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Who doesn’t love mac and cheese? Macaroni and Cheese with Gouda is a step above. The perfect comfort food – creamy, cheesy, and oh-so-satisfying. We took this classic dish one step further and added a delicious twist. Gouda cheese, with its smoky flavor and smooth, creamy texture, is the perfect addition to the beloved macaroni and cheese dish.
What Are The Ingredients In Macaroni And Cheese With Gouda?
A printable recipe card with quantities and instructions can be found below.
- Pasta – Any type of pasta noodle can be used, but pasta with texture is best. Noodles such as rotini, penne, or rigatoni have the nooks and crannies that the cheese can hold onto. Traditional elbow macaroni can be used, but it won’t grab the cheese as well.
- Butter and Flour – Butter and flour create the roux that the sauce is built upon. They are used together as a thickener for the cheese sauce.
- Half and Half – Instead of milk, half and half is used for an ultra-rich and creamy sauce. Half and half is added to the roux and thickened before the cheese is added.
- Gouda Cheese – The smooth smoky flavor of Gouda is amazing in this recipe.
- Sharp Cheddar – Not only does sharp Cheddar give a great flavor, but it also subtly provides a little bit of the yellow color that most people are used to in macaroni and cheese.
- Salt, Pepper, and Paprika – Spices are necessary ingredients in Mac and Cheese. They provide additional flavors behind the cheese and noodles. The great thing about spices are they completely customizable. For example, we like a lot more pepper than most, so when I make it for our family, I use more than 1 tsp. This can be adjusted to you and your families taste.
How To Prepare Macaroni And Cheese With Gouda?
- Begin by bringing a large pot of water to a boil.
- Add in the pasta and return to a boil. Stir occasionally to keep the noodles from sticking together.
- While the pasta is boiling, melt a stick of butter in a large pot (I use my Le Creuset 4.5 quart Dutch oven for almost everything). Add in the flour and whisk for a minute.
- Add in the half and half and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly to prevent clumping. Allow to simmer for 3 minutes, continuing whisking. Whisk in the spices.
- Remove from heat and whisk in the cheese a cup at a time, only adding additional cheese after the previous batch has melted.
- Once the noodles are al dente (tender but chewy), remove from heat and drain them in a colander.
- Add drained noodles and stir well.
- Enjoy!
Tips
- Do not start adding the cheese until the pot has been removed from the heat and is no longer boiling. If it is too hot the cheese will separate.
- Be sure not to overcook the pasta; it will become mushy when mixed with the cheese sauce.
Variations
- Milk can be used in place of the half-and-half or you can do a combination of the two.
- In place of the cheddar cheese, you could make the entire cheese sauce from Gouda. Just eliminate the cheddar and replace it with additional Gouda.
Macaroni And Cheese With Gouda
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 12 oz pasta noodles
- 6 TBSP butter
- 4 TBSP flour
- 4 cups half and half
- 3 cups gouda, shredded
- 1 cup sharp cheddar, shredded
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp paprika
Instructions
- In a large pot, bring water to a boil.
- Add in the pasta and stir. Continue stirring occasionally to prevent the noodles from sticking together.
- While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter on low heat in another large pot. Once the butter is fully melted, add the flour and whisk for one minute.
- Increase the temperature of the butter mixture to low-medium heat and slowly add in half and half.
- Stirring constantly, bring the roux to a simmer, and allow it to thicken (about three minutes).
- Remove the roux from the heat and slowly add in the cheese, about a cup at a time. Whisk while adding the cheese and allow it to fully melt before adding additional cheese.
- When the pasta is al dente, remove from heat and drain well.
- Once the pasta has been drained, and the cheese sauce has melted, add the pasta to the cheese mixture. Stir well and season with the spices.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Pasta noodles such as penne, rigatoni, or rotini have nooks and crannies that hold all the cheesy goodness.
- You can substitute milk for the half and half.
- You can substitute extra Gouda in place of the cheddar cheese.
- Freshly shredded cheese melts far better than pre-shredded due to the anti-clumping ingredient. I use my food processor for easy shredding.
- Category: Side Dishes
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American