Four Cheese Macaroni and Cheese
So it's been two and a half weeks since I've been home alone. No handsome man. Just me, 2 cats, and a big pot of mac and cheese. Feel sorry for me yet?
I used to be one of those overly independent I-don't-miss-anyone kind of gals. The kind who would take off on holiday by herself for a month with barely a goodbye to the guy she was supposed to miss.
That girl is long gone. I blame my handsome man for being so missable when he's gone.
This über cheesy pot of make-me-feel-better four cheese mac and cheese is doing its job. Maybe too good of a job. Does anyone want to come over and share this with me before I eat the whole pot?
I ordered some mac and cheese the other day at a restaurant hoping to get some inspiration for a mac and cheese project I was working on with Food & Wine Magazine. Ha! Who am kidding? Probably not you guys; you're smarter than that. I just wanted a big pot of cheesy carbs. Mmm, cheesy carbs.
The thing was though that I was thoroughly disappointed with the dry flavorless mess that the waiter handed to me. How do you mess up macaroni and cheese? Seriously, guys, the stuff is easy to make.
If you've never ventured far from ripping open the top of a blue and yellow box I think it's about time. Seriously, you should make this. Tonight. Or better yet, right now. (I'm getting bossy, aren't I?)
The base is made with a béchamel (read: ba sha mel) sauce that you stir some cheese into and pour over the macaroni. Don't be intimidated by the fancy sounding name. It's simple. Really simple. Like butter, flour, and milk kind of simple. Easy.
Also, you can easily make this into a gluten-free macaroni and cheese. Truth is that the pics you see here are of gluten-free pasta and a gluten-free mac and cheese sauce. I had a serious pile of extra gluten-free macaroni after finishing that project I was telling you about. So … I decided to put it to good use and treat my poor, lonely, missing my man self to all those cheesy carbs I was craving. 🙂
If you make this Four Cheese Macaroni and Cheese, make sure to snap a pic and tag @theendlessmeal on Instagram so I can like and comment on your photos. I love seeing TEM recipes you create.
Four Cheese Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- 3 cups elbow macaroni, gluten-free if needed
- ½ cup butter
- 1 medium onion, finely minced
- ½ cup all-purpose flour, gluten-free if needed
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 4 cups whole milk
- 1 ½ cups aged white cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 cup gruyere, grated
- ½ cup fontina, diced
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- Black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the macaroni in a large pot of salted water according to package directions.3 cups elbow macaroni
- Melt the butter in a medium-sized pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until the onion starts to soften but not brown. Add the flour to the pot and stir it continuously for 2-3 minutes, or until it is light brown. Pour the milk into the pot while whisking constantly. It will thicken up a lot at first but then thin as you pour in more milk. Bring the pot to a boil for 2 minutes, or until it has thickened.½ cup butter, 1 medium onion, ½ cup all-purpose flour, 4 cups whole milk
- Lower the heat to medium-low and add the 4 kinds of cheese to the pot in a few additions. Stir the pot until the cheeses have melted then add the dijon mustard, sea salt, and black pepper. Taste the cheese sauce and add more sea salt and pepper if you'd like.1 ½ cups aged white cheddar cheese, 1 cup gruyere, ½ cup fontina, ½ cup grated parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, Black pepper, 1 teaspoon sea salt
- Pour the cheese sauce over the cooked macaroni and dig in right away.
I am making this for a crowd, maybe 12-14 guests. Should I double this recipe, triple?
If you’re serving it as a main course, I would suggest tripling it.
This looks SO GOOD!!! Beautiful!
Love that you said MACARONI & CHEESE…Too many these days say “Mac & Cheese” 🙂
Wishing you a Happy Weekend
Nancy