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Sharing my favorite family dinner today, The Cheese-Maker’s Mac and Cheese from The Half Baked Harvest Cookbook.

Cheese Makers Mac and Cheese | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Cheese Makers Mac and Cheese | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

The Cheese-Maker’s Mac and Cheese

Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 8 servings
Calories Per Serving: 766 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

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Ingredients

  • 7 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups 2% or whole milk
  • 1 pound elbow macaroni
  • 1 garlic clove, minced or grated
  • 1½ cups crushed Ritz Crackers (about 1 sleeve)
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes
  • 1¼ cups shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
  • 1¼ cups shredded fontina cheese
  • 1 cup shredded Havarti cheese
  • 1 cup shredded smoked Gouda cheese
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • Fresh basil leaves, for topping

Instructions

  • 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
    2. In a large saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 1 minute, stirring once to avoid burning—it will bubble. Gradually whisk in the milk and 2 cups of water, then stir in the macaroni. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil. Stir frequently until the macaroni is just al dente, 8 to 10 minutes.
    3. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add the crushed crackers and toss to coat. Toast the crumbs until browned, stirring frequently to avoid burning, for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
    4. When the macaroni is al dente, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cream cheese, cheddar, fontina, Havarti, Gouda, and cayenne and season with salt and pepper. Stir until the cheeses have fully melted. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish.
    5. Evenly sprinkle the toasted cracker crumbs over the mac and cheese and place the baking dish on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crumbs are golden brown and the sauce is bubbling. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes (yeah, right). Garnish with fresh basil. Dig in!
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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    One of the best mac and cheese recipes I’ve eaten! I served this alongside shrimp and lobster for a special occasion dinner, so added some smoked paprika and old bay seasoning but made the rest of the recipe as stated. So delicious!

    Reply

  2. Absolutely loved this recipe. A couple of things. I used mozzarella and, shredded Romano cheese with the cream cheese. i did not add the Cayenne pepper. I did boil the pasta first and drained it, So I did the same thing but with cooked pasta. I used these jalapeno crackers for the topping with some panko bread crumbs, I baked for 20-23 minutes, It was incredible. Unbelievably flavorful. Better then any I had at a restaurant.

    Reply

  3. 5 stars
    Hey Tieghan! I LOVE this recipe, have made it a couple of times and man it is GOOD. Just thinking of adding some broccoli to it – I love cheesy broccoli pasta and it doesn’t hurt to add some green. How do you think I should modify the recipe – if at all – to incorporate?

    Reply

    1. Hey Bree! I would simply stir in 1 cup of broccoli florets when you add the pasta. That will be delicious and work so well! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan

      Reply

    1. HI! I have never made mac and cheese in the crockpot, so I don’t feel comfortable advising you how to do so. I’d have to re-work the recipe and cooking times. So sorry I could not help more. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and happy holidays! xTieghan

      Reply

  5. 5 stars
    This was AMAZING- sooooo good! I used gluten-free flour, pasta and breadcrumbs, tripled the garlic. Definitely the best Mac and cheese I’ve ever tasted. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

  6. Hi, I have some leftover havarti, Gouda, and white cheddar from a cheese board I made this weekend. Found this recipe as a perfect way to use up the rest of it for a thanksgiving side! Could I add a little more of each of those 3 cheeses as a substitute to the fontina or is that critical to add? Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Hey Michelle! You can use those 3 cheeses and omit the fontina. That will be so delicious! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much and happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan

      Reply

  7. Any suggestions for a gluten free version? This looks so amazing but want to avoid my friend breaking out in hives 😉

    Reply

    1. HI! I recommend using a gluten free flour bled in place of the flour and your favorite gluten pasta. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan

      Reply

  8. 4 stars
    Delicious! I was super skeptical about cooking the pasta in the milk+roux base, but especially since I went all in on using my Le Creuset Dutch Oven as a one-pot meal from stove to oven, it definitely made things easier than separately boiling the noodles! I also used “cresto de gallo” noodles, which before I carefully read the name I was thinking looked like a macaroni/dragon hybrid!

    One small request – next time, include the weight of the cheese in addition to the volume! Weighing multiple cheeses and then shredding is a LOT easier for anyone with a kitchen scale (or just buying cheese at the store!) than shredding and transferring into measuring cups. I guessed 14 oz total cheese would be good, but that ended up low on volume when I measured, so I ended up at more like 17 oz total cheese (not including the 4 oz cream cheese), which gave a pretty thick sauce (which was perfect!)

    Reply

  9. 5 stars
    I made this last night and it was the best macaroni and cheese I have ever had. I substituted toasted Panko breadcrumbs instead of Ritz crackers. I used my Dutch Oven for everything but the breadcrumbs. The outcome was phenomenal. Great job on the recipe.

    Reply

  10. 5 stars
    The cracker topping on this is next level! I used a garlic paste to get a more consistent flavor throughout. I’m a lazy chopper.

    Reply

    1. HI! Yes, a dutch oven will work great!! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan

      Reply

  12. I know that it is famous, but believe in me, I have never eaten mac and cheese, but i would like to try some day.

    Reply

  14. Sounds so yummy – I am super excited to serve this up at my mac and cheese obsessed 3 year old’s birthday party!
    However, I would like to prepare this the day or night before the party. Would you still bake it and then reheat it by baking it again the following day?

    Reply

    1. HI! I would just bake this the day of. Once it comes off the stove, let it cool and the place in the fridge. the following day, bake 5-10 minutes longer than directed when ready to eat. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂

      Reply

  15. Should you drain the remaining liquid after boiling the macaroni or leave it before adding the cheese? This looks so good!

    Reply

    1. You should leave the liquid. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂

      Reply