Gouda Mac & Cheese

So I came up with this delicious recipe, but forgot to photograph the end result.  Yes, that happened.  I told Jaisa about it and she thought the recipe sounded so great she decided to make it herself, but instead, remembered to photograph it.

 I'm in Connecticut and she's all the way in Chicago and we're still finding ways to cook together.

I just love macaroni and cheese. I like it out of the box, I like it at a fancy restaurant with truffle oil, I like tossing broccoli into the frozen stuff and heating it up, and I'm sure if I ate seafood I'd love it mixed with lobster. Here's some tasty mac & cheese made with gouda.

Gather your ingredients. You'll need:

1 lb pasta

2 cups shredded gouda cheese

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

4 cups of milk

4 tablespoons of butter (half a stick)

1/4 cup flour

1 cup breadcrumbs (I used panko)

salt & pepper

I used trottole, but you can use any kind of pasta you like.  This works great because it's a little different, a little more fancy, and helps trap all of the delicious cheese sauce inside. 

Cook the pasta in salted water, reducing the cooking time by 2-3 minutes (it'll be baked later). Drain the pasta and place and set aside.

 To get started on the sauce, melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan. Once the butter is melted, add 1/4 cup of flour and mix.

Stir it together until it's nice and smooth.

Start adding the milk a 1/4 cup at a time.

Once blended thoroughly, add a couple of pinches of salt and pepper.

Add your gouda...

...and finally the parm.

Mix the cheese sauce with the pasta.

And add to a greased casserole dish and top with your bread crumbs.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Would you just trust me and give this a try?  It's amazing.  Jaisa says so too.

So whether you prefer Kraft or Annie's, S'Mac or Beecher's, take heart in the fact that you can whip up your own tasty mac & cheese from scratch! Stay hungry!