In my book any day is a good day for homemade macaroni and cheese, and the good news is you don’t need a culinary degree or a southern grandma at your disposal to make it at home. One of my favorite reasons for making mac and cheese from scratch is the ability to change up the cheese I use and one of my favorites is gouda. A mix of creamy and smoked goudas makes a dish that’s homey enough for a Tuesday night in sweatpants yet refined enough for date night or your holiday table. My recipe for gouda mac and cheese is easy, versatile, and delicious.
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About Gouda Cheese
Gouda cheese is a semi-soft cow’s milk cheese made in the town of Gouda in the Netherlands. Gouda (pronounced more like “how-dah”) is a mild, slightly nutty cheese that melts easily making it a great option for soups, sauces and in this case macaroni and cheese. You can also find smoked gouda (which I also use in this recipe) or aged gouda which has a texture and flavor similar to aged parmesan.
Ingredients for Gouda Mac and Cheese
- elbow macaroni (or your favorite pasta shape, I also like fusilli or cavatappi)
- butter
- flour
- milk
- dijon mustard
- smoked gouda cheese
- creamy gouda or sharp cheddar cheese
- salt
- pepper
Variations for Gouda Mac and Cheese
While this gouda macaroni and cheese is quite delicious all on its own you can certainly add some of your favorite ingredients to customize your mac and cheese.
- Shredded rotisserie chicken
- Bacon
- Seafood such as crab, shrimp or lobster
- Prosciutto or ham
- Spinach
- Sautéed or roasted mushrooms
- Broccoli
- Peas
How to make Gouda Mac and Cheese
This macaroni and cheese follows the classic formula of making a bechamel sauce and then stirring in your cheese and the pasta. Start by cooking your pasta in a large pot of salted water, following package directions. While the pasta cooks you can turn your attention to preparing the sauce. In a medium saucepan melt the butter and then whisk in the flour, stirring until a paste forms (this is know as a roux) and cook for about 1 minute. Slowly add in the milk while whisking continuously and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the sauce thickens ( it’s reached the desired consistency when you it coats the back off a spoon and keeps it’s shape when you swipe your finger across).
Reduce the heat to low and stir in dijon mustard and your cheeses (I highly recommend getting blocks of cheese and shredding it yourself. It’s less expensive and pre-shredded cheese usually has anti-caking agents that may affect how it melts); stirring until all the cheese has melted (you can use both smoked and creamy gouda here, or substitute sharp cheddar for the creamy gouda). Add salt and pepper to taste and then stir in your cooked pasta ensuring all the pasta is thoroughly coated. Serve as desired.
If you like this Gouda Mac and Cheese recipe be sure to take a look at some of my other posts!
Creamy Pasta with Asparagus and Mushrooms
Pasta with Sun Dried Tomato Pesto and Mozzarella
If you make this Gouda Mac and Cheese please a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest for my latest recipes. Also, if you do make this recipe please tag me on Instagram, I’d love to see what you guys are making!
Gouda Mac and Cheese
Equipment
- 1 large pot
- 1 Large saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 pound elbow or spiral shaped pasta
- 3 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour
- 3 cups milk
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 cup smoked gouda shredded
- 1 cup regular gouda or sharp cheddar shredded
- kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta per package directions. Drain the pasta.
- While the pasta is cooking prepare the cheese sauce. In a medium saucepan melt the butter and then whisk in the flour, stirring until a paste forms and cook for about 1 minute. Slowly add in the milk while whisking continuously and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
- Reduce the heat to low and stir in dijon mustard and shredded cheeses, stirring until all the cheese has melted. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Stir in your cooked pasta ensuring all the pasta is thoroughly coated. Serve as desired.
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Alan D says
My waistline may not appreciate me making this but I know my tastebuds will.
C. Atencio says
Great recipe! I added cooked sweet Italian sausage to recreate a dish I had recently at a local Italian restaurant. I was pleased with how it came out! A+!
Brianna says
Love the addition of Italian sausage, that sounds fantastic!
Maria says
I know it’s fairly obvious it happens at the end, but I do find it a little bit amusing that the instructions don’t actually include the part where the macaroni and the cheese sauce get together. Will be trying this later this week. 🙂
Brianna says
I can’t believed I missed that lol! The recipe is updated.