In the same pot, melt the butter then add the flour and stir to combine. In a large pot, boil the pasta in heavily salted water until al dente. And, my kids loooooove it. So that’s always good. No baking involved, quadruple cheese threat, classic elbow pasta. This fairly simple, but oh-so-delicious, stove-top recipe is my favorite for weeknight meals. And with so many amazing combinations of cheese types with pasta shapes, I would be doing myself (and you by association) a disservice if I didn’t just keep making more… and more… and more. Mac and cheese will always be my go-to comfort food. Wait, who am I kidding? There is no such thing. (You may run under the broiler for a few minutes to further brown the top, if desired).Yeah, I probably eat way too much macaroni and cheese. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and bake for 25 minutes or until browned on top and bubbling throughout. Transfer pasta mixture to 2-quart baking dish or individual serving dishes such as ramekins, French onion soup bowls, or souffle pans.Melt remaining tablespoon bacon grease (if it’s solidified) and stir in panko bread crumbs and grated Romano cheese.Fold in upland cress leaves and cooked mushrooms. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just al dente.Once cheeses are melted, stir in dry mustard season sauce with salt and pepper as needed. Remove from heat and stir in gouda, cheddar and goat cheese.Let sauce bubble gently until thick, about 5-10 minutes longer, stirring often so it doesn’t scorch on the bottom. Continue cooking, stirring often, until sauce is simmering and thickened, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add two more tablespoons of bacon fat to the pan.Return 1 tablespoon of bacon fat to the pan used to cook the bacon, and saute mushrooms until soft.In small saucepan, heat milk to just below a simmer.If not, you will need to substitute with butter). Drain on paper towels, reserve bacon fat. In a large saute pan, cook bacon until crispy.(Full disclosure: I had no idea upland cress existed until I saw it at the store… it has a mild peppery taste, similar to watercress). But you could use any pasta that has good nooks for holding the sauce such as traditional elbows, penne, or other hollow shaped noodle.Īdd-ins: Just because I can’t help myself, I also decided to add some sautéed shiitake mushrooms for texture and some upland cress for color.
#GOUDA AND GOAT CHEESE MAC AND CHEESE FOR MAC#
I love it for mac and cheese because it’s a fun shape and great for holding all the cheesy goodness. (Ignore the label on my container… I mis-wrote when I labeled). Pasta: I still had some cavatappi in the cupboard leftover from my lobster macaroni and cheese, so I used that.
Their meat sticks get me through my 3 hour shows in the mornings, and I was pumped to discover they also make things like smoked ham and bacon.
I’ve recently fallen in love with the products from Vermont Smoke and Cure. I’m using it as an add-in, and also as my fat for making the sauce. And for a little tang and extra creaminess, I also added some goat cheese (cream cheese would also work if you’re looking to save a little money or if you already have some on hand).īacon: Also a star ingredient here. I also had some white cheddar in the fridge, so I used some of that. It’s a cross between a traditional creamy gouda and fine-aged nutty Parmesan, which makes it perfect for this recipe. I find smoked gouda to be too strong in taste, so I went with this mild Parrano gouda. Cheese: Obviously the most important ingredient in mac and cheese.