THREE CHEESE MAC AND CHEESE

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Homemade Baked Mac and Cheese made with three melted cheeses and a silky cream sauce, rich, bubbling, and impossibly creamy. Layered with Emmental, mozzarella, and gouda, this is the ultimate comfort food recipe that turns simple pantry staples into something deeply indulgent you'll want to make again and again.

Rezept drucken Pin Recipe

Gericht: Side Dish

Küche: Amerikanisch

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Zutaten

Mac and Cheese

250 g pasta rigatoni, penne, or macaroni
180 g cooking cream 12% fat•
200 g heavy cream
50 g sweetened condensed milk
250 g Emmental freshly grated
250 g mozzarella freshly grated
150 g gouda freshly grated
30 g butter
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
Salt pepper, curry, turmeric, paprika, and roasted chicken seasoning, to taste

Kochutensilien

Method

Cook the pasta

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until it is still noticeably firm, about 2 minutes less than the package instructions. Drain and set aside. Do not rinse.

Build the roux

In a wide, heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once foaming, add the flour and stir constantly for about 1 minute until the mixture is golden and smells slightly nutty.

Add the cream

Pour in the cooking cream and heavy cream gradually, whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often, until it begins to thicken slightly.

Melt in the cheese

Reduce the heat to low. Add the grated Emmental, mozzarella, and gouda in batches, stirring between each addition until fully melted and the sauce is completely smooth and glossy.

Season the sauce

Add salt, pepper, curry, turmeric, paprika, and roasted chicken seasoning to taste. Stir well and taste again — the sauce should be bold and well-seasoned since the pasta will absorb and dilute the flavors slightly during baking.

Combine pasta and sauce

Add the drained pasta directly into the cheese sauce and stir until every piece is evenly coated. The mixture should look saucier than you expect at this point — that is correct.

Transfer to baking dish

Pour the mac and cheese into a large baking dish and spread it out evenly. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Bake covered

Place in a preheated oven at 180°C (355°F) and bake covered for 25 minutes until the sauce is bubbling around the edges and the pasta has absorbed the cream.

Bake uncovered

Remove the foil and bake for a further 5 minutes until the top is lightly golden and the surface has a slight blister and color.

Rest and serve

Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Scoop generous portions directly from the dish and serve immediately.

Notizen

Ingredient Notes

Pasta — Use a short, tubular pasta shape like rigatoni, penne, or classic elbow macaroni. Tubes and ridges catch the cream sauce inside and out, ensuring every single bite is coated and flavorful rather than sitting in a pool of sauce at the bottom of the dish.

Cooking Cream (12% fat) — The lighter cream forms the base of the sauce and keeps it fluid enough to coat the pasta evenly without the dish becoming overly heavy. It blends seamlessly with the heavy cream to create a sauce that is rich but not cloying.

Heavy Cream — The heavy cream adds body and richness to the sauce and helps it hold together in the oven without splitting. It is what gives the finished dish that glossy, luxurious look when you scoop it out.

Condensed Milk — A small but impactful addition to the cream sauce. The 50g of sweetened condensed milk adds a subtle, rounded sweetness and an extra layer of creaminess that balances the sharpness of the Emmental and the bold spice blend without making the dish taste sweet. It also helps the sauce stay silky and smooth in the oven, preventing it from drying out during the bake.

Emmental — A classic Swiss cheese with a firm texture and a nutty, slightly sharp flavor that adds real depth and character to the sauce. It melts cleanly and evenly, making it ideal for a cream-based cheese sauce.

Mozzarella — The mozzarella is responsible for the stretch. It melts into long, glossy ribbons throughout the sauce and gives the mac and cheese that pulled, gooey quality that makes it so visually satisfying and texturally irresistible.

Gouda — Mild, buttery, and beautifully creamy when melted, gouda is the glue that holds the cheese blend together and rounds out the stronger flavors of the Emmental with a smooth, approachable richness.

Butter and Flour — Together they form a quick roux that acts as the thickening agent for the sauce, giving it body and helping it cling to every piece of pasta rather than pooling at the bottom of the baking dish.

Spice Blend — Curry, turmeric, paprika, and roasted chicken seasoning work together to add warmth, color, and a savory complexity to the cream sauce that elevates it far beyond a simple salt and pepper base.

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