Four Cheese Mac and Cheese
This creamy four cheese mac and cheese with a crispy top will please your entire family! Eat it by itself or as a side dish in a BBQ or family dinner.
Equipment
- 9 x 9" square baking pan
Ingredients
Pasta:
- 16 ounces Cavatappi pasta, or your favorite pasta
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup Havarti cheese, grated
- 1 cup sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, low moisture, grated
- 1/4 cup parmesan, grated
Crunchy Topping:
- 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup panko
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup parmesan, grated
- 1 tsp salt
- fresh parsley, chopped to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bring water to a boil in a large pan, making sure to salt it generously. Once boiling, add in pasta and cook until Al dente, according to the box instructions.
- While the pasta is cooking, add the butter to a medium saucepan. Once the butter has melted, add in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Whisk in flour and until it is completely absorbed. Slowly whisk in the heavy cream, until smooth. Add in the nutmeg, paprika, salt and pepper and allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Whisk in all the cheeses a little at a time until completely melted, continue to simmer for a couple minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the Dijon mustard and additional salt and pepper to taste. If the cheese sauce is too thick, thin it out with a little more heavy whipping cream.
- Once pasta has finished cooking, strain it and put it back in the pan. Then pour the cheese sauce over it, stir until incorporated. Transfer the mac n cheese to a greased, medium-sized casserole dish.
- Add both breadcrumbs and 2 tablespoons of butter to a medium skillet and toast until breadcrumbs are golden brown. Remove from heat and add the Parmesan cheese and salt. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top of the mac and cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes and serve immediately, garnish with the fresh parsley.