux. Return the pot to the burner and turn the heat down to medium-low. Add the butter to the pot. Once it's melted, add the flour and whisk constantly for one minute to form the roux.
Make the béchamel sauce. Drizzle the milk and heavy cream into the roux slowly, whisking constantly to break up any lumps. Continue adding the remaining liquid as the sauce thickens until it is all incorporated.
Turn off the heat and remove the pot from the burner. The mixture should read between 140°F-180°F on an instant-read thermometer before you add the cheese.
This precise low-heat method ensures the cheese emulsifies beautifully, guaranteeing a remarkably creamy sauce that is not grainy or broken.
Add the cheese. You'll need eight ounces of grated cheese for the sauce. Add it in a third at a time, whisking until each portion is melted before adding the next.
If the mixture’s temperature drops too low, you can briefly return it to the stove over very low heat to encourage the last bit of cheese to melt. However, you must be extremely careful: overcooking the sauce at this point will cause it to split. (It's perfectly fine if a few small strands of cheese remain—they'll continue melting.)
Add the flavor enhancements. Now, add the sour cream, garlic powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and Dijon mustard. Whisk until the sauce is completely smooth.
Add the noodles. Using a rubber spatula, fold the macaroni noodles into the cheese sauce and mix until fully coated. Pour the mixture into the greased casserole dish.
Top with cheese. Sprinkle the remaining eight ounces of grated cheese evenly over the top, then cover the dish with aluminum foil.
Bake. Place your baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 18 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and broil for 3–5 minutes, or until the topping reaches your preferred golden perfection. Let the mac and cheese rest for 10 minutes, lightly covered, before serving.

Notes

Always use block cheese, then grate or shred it yourself: Pre-shredded varieties contain anti-caking agents that ruin the texture and prevent that remarkably creamy finish. I shred all 4 blocks using my Fresh Prep Shredder KitchenAid Attachment.

Shredder Instructions:

Assemble the shredding attachment onto your stand mixer, using the $6text{mm}$ coarse blade. Place a bowl beneath to collect the cheese.

Cut the cheese into $1text{-inch}$ blocks. With the mixer set to a speed of 3 or 4, feed the cheese blocks through the tube and into the bowl.

Gluten-Free: You'll need one 8-ounce box of gluten-free elbow pasta. We love using Jovial's gluten-free elbows and Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour for the roux.

Nutrition