The highly requested 5 cheese macaroni and cheese recipe is finally here! No need to look any further, this recipe will be your go to for all things mac. If you are like me and you prefer your macaroni more on the creamy side then go ahead and jump down to the recipe!
Mac and cheese is one of my favorite comfort foods. There are so many variations of it all over the internet, whether it be seafood, baked, one cheese or five. This recipe is pretty simple and doesn’t require any complicated cooking skills. It doesn’t even require a roux! Just avoid over cooking the noodles, bring the cream to a boil and make sure the stove is either off or on low heat when stirring in the cheeses.
Pro tips:
Shred your own cheese – for an even better result, shred your own cheeses instead of buying the pre-shredded cheese in the grocery store. If you’ve ever opened a bag of pre-shredded cheese, you’ll notice a powdery substance on each shred. This keeps the cheese from clumping in the packaging and also affects how it melts.
Slightly undercook noodles – after cooking the noodles, the elbows will be again boiled in cream and then baked. All of this cooking can make the noodles become too soft if they were overcooked to begin with. To avoid this, slightly undercook the noodles when you first boil them. You’ll want them to still have a little bit of a bite.
Use your favorite cheeses: there are many variations of this recipe, so feel free to freestyle it! If theres a particular cheese that you love and melts well, use it. If you’re looking for that stringy cheese pull, use extra mozzarella. For that extra little something, do not forget the garlic and herb cream cheese spread. My preference is Boursin, but there are many brands that offer the same type of cheese.
5 Cheese Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb Elbow noodles
- 4 tbsp Butter
- 1/2 qt Heavy Cream
- 1 cup Sharp cheddar cheese 1/2c reserved for top
- 1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup Gouda cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup Colby jack cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup Garlic and herb cream cheese
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp adobo seasoning
Instructions
- Fill a medium sized pot with water and over high heat bring to a boil.
- Make sure the water is salted before adding elbow noodles.
- Boil the noodles for about 8 minutes until about 90% cooked or al dente.
- Strain and return back into the pot.
- Add heavy cream and bring to a boil.
- Once at a boil, bring the pot down to the lowest heat and stir in butter, garlic and herb cream cheese and the other cheeses.
- If the cheese becomes too stringy, add a bit more cream or milk for a creamy consistency.
- Pour into a baking dish and top with the remaining cheddar cheese
- Broil on high for 5 minutes or until golden brown
