Gooey White Cheddar Mac and Cheese

Gooey baked mac and cheese with white cheddar, Gruyère and smoked provolone. My current favorite cheese blend, and it holds up when you make it ahead.

prep time: 30 min active

cook time: 1 hr total

A large skillet of baked white cheddar mac and cheese with a portion being scooped, with side dishes including breaded cutlets and green beans in the background. - Hungry Mockingbird

I’ve been on a white cheddar mac kick lately and I don’t know what’s going on, but I prefer this cheese blend to a more traditional.

Makes: 10 to 12 servings
Active time: 30 min | Total time: 1 hr

7f5a20a969b7f2b316a2cc360aba7843aacc8c00

From the Kitchen

Before you start:

Heat the oven to 375°F.
Let the heavy cream come to room temp. Cold cream can make the sauce seize.
Shred all three cheeses and toss them together. Pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking powder that can make the sauce grainy.
This uses Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Using Morton kosher, use 1¼ tsp. Using table salt or fine sea salt, use 1 tsp.
White pepper is the classic pick because it doesn’t leave black specks, but black pepper works fine.

Make ahead:

Up to 2 hours ahead: Assemble through step 7 and leave it covered on the counter. Bake as written.
More than 2 hours ahead: Assemble through step 7, cover, and refrigerate. Bake from cold covered with foil for 15 minutes, then uncover and bake another 15 to 20 minutes, until golden and bubbling.
Making it ahead is why the recipe uses 2 cups of cream. The pasta keeps soaking up sauce while it sits, and the extra cream keeps it gooey.

Why This Works:

Evaporated milk has less water and more milk protein than regular milk, which helps hold the sauce together so it stays smooth instead of breaking or going greasy in the oven.
The cheese blend covers everything. White cheddar brings the sharpness, Gruyère brings the nutty flavor and the stretch, and smoked provolone brings a little smoke.
Shredding your own cheese keeps the sauce silky. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in starch so it doesn’t clump in the bag, and that starch makes the sauce grainy.
Melting the cheese on the lowest heat keeps it from seizing. Too much heat makes cheese tighten up and squeeze out its fat, so you get clumps sitting in oil.
Soy sauce and Worcestershire don’t make it taste like either one. They add a little salty depth that makes the cheese taste cheesier.
Pulling the pasta 2 minutes early means it finishes cooking in the oven while it soaks up sauce, so it doesn’t go mushy.

Gooey White Cheddar Mac and Cheese

Ingredients

For the pasta

1 lb cavatappi or elbow macaroni
salt for the pasta water

For the cheese mix

4 cups shredded white cheddar two 8 oz blocks
2 cups shredded Gruyère one 8 oz block
2 cups shredded smoked provolone one 8 oz block

For the sauce

1 stick butter 8 tbsp
2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1 tsp white pepper or black
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp soy sauce
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 (12 oz) cans evaporated milk
2 cups heavy cream room temp

To finish

chopped chives

Instructions

The pasta

Cook the pasta in well-salted water for 2 minutes less than the package says. Drain.

1 lb cavatappi or elbow macaroni, salt

The sauce

Melt the butter over low heat with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, soy sauce, and Worcestershire.

1 stick butter, 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, 1 tsp white pepper, 1 tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp soy sauce, ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
Once the butter is completely melted, whisk in the flour. Keep stirring for about 2 minutes to cook it out.
- Ready when: it smells a little toasty and not like raw flour. Skip this and you'll taste the flour.
½ cup all-purpose flour
Slowly whisk in the evaporated milk, then the cream. Turn the heat to medium-low and keep stirring until the sauce thickens.
- Ready when: it coats the back of a spoon.
2 (12 oz) cans evaporated milk, 2 cups heavy cream
Turn the heat to the lowest setting and stir in half the cheese mix (4 cups) until melted. Mix, mix, mix.

The bake

Stir in the pasta and pour everything into the baking dish.
Top with the rest of the cheese mix (4 cups).
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Ready when: golden on top and bubbling at the edges.
Top with chives and serve warm.

chopped chives