Creamy Baked Four-Cheese Mac and Cheese

Creamy Baked Four-Cheese Mac and Cheese is a staple recipe that is enjoyed in many households at pretty much any time of the year. It's the one recipe that every cook should have; it's perfect for serving at any gathering and is the quintessential comfort food.

Macaroni and cheese recipes can become the topic of "healthy" discussion when speaking on its preparation. It seems there are a lot of versions out there that we've all grown to know and love; hence there are multiple ways to make it.

Some prefer to make it on the stovetop while others bake it. The cheese you'll use will also vary as well as the technique --- and the technique is where the real difference lies.

The mac and cheese I grew up on is very different than the mac and cheese I now make for my family.

Growing up, a baked mixture of cooked macaroni, milk (whole, evaporated, heavy cream, or half-and-half), cheddar cheese, and sometimes eggs was always the foundation. This is what I call traditional Southern Mac and Cheese.

However, my version using a Béchamel sauce (technically a Mornay sauce) gives my recipe a distinct creaminess and results in super creamy mac and cheese.

You know I wasn't going to toot my own horn here, but this is some of the best baked mac and cheese I have ever made.

So what is a béchamel or mornay sauce?

There are five core sauces used in most French cuisine (AKA "the five mother French sauces"), and they are hollandaise, velouté, tomato, espagnole, and of course, béchamel.

Béchamel is basically a white sauce made from a roux (flour and butter) plus milk. It can add an amazingly creamy and rich texture to almost any dish and becomes the base for many other sauces, like Mornay.

Mornay is created when you take béchamel sauce and add cheese to it like Gruyère, Parmesan, or cheddar.

Which cheeses should I use?

I chose to go with four different kinds of cheese to match the flavor profile I was going after. I think this team of cheeses is a great combination for this mac and cheese recipe:

• Sharp or medium cheddar is a tangy cheese with more complex and deeper flavors. Because this cheese is aged longer, it has a more sharp and pronounced cheddar flavor.
• White cheddar is a New York-style Cheddar that has a sharp and buttery flavor as well but tends to be milder than the sharp cheddar above.
• Gouda is characterized by its rich, nutty, and caramel-like flavor paired with its smooth and creamy texture. It's a household favorite that I use in many recipes.
• Mozzarella has a distinct but mild, somewhat salty flavor and does a great job picking up flavors from other ingredients. I can eat mozzarella on anything you can put cheese over.

Let's dig a little deeper into the mac and cheese ingredients:

• The most popular pasta to use is an elbow or macaroni pasta if you make mac and cheese. I prefer the large shells as the narrow tubes are larger and can carry a little more of that creamy cheese sauce.
• I discussed in detail a little earlier about the cheese. I chose cheddar cheese, gouda, white cheddar cheese, and mozzarella.
• I use chicken stock to make my cheese sauce, and it adds the saltiness needed without oversalting the dish with a lot of salt directly.
• The two ingredients to make my roux are butter and all-purpose flour.
• And to create the béchamel, I add heavy whipping cream.
• For my seasonings and herbs, I added garlic, oregano, thyme, and Himalayan salt.

How to make baked macaroni and cheese:

• Begin by cooking your macaroni pasta as instructed, draining, and adding the pasta to a large bowl.
• Next, let's work on the sauce while the pasta is cooking. You will begin by adding the butter, garlic, and flour into your cooking pan, stirring these ingredients together until the butter has melted.
• Add the chicken stock and heavy whipping cream to the pan and stir until it begins to bind. Follow this up by sprinkling all the seasonings evenly over the top of the sauce.
• Add the shredded sharp cheddar cheese, shredded Gouda cheese, and shredded white cheddar cheese to the pan. Stir ingredients until it is well blended, creamy, and smooth.
• Chop your mozzarella cheese block into chunks and set to the side.
• Over the cooked pasta, pour the sauce, and add the cheese blocks. Now fold everything together.
• Pour all ingredients into a casserole dish then top off with the shredded medium cheddar cheese.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, remove from the oven, and it's ready to go!

Can I store this mac and cheese?

What I love about this recipe is it is great days after making it. It's almost as if the cheese melts all over again. And that's because of the base béchamel/mornay sauce. You can place any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

This crowd-pleasing mac and cheese recipe is one that your family will love any day of the week and any time of the year. If you want to make a great impression, give this recipe a try, and you will not regret it. It's a good one!

Love mac and cheese? Then you must try my...

• Brisket Mac and Cheese
• Chicken Meatball Mac & Cheese

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