5 Cheese Mac and Cheese

Creamy cavatappi in a five-cheese sauce of sharp white cheddar, smoked gouda and gruyère, baked under a golden, bubbly crust. One big pan feeds a holiday crowd.

Course Pasta Side Dish

Cuisine American

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 40

Resting Time 15

Total Time 1 15

Servings servings

Calories 504kcal

Author Althea Brown

Equipment

Saucepan
Oven safe baking dish

Ingredients

1 lb cavatappi (elbow macaroni or shells work too)
1 tbsp coarse kosher salt (for the pasta water)
8 tbsp butter
½ cup all-purpose flour
4 cups milk (warmed)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp parsley flakes
1 lb extra sharp white cheddar (shredded, divided)
2 oz parmesan (shredded)
2 oz asiago (shredded)
2 oz smoked gouda (shredded)
2 oz smoked gruyère (shredded)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Cook the cavatappi in water salted with 1 tbsp salt, about 1 minute short of the recommended cook time on the package.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook about 3 minutes.
Slowly whisk in the warm milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and cook until it coats the back of the spoon.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and parsley flakes.
Stir in half the cheddar and all the parmesan, asiago, smoked gouda and smoked gruyère until smooth.
Fold in the pasta in thirds until coated. Pour into a greased 9×13-inch baking dish and top with the remaining cheddar.
Bake at 350°F for 40 minutes, until bubbly and golden on top.
Rest 15 minutes before serving.

Notes

Shred your own cheese. Pre-shredded cheese doesn't melt as smoothly.
Why cheddar on top: some of the other cheeses don't melt as well on top, so the topping is all cheddar.
Salt: no salt in the sauce; the cheeses are salty. Taste before adding the pasta.
Pasta: cavatappi is my favorite because the corkscrews hold the sauce, but my kids still vote for elbows.
Storage: fridge up to 4 days; reheat in the microwave.
Servings: about 12 as one of several sides, or about 9 if it's the only side.
Want a deeper golden top? Give it 5 more minutes in the oven rather than using the broiler, which can burn the cheese in seconds.
Pan size: I use a deep 9×13 (3 inches). A standard 9×13 works too; it'll fill closer to the top, so set it on a sheet pan in case it bubbles over. It also fits a small aluminum pan for taking to a party; set it on a sheet pan for support.
Smaller batch: halve everything for a family of 4 (my neighbor does this every time). Use an 8×8 or similar smaller dish; if it's about as deep, plan on the same 40 minutes, but start checking at 30, until bubbly and golden.

Nutrition