Kraft macaroni and cheese is obviously the easiest, and claims the cheesiest Mac and Cheese. This variation of the classic adds Gruyere and Gouda cheeses, and for a cheese lover, I think it can actually claim the title of the CHEESIEST. I like making a huge pan of this and having it for a couple days of left over’s or a great, easy meal for entertaining. It is also really good frozen. There are tons of things that can be added in as well, I have tried tomatoes, spinach, pancetta and mushrooms before. You could also replace the ham with rotisserie chicken. I also couldn’t find macaroni at Trader Joe’s this time, so I ended up with a penne, which was still delicious!
Ingredients:
½ shallot chopped
2 slices of ham
1/3 lb Gruyere cheese (about ½ c chopped into small pieces)
1/3 lb Gouda cheese (about ½ c chopped into small pieces)
½ lb sharp cheddar cheese (about 1 c. chopped or shredded) plus ¼ c for topping.
¼ c grated parmesan cheese
¼ bread crumbs
2 tbs olive oil
3 tbs white wine
1 tsp white truffle oil (opt)
Salt and Pepper
1 lb pasta (macaroni, penne, etc.)
1 serving white sauce (see recipe below)
Heat oven to 350F. Boil water for pasta. When boiling add pasta and cook until soft, but not overcooked. Drain and place aside. Heat olive oil in sauce pan. Add shallots and ham. Cook for approximately 4 minutes on medium heat. Remove from saucepan and place aside. Make white sauce as shown below. For this one I replaced about a ¼ of the milk with cream, but milk will work just as well. With heat on low, add Gouda, Gruyere and cheddar cheeses a little at a time, allowing to melt. Add salt and pepper to taste, white wine and white truffle oil if you have it. Mix shallots and ham back into cheese sauce. In a pyrex pan (9”x12”) mix cheese sauce and pasta. Sprinkle grated cheddar, parmesan and bread crumbs on top. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. ENJOY!
White Sauce
This recipe comes straight from my mom’s home ec classes and is a great recipe to know for sauces, gravies, etc.
2 tbs butter
2 tbs flour
1 c. milk
Over medium heat, melt butter. Remove from heat and stir in flour until smooth. Slowly stir in milk until smooth and return to heat until sauce is thick. For other dishes you can replace the milk with water, broth, cream or any combinations of these. Instead of butter you can use olive oil, margarine, or pan drippings from a meat for a gravy. To make a thicker sauce use 3 tbs of butter and 3 tbs of flour. For a thinner sauce, use only 1 tbs of butter and 1 tbs of flour.
½ shallot chopped
2 slices of ham
1/3 lb Gruyere cheese (about ½ c chopped into small pieces)
1/3 lb Gouda cheese (about ½ c chopped into small pieces)
½ lb sharp cheddar cheese (about 1 c. chopped or shredded) plus ¼ c for topping.
¼ c grated parmesan cheese
¼ bread crumbs
2 tbs olive oil
3 tbs white wine
1 tsp white truffle oil (opt)
Salt and Pepper
1 lb pasta (macaroni, penne, etc.)
1 serving white sauce (see recipe below)
Heat oven to 350F. Boil water for pasta. When boiling add pasta and cook until soft, but not overcooked. Drain and place aside. Heat olive oil in sauce pan. Add shallots and ham. Cook for approximately 4 minutes on medium heat. Remove from saucepan and place aside. Make white sauce as shown below. For this one I replaced about a ¼ of the milk with cream, but milk will work just as well. With heat on low, add Gouda, Gruyere and cheddar cheeses a little at a time, allowing to melt. Add salt and pepper to taste, white wine and white truffle oil if you have it. Mix shallots and ham back into cheese sauce. In a pyrex pan (9”x12”) mix cheese sauce and pasta. Sprinkle grated cheddar, parmesan and bread crumbs on top. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. ENJOY!
White Sauce
This recipe comes straight from my mom’s home ec classes and is a great recipe to know for sauces, gravies, etc.
2 tbs butter
2 tbs flour
1 c. milk
Over medium heat, melt butter. Remove from heat and stir in flour until smooth. Slowly stir in milk until smooth and return to heat until sauce is thick. For other dishes you can replace the milk with water, broth, cream or any combinations of these. Instead of butter you can use olive oil, margarine, or pan drippings from a meat for a gravy. To make a thicker sauce use 3 tbs of butter and 3 tbs of flour. For a thinner sauce, use only 1 tbs of butter and 1 tbs of flour.
