Five Cheese Baked Macaroni

Creamy, dreamy, and cheesier than ever.

Mac and cheese is, definitively, one of the best foods that exists, and in my humble opinion is the best food on any Thanksgiving table. Any table that doesn’t have it is egregiously missing out. With that said, I have a few rules that are non-negotiable for mac and cheese. I don’t want bread crumbs, and I don’t want any fancy additions like lobster or caramelized onions. And it absolutely HAS to be baked — no exceptions. I like to keep it pretty simple with my mac and cheese with just a few crucial seasonings and a classic bechamel sauce (a bechamel sauce is just fat, flour, and milk — it yields the creamiest sauce and is absolutely essential), but one thing I do not skimp on is cheese. I went back and forth a lot with this recipe, trying to decide if five cheeses was really necessary. The truth is, every cheese offers something unique to the mac: 

Sharp cheddar: tangy and savory, with a distinct bite. 

Mozzarella: ideal for melting, produces the perfect cheese pull. 

Colby Jack: mild, sweet, and creamy — balances out the boldness of the other cheeses. 

Gruyère: nutty, slightly sweet, and earthy. Melts beautifully. 

Smoked Gouda: smoky and unexpected. 

With that said, you can absolutely mix and match these cheeses to your own taste, and you don’t need to use all five if you don’t want to. You’ll still want six cups of cheese total; so feel free to use, for instance, 3 cups of sharp cheddar, 2 cups of Colby Jack, and 1 cup of mozzarella. This recipe is designed to be customizable, so really any variation on the cheeses is fine — though I think using all five cheeses is what makes this mac so special and great! I do recommend including the sharp cheddar for that classic mac and cheese flavor and color, as well as the mozzarella  for that perfect cheese pull. 

This indulgent five cheese mac is the ultimate comfort food, and it might steal the show from all your other sides. Creamy, tangy, and nutty from the variety of cheeses, its flavor profile couldn’t be richer or more unique. Let’s get to the recipe! 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (8 oz) grated sharp cheddar cheese

• 1 cup (4 oz) grated mozzarella cheese

• 1 cup grated Colby Jack cheese

• 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese

• 1 cup grated smoked gouda cheese

• 1 lb dried elbow pasta

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 and 1/2 cups whole milk

• 2 and 1/2 cups heavy cream

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon ground mustard

• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika 

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Chopped parsley, for garnish 

Directions:

We’ll start with grating our cheeses. MAKE SURE TO GRATE YOUR OWN CHEESE! This is essential. Pre-shredded cheeses contain anti-caking agents like potato starch, which prevent the cheese from fully melting. To make grating your cheeses easier, you can pop them in the freezer for a few minutes so they firm up. Feel free to do this step ahead of time. 

Divide the cheese in half: half the mixture (3 cups) will go in our cheese sauce, and the other half will be used to layer and top our mac. 

Preheat your oven to 350F and grease a 9x13 baking dish with a tablespoon of softened butter. 

Once your cheeses are grated, it’s time to cook your pasta. Since the pasta will continue to cook in the oven, we want to make sure it’s fully al dente. As such, I recommend cooking the pasta 1-2 minutes under what it says on the package. Season your pasta water GENEROUSLY (like two big pinches) with kosher salt. Doing so is our only opportunity to actually season the pasta from the inside out. 

When the pasta is cooked, drain and set aside. 

It’s now time to work on our roux. Roux’s can feel intimidating — trust me, this will be simple! In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Allow it to fully melt, but don’t let it get brown. Once the butter is melted, add in your flour.  Cook for one to two minutes, whisking often. We want to cook out the grittiness of the flour.  Next, slowly add the mixture of milk and cream, about a half a cup at a time. It’ll look like lumpy mashed potatoes, but keep whisking. Continue to whisk to avoid clumps — the sauce should thicken significantly and become smooth now. If it’s still gritty, keep cooking. 

Season your sauce with the listed spices, and add salt and pepper to taste. Feel free to play around with the amounts here — if you’d like more or less of anything, go for it. I do recommend including the smoked paprika, though: it imparts a beautiful smoky flavor to the mac. Add in the sour cream (for tanginess) and stir to combine. 

It’s time to incorporate our cheese. Cut the heat on the stove completely (high heat can denature the proteins in the cheese, causing it to curdle), and add the cheese about half a cup at a time, stirring until combined. The sauce is done when the cheeses are fully incorporated with no visible lumps. Taste your sauce for flavor and adjust the seasonings as needed. 

Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to fold the cheese sauce in to the pasta, making sure it’s fully incorporated. 

Transfer 1/2 of the pasta and sauce to your prepared baking dish. Layer 1/2 of the reserved cheeses on top. Repeat this step once more, alternating layering the pasta and grated cheeses, ending with a generous final layer of cheese on top to get crispy in the oven.  

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top layer is bubbly and golden brown. You can optionally broil the mac and cheese for 2-3 minutes to ensure that the top browns. 

Top with chopped parsley and enjoy!