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Four cheese baked mac and cheese with thyme breadcrumbs

The cheesiest baked mac and cheese recipe, ever. Four cheeses and crispy thyme breadcrumbs make this an irresistible dish, any time of the year.
Course Dinner, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword baked mac and cheese, mac and cheese, Mac and cheese recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 12 (as a side dish)
Calories 408kcal
Author Alida Ryder

Ingredients

For the cheese sauce

  • ½ cup butter
  • ½ cup flour
  • 2-3 cups milk
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 1 cup grated mature cheddar
  • 1 cup grated Gruyere
  • 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan
  • salt and pepper to taste

For the baked mac and cheese

  • 1 kg (2lbs) macaroni par-cooked + reserve 1 cup of cooking water
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 cups bread cubed/roughly torn
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • pinch of salt

Instructions

  • Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF.
  • Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour.
  • Whisk until smooth then slowly pour in the milk, a little at a time. (I always reserve approximately ½ cup milk. Some flours will absorb more/less liquid so you might not need all of it and sometimes after adding cheese I like to thin out the sauce just a little with the remaining milk.)
  • Whisk continuously until the sauce is thick then turn down the heat, add the spices and allow to simmer, stirring, until the sauce is thick and cooked through (this takes around 7-10 minutes on a gentle heat).
  • Once the sauce is cooked (the sauce will be completely smooth tasting with no flouriness) remove from the heat and add the cheeses. Stir until melted then season to taste. 
  • Combine the cheese sauce with the pasta then add the sour cream. Stir and add some of the reserved pasta cooking water to thin out the sauce. You want the mac and cheese to be very creamy before going into the oven. Transfer to a large casserole dish.
  • Drizzle the oil over the bread and mix with thyme and salt. Scatter over the mac and cheese
  • Place in the oven and allow to bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and crispy. 
  • Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving. 

Nutrition

Calories: 408kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 121mg | Potassium: 289mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 185IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 184mg | Iron: 1mg