4 Cheese Mac and Cheese

5.0 from 1 vote

Mac and cheese is a favorite in our household (like most), especially with my two toddlers—they can’t get enough! And this four cheese mac and cheese recipe is so easy, yet so perfectly creamy! Warning: you will get spoiled because this mac tastes so much better than a majority of versions at restaurants!

The cheeses in this four cheese mac and cheese are medium white cheddar, sharp cheddar, mild cheddar and cream cheese. Cheddar is the quintessential mac and cheese cheese for good reason! It creates a smooth melt with a salty, delicious flavor.

A cheddar blend is perfect because it combines the strengths of several varieties! The smoothest melt will come from shredding the cheddar cheeses off the block at home, but I often pick up a triple cheddar blend of shredded cheese at my local store for convenience. I use cream cheese to help the pre-shredded cheddar cheeses melt beautifully into a cohesive sauce.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs macaroni pasta – I prefer cavatappi macaroni, but elbows and shells also work well.
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 16 oz triple cheddar blend shredded cheese
• 4 oz cream cheese
• 2/3 cup half and half
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp seasoning mix – use your favorite! I use Green Harvest from Frontier Co-op.

How to Make 4 Cheese Mac and Cheese

Cook pasta according to instructions. I boiled 8 quarts of water for the 2 lbs of cavatappi macaroni. Boil the pasta for 9-12 minutes. Err on the side of “al dente”. Overcooked pasta will break down while incorporating the cream and cheese, resulting in a mushy mac.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and grease two 13″ x 9″ pans (or one larger 15″ x 10″ pan) with butter.

While noodles are cooking, whisk the 2 eggs into the half and half.

Once the noodles are cooked, strain off the water.

Stir in 12 oz of the shredded cheddar cheese, the half and half and egg mixture, cubed cream cheese, breadcrumbs and seasoning mix. I like to do this in the pot I cooked the pasta in so everything stays warm and mixes easily. Alternatively, you could combine everything in a separate mixing bowl.

Spoon the macaroni into the greased pans and spread evenly. Top with remaining 4 oz of shredded cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

4 Cheese Mac and Cheese FAQs

This recipe makes A LOT of mac! How do I store leftovers?

• Cover the baking dish with tin foil or plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also transfer the Mac into a smaller, airtight tupperware to prevent it from drying out.

Reheating recommendations?

• My favorite way to reheat is to add a splash of milk and warm for 15-20 minutes in an oven heated to 350 degrees F.
• In the microwave, stir in a splash of milk or water and cover with a damp paper towel. Heat at 50% power for 1 minute and stir. Repeat until the noodles are heated through.

Tips for a more a spicy mac?

• We try to minimize salt since cheddar cheese is quite salty on its own! But this recipe only calls for 2 tsp seasoning mix for two whole pans of mac and cheese so there is room to amp up the flavor quite a bit!
• You can double the amount of your seasoning mix, add 1-2 tbsp of juice from a jar of pickled jalapeños or stir in a 4 oz can of chopped green chilis!

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5.0 from 1 vote