Indulge in a creamy, delicious homemade baked gouda mac and cheese for the ultimate comfort food! This easy-to-follow recipe has a rich, creamy texture and is ready in just 45 minutes!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
12 ounces macaroni, substitute other short pasta
4 tablespoon butter
1 yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon mustard powder
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1½ cups whole milk
8 ounces gouda cheese, shredded (smoked or regular)
2 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
4-6 ounces gouda cheese, topping, substitute cheddar
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375F and grease a 9” skillet (or 9×13” pan) with some butter or cooking oil spray.
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Add salt to a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Cook macaroni until al dente (according to package directions) and drain.
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Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent (about 5 minutes).
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Stir in the flour, mustard powder, pepper, and salt. Let the flour cook for 1 minute, stirring often.
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Slowly pour in milk, stirring or whisking continuously, and cook until thickened (a few minutes). Add in the 8oz gouda and 2 oz cheddar and stir until melted.
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Remove from heat. Stir in the drained pasta. Transfer the macaroni to the prepared baking dish. Top with remaining cheese in an even layer. Bake for 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.
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Notes
- Use of onions: Onion is optional. If you are not using onion, reduce butter to 2 tablespoons.
- Salt pasta water and cook to al dente. Make sure to salt the pasta water heavily to season the pasta – most of it drains out. And cook the pasta al dente to ensure that it’s not overcooked and mushy by the time you’re done baking.
- Bake or broil to perfection. You can also broil this gouda mac and cheese on high for a few minutes until browned. To add more texture, make your own breadcrumb topping by combining Panko breadcrumbs and melted butter, then sprinkle it over the top of the gouda mac and cheese before baking to get a crunchy golden finish.
- Pick high-quality cheese and grate it fresh. Use gouda cheese with a high fat content for maximum creaminess and flavor. Pre-grated cheese tends to have additives to prevent them from sticking, and will not melt as well as freshly grated cheese. We tested this recipe with both smoked and regular gouda and it’s great both ways.
- Get the right creamy texture. Adding too much milk can make it too runny or watery. Start by adding 1½ cups of milk, add more if needed. Try half-and-half and/or whipping cream along with whole milk to make the cheese sauce extra rich and smooth.
Nutrition
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