Recipe Box, Grown-up Mac & Cheese
I think just about everybody likes good ol’ macaroni & cheese
and I will admit we often serve Stouffer’s
Macaroni & Cheese at my house…
but when I saw a recipe for Truffled Mac & Cheese,
I knew I had to try it!
Black Truffle oil is magic stuff,
it adds a wonderful umami flavor,
that hard to describe, savory pleasant taste
This grown up version of mac & cheese
uses rotini pasta instead of macaroni
The spiral pasta can really grab and hold sauce
The sauce for this recipe is made with Gruyère
and Vermont Sharp White Cheddar,
plus milk, cream, Dijon mustard, butter, paprika and flour
First melt butter and stir in flour,
mustard and paprika to make a roux
Whisk in milk and cream and bring to a boil
Simmer, whisking frequently until sauce thickens and smooths out
Remove from heat and stir in pepper
Add cheeses and stir until they melt into the sauce
Cook the pasta al dente, or a little under cooked
since it will continue to soften when dish is baked
Place drained pasta into a prepared casserole dish
and toss warm pasta with the truffle oil
Pour cheese sauce over pasta
Stir to coat pasta with sauce
Cover the top with remaining cheese
At this point the casserole can be covered
and refrigerated for baking later
Bring dish to room temperature and bake at 350 degrees
for 30-40 minutes until hot and melty
Needless to say,
this is incredibly rich so serve small portions!
This recipe is adapted from Williams Sonoma
Grown Up Mac & Cheese
Equipment
- 8" x 8" baking dish
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 8 oz rotini pasta
- 2 tsp black truffle oil
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3 oz Gruyère cheese, grated
- 3 oz Vermont sharp white cheddar, grated
- salt
- black pepper
Instructions
- Grease an 8" x 8" baking dish
- Cook pasta according to directions on the package, but remove from heat 2 minutes before the directions say, and drain.
- Place drained pasta in prepared dish and immediately toss with truffle oil.
- Melt butter over medium high heat in a saucepan, then stir in flour, paprika and mustard. Continue stirring until all flour is combined and a thick roux is formed
- Whisk in milk, cream and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil.
- Simmer, whisking frequently until lumps are smoothed out and sauce thickens, 4-5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add a pinch of pepper. Stir in cheeses, reserving 1/3 of each cheese for topping.
- Pour the sauce over the pasta in the baking dish and stir to coat.
- Top casserole with reserved cheeses
- The casserole can be covered at this point for baking later if desired.
- Bring casserole to room temperature before baking at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until hot and melted
Enjoy!
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Oh! Oh! Oh! This looks incredible! And then with truffle oil tooooo? Mmmmm! Mmmmmm!
Thanks for the recipe.
Merry Thursday to you!
Decadent stuff!
Perfect! I’d have a big bowl and call it lunch:@)
Thanks Lynn!
I’m definitely giving this one a try!
Thanks Dorothy, I hope you enjoy!
Delicious ingredients. In our area Wegman’s sells this totally decadent lobster macaroni and cheese. I’ll bet yours is pretty close – I could just add the lobster meat.
Wow, adding lobster would take it over the top!
This looks like a very comforting everyday meal!
Definitely!
Mac and cheese is one of those guilty pleasure indulgences and if you’re going to do it, do it up right! This is definitely “up right!”
Ha ha, thanks Jeanie!
This Mac and cheese looks wonderful! Thanks for sharing! Enjoy your day, Jenna!
Thank you Shannon, it’s very rich, but oh so good!
I like adding truffle oil to dishes too, the white truffle oil is wonderful as well.
Thanks Carole, yes it’s yummy stuff!
Perfectly delicious! And I LOVE your baking dish!
Thank you Jean! I got the baking dish at HomeGoods years ago and it’s my favorite…
Jenna, my family loves grown up mac & cheese. I keep truffle oil, but haven’t tried it with mac & cheese. I will now, sounds and looks delicious! Happy Thursday!
Thanks Pam! Have a great weekend!
Ooh yummy, yummy! What a wonderful dish to serve during the holidays. I have to admit that a have to store Stouffers in my freezer for the grandkids 🤪!
Thank you Kitty! Yes, Stouffer’s mac and cheese is hard to beat, my grands inhale it!
Wow Jenna, so decadent. I haven’t tried truffle oil yet. This is one to try for sure.
Truffle oil adds a wonderful flavor, but it’s strong, so a little goes a long way.
Pinning and I will bake this one soon because I LOVE gruyere cheese! We like truffle oil, too. Thanks for posting, Jenna!
Thanks RJ, Gruyère is one of my favorites too!
This “sophisticated” mac and cheese sounds delicious. I love Gruyere!
The Gruyère really makes it!
Oh this is a recipe you save up for and enjoy without guilt. Sounds wonderful Jenna! Pinned……
It is decadent, but worth an indulge now and then!
We really enjoyed featuring your awesome post at Full Plate Thursday,568! Wishing you a Happy New Year and hope to see you real soon!
Miz Helen
Thank you Miz Helen!