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White Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese

prep

15 Min

cook

40 Min

feeds

3-5

Creamy white cheddar macaroni and cheese! Sharp white cheddar and gruyere cheese add tang and richness to this comfort-food favorite.

Ingredients

2 lbs penne pasta

12 Tablespoons butter, divided

5 1/2 cups milk or whole milk

1/2 cup all purpose flour

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground mustard

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 to 1/2 cayenne pepper (depending on how much heat you prefer)

4 1/2 cups sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded

2 cups gruyere cheese, shredded

1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs

Instructions

Mac & Cheese

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Step 2

Cook pasta 3-4 minutes less that the package instructions indicate.

Step 3

In a large saucepan or skillet, melt 6 Tablespoons of butter over medium heat. When butter is melted, add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add flour, and cook an additional minute. Slowly pour in milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.

Step 4

Remove the saucepan or skillet from heat. Stir in salt, mustard, pepper, cayenne, 3 cups of cheddar and 1 1/2 cups of gruyere cheese. Set cheese sauce aside.

step 5

Transfer the cooked pasted to a colander, rinse under cold water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into cheese sauce.

step 6

Pour the mixture into a large greased, skillet or casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups of white cheddar and 1/2 cup of gruyere cheese on top.

step 7

In a small bowl, melt 3 Tablespoon of butter in microwave, then add Panko breadcrumbs and stir until butter covers breadcrumbs. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top of macaroni.

step 8

Bake until brown on top, about 30 minutes.