Elevated Mac and Cheese with Brie and White Cheddar
This creamy brie mac and cheese recipe is an elevated version of stove top mac and cheese. It has creamy brie and white cheddar melted in a silky béchamel sauce with thyme, topped with buttery toasted breadcrumbs.
Servings 4 servings
Calories 819kcal
Equipment
- Large pot or dutch oven
- Box grater
- Mixing spoon or silicone spatula
Ingredients
- ½ pound dried elbow macaroni pasta or your favorite shape
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 1 small shallot finely diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk warmed
- ⅛ teaspoon paprika
- pinch cayenne pepper
- 8 ounces brie cheese rinds removed and cubed into ½ inch piece
- 6 ounces white cheddar cheese freshly and finely grated
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh thyme leaves from a few sprigs
Buttered Breadcrumb Topping
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup breadcrumbs plain, seasoned, or panko
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- BOIL: Boil pasta to al dente in heavily salted water. Reserve about ½ cup of pasta water and drain.
- PREP: While water is boiling, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Finely dice shallot and mince garlic. Remove rind from brie and cube into ½ inch pieces. Grate white cheddar.
- SWEAT: In a large saucepan or pot, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over low heat, and sweat shallots for about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- BLOND ROUX: Add in the other tablespoon of butter and melt, then sprinkle in the flour while whisking. Cook for about 2 minutes while stirring, allowing the roux to darken slightly to a white sand color (should not be browned!) This is a blonde roux. It may be clumpy.
- BÉCHAMEL: Whisk in the warmed milk a little at a time until it is all incorporated and mixture is smooth. Simmer for a few minutes. Add in paprika, cayenne pepper, brie, and white cheddar. Stir occasionally until all melted.
- MIX: Gently fold in the pasta and thyme leaves and mix to combine. Add a splash of pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.
- TOAST: Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and add in breadcrumbs. Mix to combine. Lightly toast until golden brown. If you are using plain breadcrumbs, add a pinch of salt.
- SERVE: Serve hot topped with the breadcrumbs and fresh thyme leaves.
Notes
NOTES:
- A roux is a thickening agent made from equal parts fat and four. You can use butter or oil to make a roux. The longer you cook a roux, the darker it will become. Lighter roux have a lighter flavor and stronger thickening power, whereas darker roux have a stronger flavor but less thickening power.
- A light sand colored roux is called a blond roux.
- A Béchamel sauce has a roux, usually made from butter and flour, with milk whisked in. The result is a creamy sauce that can be used in lasagna, gratins, macaroni and cheese and creamy pasta sauces.
- Use at least a tablespoon of salt in the water to make sure the pasta is perfectly salted.
- Cook pasta to just al dente. It will continue to cook in the sauce.
- Remove the rind from the brie. It won't melt into the sauce.
- Shred the cheese yourself if you can. Shredded cheese contains anti-caking agents which will prevent the cheese from melting smoothly into the sauce.
- Sauce is too runny - The sauce will thicken up as it cools, but if your sauce is still a bit too loose, reduce it over medium heat for a few more minutes.
- Sauce too thick - This is where reserving some pasta water comes in handy! Add a splash of pasta water or milk to the sauce when it is too thick.
- How to store leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- How to freeze: I don’t recommend freezing this recipe, as it will not keep the same texture once thawed and reheated.
- How to reheat on Stovetop: Reheating a creamy sauce like this one is best done slowly on the stove to prevent the sauce from breaking and becoming greasy. Heat the macaroni in cheese in a medium saucepan over medium- low heat while stirring with some milk until warmed throughout.
- How to reheat in Microwave: - Reheating this macaroni and cheese in the microwave will most likely lead to the sauce breaking and butter coming out of emulsion, making it greasy. To help avoid this, add a splash of milk to loosen it up and heat for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between.
Nutrition
Calories: 819kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 47g | Saturated Fat: 28g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 144mg | Sodium: 786mg | Potassium: 486mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1314IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 599mg | Iron: 2mg