In my opinion, mac and cheese should be creamy and gooey. But all too often I see people serving mac and cheese that is a solid mass of greasy, dry pasta. That happens mainly because the mac and cheese is overcooked, causing the fat to separate from the cheese. If that’s how you like your mac and cheese, okay. Keep doing it that way. But, if, like me, you want your mac and cheese to be creamy and flavourful, then keep reading because this four-cheese mac and cheese is everything you’ve ever dreamed of and more. As always, you can find the recipe directly below, but keep reading for some helpful tips and a more thorough recipe breakdown.

The Four Cheeses

The essential part of any mac and cheese is the cheese. That’s where the flavour and texture of the finished product come from. For my money, I prefer a four-cheese mac and cheese. I find that using four types of cheese allows me to add the maximum amount of flavour while also getting the gooey texture of a great mac and cheese. Remember, the cheese you use matters—the better the cheese, the better the mac and cheese. It should be obvious but it isn’t always. One vitally important thing is that you don’t use pre-grated cheese. Pre-grated cheese is dusted with an anti-clumping agent that will affect the texture of your mac and cheese. Buy good quality cheese and grate it yourself. It will not take that much more time or effort and it will make all the difference in quality.

My cheese selection

For this four-cheese mac and cheese recipe, I used sharp aged cheddar, a good quality full-fat mozzarella, Parmigiano Reggiano and a little bit of gorgonzola. The cheddar and the parmesan add the umami flavour that is often missing from mac and cheese, while the mozzarella adds a silky string texture. The blue cheese, which I used very little of, really sets this mac and cheese apart. That small amount of funk and tang from the blue cheese stands out and balances the flavour of the mac and cheese.

Making Bechamel Sauce – The Base Of Mac and Cheese

I’ve talked excessively in numerous different posts about making a bechamel sauce, so I’m not going to get into too much detail here. But if you’d like to read more about it, you can check out this post. When making a bechamel into a cheese sauce, the vital thing to keep in mind is to cook the bechamel for about 10 minutes while whisking, then whisk in the cheese little bits at a time. If you throw all the cheese in at once, there will likely be a separation of the fat from the solids, and you will end up with greasy mac and cheese.

Making Bechamel into a Cheese Sauce

Once the bechamel is made, whisk in the cheese little by little until it is all fully incorporated. Once that’s done, taste the sauce and adjust the season as needed with a bit of salt and pepper. I also like to add a few drops of lemon juice to brighten the flavour.

Making Mac and Cheese

While making the cheese sauce, I was also cooking the pasta for my four-cheese mac and cheese. I used an entire box of Catelli Gluten-Free Macaroni, but you can use whatever pasta you’d like. My only suggestion is to cook the pasta for about a minute less than the package instructions suggest since it is going to be cooked again in the oven. Drain the pasta well, then mix with the sauce and pour into a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish.

Cheesy Breadcrumb Topping

To make the cheese breadcrumb topping combine about a cup of dried gluten-free breadcrumbs (or regular ones) with parmesan, cheddar, and mozzarella cheese. Season the mixture with salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. You can find all the measurements in the recipe above. Mix well.

Topping and Baking The Mac and Cheese

Top the mac and cheese with the cheesy breadcrumb topping and bake in a 375°F until the sauce bubbles around the edges and the topping is golden brown. It should take about 20 minutes.

Serving the Four-Cheese Mac and Cheese

Take the make and cheese out of the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving. The finished mac and cheese should be stable enough to be cut with a knife and stand up on its own but should still be cream and gooey. Delicious!

The Wrap-Up

This mac and cheese can be served as a side dish with ham, ribs, roasted or grilled chicken, roast or pulled pork. Or…you can have it as is. Either way, I am confident that this is a recipe that you will come back to again and again. I know I do. Suppose you want to get a little crazy. In that case, you can mix some cooked and crumbled bacon into the breadcrumb mixture and another cup of grated mozzarella into the mix once the pasta and sauce have been incorporated for a bit of extra gooeyness.

Thanks for reading, have a great week and remember to subscribe to the blog below so you never miss a post.

Decadent Four-Cheese Mac and Cheese

If you are looking for a recipe for creamy, gooey mac and cheese look no further. You've come to the right place. This four-cheese mac and cheese recipe has everything you could want from mac and cheese and more.

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Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Canadian

Keyword: mac and cheese, pasta

Servings: 12 servings

Author: Chef Ben Kelly

Ingredients

• 340 g dried gluten-free macaroni pasta or non-gluten free pasta

Cheese Sauce

• 3 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp gluten-free all-purpose flour or regular all-purpose flour
• 1 L whole milk
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp crumbled blue Cheese
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste

Breadcrumb Topping

• 1 cup gluten-free toasted breadcrumbs or regular toasted breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Instructions

• Put a large pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil. Cook the pasta for one minute less than the package suggests.

Cheese Sauce

• Put a medium pot on the stove on medium heat. Add the butter. Once the butter starts to melt, add in the flour. Stir to full combine the two. Cook, stirring for 2 minutes.
• Whisk the milk into the flour and butter. Turn the heat down to medium-low.
• Add the onion powder and garlic powder and cook, whisking for about ten minutes or until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon and no longer tastes like raw flour
• Start whisking in the cheese little bits at a time until all the cheese has been incorporated.
• Season the sauce with salt and pepper as needed. Add a few drops of lemon juice to brighten the flavour.

Breadcrumb Topping

• In a medium mixing bowl combine the breadcrumbs with the cheddar cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Mac and Cheese

• Add the cooked and drained pasta to the sauce and stir to fully combine the two.
• Pour the pasta into a 9×13 casserole dish.
• Cover the mac and cheese with the breadcrumb mixture and bake at 425°f for 15 to 20 minutes or until the topping has browned.
• Remove the mac and cheese from the oven, let it sit for 10 minutes, then serve.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!