Description

This Creamy Mac ‘n Cheese is made super rich and creamy with sharp white cheddar and gruyere cheeses. Crispy bacon makes it undeniably marvelous. This dish is best enjoyed immediately. Typically not a problem 🙂

Scale

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups whole milk
4 TB salted butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dried yellow mustard powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/4 cups good quality gruyere cheese, freshly grated
1 1/4 cups good quality sharp white cheddar cheese, freshly grated
2/3 cup good quality parmesan cheese, freshly grated
2 1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni noodles
4 slices thick-cut bacon, browned and crumbled

Instructions

In a large microwavable bowl, heat milk in microwave until warm. Cover and set aside.
Fill up a large pot with salted water. Bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt butter and add flour. Whisk briskly and constantly for about 4 minutes or until the roux is golden yellow and completely smooth (no longer grainy at all.) Add warm milk and whisk until thick and bubbly. Add salt, mustard, cayenne, black pepper, and cheeses. Stir until cheeses are melted and sauce is smooth and creamy. Cover and set aside to keep warm.
Add uncooked macaroni noodles to the large pot of boiling water. Cook until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain cooked macaroni in a colander and transfer drained noodles back into the empty large pot.
Using a rubber spatula, transfer cheese sauce into the pot with cooked/drained macaroni and stir until well coated.
Serve immediately with cooked/crumbled bacon.

Notes

Gluten-free flour can be used in lieu of regular flour for the butter-flour roux. Be sure to whisk roux until silky smooth without any grainy texture before adding in rest of ingredients. Gluten-free macaroni can be used in place of regular macaroni.

Keywords: macaroni and cheese