Creamy Brie Four Cheese Mac and Cheese with Buttery Ritz Crackers + Video.
How about some cheese today? This creamy brie four cheese mac and cheese with buttery ritz crackers is melt in your mouth GOOD.
And pasta!!
It is kind of perfect after the day I had yesterday, or really the day the site had. Not real happy with my VPS host, Bluehost. We are not even going to talk about it except to say is that I am really sorry the site was down ALL day yesterday. So frustrating and just plain terrible. Ugh. Sorry if it caused you guys any inconvenience.
This mac and cheese is my apology.
WATCH HOW-TO VIDEO HERE:
I’d say it’s fair game. I mean just look at it. So creamy and buttery, and did I mention there is four cheeses and one of the cheeses is Brie?!?! Yes, Brie. In mac and cheese. It’s so good. And I would totally add some blue cheese crumbles if you are into it.
That would be good. I should have done that.
The Brie actually does not add a ton of amazing flavor. The flavor comes mostly from the sharp cheddar, fontina and havarti (my favorite cheese to add to mac and cheese!!), but the Brie does add amazing creaminess. Oh so creamy! I think you are going to freak. It is the best mac and cheese I have ever made. And eaten.
Oh, and did you guys notice?
My casserole dish? It is not glued together anymore. It is actually all in once piece and totally not toxic.
Yay!
Now I can eat all the mac and cheese. Not just the center. Thank God.
The only reason I made mac and cheese was because I am currently loaded with fancy and delicious cheeses. Definitely not a problem at all, I love it!
Here is the thing though, my grocery store pretty much just sucks. It is not very good and has very limited selections. BUT it does have a new killer cheese section. Guys, it is awesome and I love it, but you know, cheese is expensive…..
So I piled up on pretty much all the discounted cheese (AKA the old cheese). I bought ten eight-ounce wheels of Brie for ten dollars. Now that is a good deal. Especially for me since cheese takes forever to go bad up here where I live. It’s the one thing the elevation is good for (that and no bugs – too high for the little suckers, just a few tiny ants up here)!
Cheep (fancy) cheese equals really good mac and cheese.
So does buttery Ritz crackers, best mac-n-cheese topping ever.
Just like any mac and cheese recipe, this one is super easy. Make it ahead and everyone will love it. It is the perfect cozy meal for weeknights or the weekends. I am pretty sure it would be an awesome Thanksgiving side as well.
A little mac and cheese can never hurt.
Oh, and don’t mind my holiday Ritz crackers and Christmas bowls. I am just a tad too excited about them and had to share.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Creamy 4 Cheese Brie and Buttery Ritz Cracker Mac and Cheese
By halfbakedharvest
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 1 clove garlic minced or grated
- 1 1/2 cups crushed Ritz crackers about 1 sleeve
- 1 pound elbow pasta
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3 cups warm milk I used 2%
- 1 1/4 cups sharp white cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 cup fontina cheese shredded (add an extra 1/4 cup...if you want!)
- 1 1/4 cups havarti cheese shredded
- 4-6 ounces Brie rind removed and chopped (I surely used 6 ounces)
- 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a baking dish with nonstick spray.
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta until al-dente. You want it to have a bit of bite. It will finish cooking in the oven. Drain well.
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While the pasta boils add 3 tablespoons butter to a medium skillet and melt. Add the garlic and sauté 30 seconds then throw in the crushed Ritz crackers and toss to coat.
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Toast the crumbs for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning. Once the crumbs are lightly toasted remove form the heat and set aside.
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In the same pot you boiled the pasta, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let cook/bubble for 1 minute, stirring once or twice to avoid burning. Gradually whisk in the milk and raise the heat up to medium-high. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking frequently until the sauce has thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in all of the cheese, mustard powder, cayenne, salt and pepper. Stir until the cheese is fully melted. Stir in the pasta and transfer to the prepared baking dish.
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Evenly sprinkle on the toasted cracker crumbs and place the baking dish on a baking
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sheet.
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Bake for 20 minutes or until the crumbs are golden brown and the sauce is bubbling.
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Remove from the oven and let sit five minutes (yeah, right). Dig in!!
Ok, now let’s just go grab some giant bowls!
Such gorgeous pics! I can’t even imagine mac n cheese with brie!!! Ive had grilled cheese with brie (put that one in my cookbook) but your idea sounds amazing! Pinned! and all these pour shots…I would give anything for a big strong person to be hoisting my stockpots while I take pics…or anytime! Those things are heavy!
Thank you, Averie!! I am finally getting the hang of shooting in RAW, so that is good. Still have a hard time, but practice, practice, practice!
And yes, it is nice having a people around for the heavy pot shots! I am planning the big move out in a few months and will miss all the hands! LOL!
Brie mac n cheese! This is a must try.
Thank you so much, Norma!
Beautiful! You could have called this recipe White Christmas Mac & Cheese…with the pretty Christmas bowls, snowy-white Mac & Cheese and snowflake Ritz crackers! You’ve got me in the holiday mood, T! Thanks for sharing, girl. Pinning (of course)!
Haha! I LOVE you name for this mac and cheese! It totally fits this!
Thanks so much, Stacy! 🙂
The ritz crackers on this are awesome!! Such a fabulous recipe!
Thanks Katrina!
I will support pasta and cheese any day of the week! This looks fabulous, T! And may your site never go down again 😉 xo
Thanks Ashley!!
And yes, let’s hope for that!! Oh and your pasta today? Super cheesy = perfection!
Oh heeeeccck yes. I am all about the comfort food today (is it snowing there, too?) – I want to curl up with (inside) a big bowl of this.
Yes, it is snowing! Like a winter wonder land. So cheesy, I know! But it just love it! 🙂
Have a cozy day with your girl!
In a word – YES !!! –
thanks for this recipe, I love me some mac-n-cheese!
Thanks Kathy!! Gotta love a good mac and cheese!
Oh my lanta, this looks incredible! The perfect cozy introduction to brie.
Thank you, Faith!
First – I spend like $10,000 on cheese every time I go to the grocery store. It’s seriously a sickness.
Second – omggg Brie in Mac & Cheese!! anddd buttery cracker crumble?! Officially dead.
Third – Can I add pancetta? #gluttony
YES! Add pancetta!! I actually almost did, but I wanted to keep it vegetarian so everyone could enjoy the cheesiness!!
BUT pancetta is a must!!
You are a cooking machine! This looks so yummy and cheesy!
Thank you, Liz!
First of all, I love those bowls. LOVE them. And I’m jealous. Anthro?
Second of all, I need this mac and cheese. I have never used havarti or brie in mac before (I think just parm, cheddar, and fontina), but now I need to. Love these pictures Tieghan!
You have to add havarti to mac and cheese, I think it is awesome! It’s a buttery cheese (at least I think is…yes, I checked it is a buttery cheese. Well it said buttery aroma, but whatever.). Thanks Laura!!
I’ve never thought to make mac and cheese with brie. I bet it’s ridiculously creamy!
So creamy!
Thank you, Erin!
What a gorgeous looking dish! My grandmother used to top her’s with Saltines, but Ritz, I bet are even better!! Bring on the brie!
The Ritz are SO good!!
Thank you, Maria!
Did someone say Brie? Holy cow…this looks awesome! No calories, right? 🙂
Yes, no calories!! LOL! Although, we could save some carb and throw the sauce over spaghetti squash!
Thank you so much, Dara!
It’s like you know exactly what I’m craving and dish it up to me on a daily basis. I need some of this RIGHT NOW.
Also, 10 wheels of brie for $10?!?!? Love me a good deal – totes jealous over here.
Haha! Thank you so much, Katie!! 🙂
Oh my word. This looks INCREDIBLE. Anything with cheese is good with me, so FOUR cheeses makes me want to literally dive into this headfirst. Love it!
Yes, four cheeses is the best!!
Thanks Becca!
My site was down all of yesterday, too. Annoying! But on the brighter side, this mac n cheese looks sooo good. Gooey and cheesy just how I like it!
Yes, SO annoying!
Thanks Sarah!
Talk about some CHEESE!!! Yes please!
Thanks Steph!!
You used ALL THE CHEESE in this. lOVE IT!!
Yes, I did!! LOL!
Thanks Claire!
How did you know that mac and cheeessseeessss was my FAVORITE THING EVER?!?
Oh man, I think I must have super powers or something! LOL! (I wish!)
Thanks Megan!
This looks insanely delicious! Perfect side dish for Thanksgiving.
(and PS, you have WAY too much traffic for Bluehost! I’m on Media Temple and it’s been great)
Thank you, Jackie!!
I am actually using this thing call Mac CDN that works amazingly and allows my site to handle heavy traffic, but I am still hosting through bluehost VP. I have not had any problems since I started using mac CDN, but when bluehost is down I am down. Total bummer.
Oh my gosh this looks INCREDIBLE!! I could seriously have a big bowl of this right now!
Thank you so much, Jessica!
I’m.So.Hungry. Ughhh this looks ridiculously amazing. I can’t ever get enough mac and cheese!
Thanks Nicole!! You should go make a giant batch of make and cheese!! LOL!
Bluehost shut down my site for a day in the past too Tieghan, I had to switch servers immediately! Sorry you’ve been experiencing issues.
I love this mac & cheese. Brie is my favorite cheese. Actually, I can’t choose. I love all cheese! And I certainly love 4 cheeses with my mac n cheese. How many times can I say cheese in this comment? Anyway, now I’m starving!
Sally, what did you switch to? I use this thing called Mac CDN and it allows me to not have to shell out big money for my own server, but still have the heavy traffic. It works amazing…..except when blue hot goes down. I am switching ASAP. What do you use?
And thank you about the mac and cheese!
I use Servint. Quite pricey, but they handle all of my technical issues and they can hold high traffic days without slowing my site down. Look into them!
Oh my goodness.
So first. This mac and cheese looks unbelievable in a totally good way.
Second. I can totally sympathize. My grocery store sucks too.
Third. Your Christmas bowls are adorable. End of.
And fourth. YOU HAVE NO BUGS WHERE YOU LIVE?! I AM JEALOUS FOREVER.
Haha, seriously. That must be like heaven.
Pinning! I so wish I could have a bowl of this for dinner. But I can’t. Because as sad as it is, I’m cheese intolerant. It’s so messed up, but true.
Oh well. I can gawk at your awesome pictures, anyway. ha.
Oh no!! I am so sorry!!
That must be really hard! Can you do goat cheese?
Thanks for pinning, Abbie!
I’ve actually never tried goat cheese before. Something tells me that I really really should. haha! 🙂
I could drown in that bowl right now. I even just bought some Brie too, so this is perfect timing! Thanks for the recipe!
YAy!! Hope you love this!
Thanks Allie!
Can I just say that you tell one killer story? Your photos and your narrative weave together so well–it’s like the literary manifestation of this amazingly smooth mac n cheese recipe you’ve posted. Such poise! 🙂 I’m really loving the recipe, photos, and your gorgeous style. Bookmarked for sure, so glad you could share this beautiful recipe with us!
Oh wow, thank you! I am so happy you like my writing, photos and recipe!
Thank you! 🙂
I just love you idea of mac and cheese! STUNNIG photos
Thank you, Heather!
This is just too good to be true! I can’t stand that I can’t reach out and taste it right now!!
Thanks so much, Sommer!!
Mac and cheese seems like the simplest dish, but it takes some thought, practice, and commitment to get it just right. Looks like you did it!! Can’t wait to try it out.
Thank you! Hope you love it!
Brie mac and cheese sounds like an absolute dream come true!
Thanks Laura!
I love the combination of cheeses in this and can’t wait to try it out! The base of your sauce (béchamel) is my go-to for Mac & Cheese. Have you ever taken small pieces of crusty bread, dipped them in a little butter and used that as a topping? It’s my favorite topping for mac & cheese 🙂
Thanks Maria! I will have to try your buttered bread topping!
Look at all that delicious creamy yummy CHEESE! And Ritz crackers!! YUM!
Thank you so much, Brenda!
Bluehost totally broke my heart yesterday, too! My site was only down for about an hour before I noticed it, but it nearly gave me a stroke. Similar to the way I feel looking at these beautiful pictures! Oh. My. Yum….. Can’t wait to try this out! I just posted a Mac and Cheese recipe today, too – must be on everyone’s minds!
Ugh. Bluehost is kind of just not making me happy right now. LOL!
Thanks so much, Anetta! I will have to check out your mac and cheese!
Mac and cheese is my favorite food on the planet. Love the cracker topping, so delicious!
Thanks so much, Miss!!
Omg, cheesy carb heaven! Love the bowls. And the snowflake crackers too- so cute!
Thanks! I love those snowflake ritz! 🙂
This is my kind of macaroni and cheese. It looks so smooth and rich. Gah.
Thanks Shania!
It is probably my favorite mac and cheese to date!
Having just made your nachos with Brie last night (a.maz.ING) this one is next on the list!
Yay!! SO happy you loved the nachos! Thanks Kel!
Oooo….I’d love to try this recipe! Instead of using pasta, do you think quinoa can be used? I love my pasta, but I’m trying to cut down on wheat and processed food.
Thank you and yes, I think quinoa would be so good!!
I love the interaction of the different cheeses in this recipe – brie for creaminess, the others for flavor. Sounds like a winning combo, and I can’t wait to try it out!
Thanks Julia!
This is the best mac & cheese I’ve ever had. I am a meat lover, so I added pancetta, and it was to die for. Thank you for the amazing recipe!
Also – I MUST know where you got those bowls. I am obsessed with them!
SO happy you loved this! Thanks for making and reporting back!
The bowls are from crate and barrel. You kind order them here.
Oh Lord. Mac Cheese is my favourite comfort food, but I’ve never added Brie to it. Will be trying this very soon.
Thanks Sara!
I’m thinking about making this as a side for my Valentine’s Day feast for my man…. Could this be refrigerated and then baked the next day?
Yup!! Sure can!
Hope you guys love this and happy Valentines day!
This might be THE BEST Mac and cheese recipe I’ve made! My family and friends have asked for it so much since I first made it 2 weeks ago that I’ve officially memorized the recipe and just made another batch to bake off in the morning. I could eat the leftover cheese sauce that is in the pot with a spoon, or a piece of bread. Thanks for the carbo load 🙂
🙂
This makes me so happy!! THANK YOU!
Made this for my daughter’s graduation dinner because her younger sister, a huge Buzzfeed fan, found it for us. I loved the fact that a sister chose for a sister, so I went with it. I DID modify a bit by using more brie (that was “light,” even!), sharp cheddar and about 1/2 c. goat cheese for a bit of kick. I used about 24 oz. noodles, about 4 c. of milk, a few dashes of worcestershire, and up’d the roux by a bit. It turned out great; that topping, which I 1..5’d for my larger (15×12) pan, just ROCKS. It makes anything it touches ridiculous! Ill happily make this again, as it’s infinitely adaptable.
This is a beautiful thing. I even plugged it in to My Fitness Pal, and if you divide it by 8 servings, it’s only 542 calories per (granted, I used skim milk for the sauce–it’s what I had on hand). It’s just fine for cheat day…or any other day. I especially loved the garlicy topping.
The only thing I might change is adding just a touch more cayenne. But I love a good kick. I divided it between two baking dishes: one was 8×8 and the other was 8x3ish. A 9×13 might have been a little big for my taste.
Thanks for posting!! My friends loved it. 🙂
Hi, Tieghan! I’ve made this before and loved it, but am wondering about making it a day in advance for Thanksgiving (the daughter I made it for a few comments ago is too in love with it to NOT have it present on the Thanksgiving table, regardless of how traditional it is — or isn’t). D’you think I could make the white sauce (with or without the cheese?), boil the noodles & drain and make the ritz crust then just store everything separately and assemble on Thanksgiving day? Thanks SO MUCH!!
Hey Carissa,
You can make and assemble the mac and cheese a day in advance, I do this all the time. Just bake the dish a little longer since it will no be warm and then maybe cover with foil to prevent burning on top. Let me know if you have any other questions. So glad you love this recipe!!
I made this for my family last Thanksgiving and it was incredible! I’m thinking about taking it to some friends who just had a baby. I wanted incorporate a protein and veg into it when I bake to make it more of a meal. I was thinking chicken and broccoli, but do you have any other meat and veg combos you think would be good? Or should I leave it alone and do meat and veg separately?
Hey Rebecca!!
So excited you are loving this recipe! I would honestly do chicken and broccoli myself, but other combos that might be good would be bacon + broccoli, green peas and chicken or pork, Summer squash and or zucchini + chicken, roasted tomatoes + chicken. There are so many combos so also feel free to use whatever summer produce you may have on hand. Let me know if you have any other questions, happy to help! 🙂
I found a link for this on pinterest. I made it last night and it was fabulous! Thank you for the wonderful recipe. It was easy to follow and turned out just like the picture. The flavor and texture were perfect.
Can you build this the night before and then bake it the next day? Any idea on how that would turn out?
I’d like to make for Thanksgiving but I want to make as much as I can the day before.
Thanks!!
Hey Nicole!!
yes, assembling this the night before works great. Just remove it from the fridge 30 minutes before baking. The cooking times should be the same. Hope you love this!!
Sorry if I missed this somewhere, but what’s the appropriate size baking dish for this? Thanks!
Hi! A 9×13 inch dish works great! 🙂
Hope you love this!
Oops. I drooled myself.
I love this recipe! I am thinking about adding some prosciutto ham as i have plenty and I am not sure what to do with it (any suggestion how to incorporate it?)
I want to make it for a potluck party – the problem is there will be no oven. Do you think reheating it in a microwave would ruin it? I would really appreciate your advice!
Hey Kiki! I think the addition of ham would be great, just stir it in before baking. Heating in the microwave is not ideal, but I am sure it will work! Happy New Year!
Dear Miss Tieghan,
I just love you. Don’t ever sweat the small stuff honey…re: your host provider or wtf….all that stuff is like lint. Your food is always on point. Just to give you a reference point. In February, I had the dumb luck of getting invited to the BEST restaurant in D.C. and I didn’t even know it (Komi). The way the restaurant is structured is like being in someones home. There is no menu. There is a set price. Dude decides what he wants to serve and because he knows he has skills, charges accordingly. I watched him from my table operate the kitchen like an orchestra and the food blew my taste buds off the chart. My dear, so does YOUR food. So do your new digs! Ever think of opening “The Barns” as a restaurant destination? I just want to see you succeed. Tonight, I am making a traditional good luck Southern dish of black eyed peas, collard greens and this slammin’ mac-n-cheese. Sending you much love and luck for the New Year!!
Peace,
Abra
Awe! Thank you so much for this kind email! Happy New Year!
My family made this and it was the best mac and cheese I’ve ever had. We have lots of leftovers too, which is a good thing. Thank you for the recipe! 🙂
What a great recipe… and super versatile! After making a few times, I switched it up by using chipotle gouda in place of the fontina, threw some lobster and bacon into the mac n cheese and crumbled up some crab cakes and mixed with the ritz cracker crumbs for topping… it was awesome, and I’m planning to use it for a friendly mac n cheese cook off a group of friends and I have every year. I’m the reigning champ and expect to stay that way now!
Sounds like exactly the recipe I am searching for! So all I need to do is pick up the Brie and I’m making this tonight! But I have to say this pet peeve I have when people comment on your recipe! After they say it’s amazing why do they say they tweaked it a bit but in reality they totally changed the entire thing! Just drives me crazy!! Ok got that out of my system! I have to say most of the posts weren’t that way but there were a few towards the end! But I’m going to make this tonight! Thanks!! By the way this might make you happy I googled best Mac and cheese recipe and your site came up first! Cool right and I think it’s correct! No need to go any further searching!! Thanks!!
YAY! Thats so awesome that your making this! How did it go?! (also pretty awesome that my site came up☺️) Thanks Tracy!
Made for the first time last night. Had to substitute gouda for the fontina because I can’t seem to find fontina in my area (Eastern Canada). Beautiful, smooth texture and lovely flavor. Next time I’ll salt the water that my noodles cook in because my husband salted his meal which never happens. The crackers were fine but I prefer the buttered breadcrumbs that I would normally use – purely a personal preference. However, I’ll definitely be adding the garlic – that was excellent. Great recipe – keep ’em coming!
SO happy you loved this recipe Teresa and I hope you continue to love them! Thanks so much!
Unfortunately I have stopped making mac n cheese and other wonderful things for health reasons but this one here I really have to make! Life is too short to deny yourself *all* the good stuff. This looks amazing and I will make it soon. Pancetta, that someone suggested is a fantastic idea! The recipe says “elbow” but isn’t that cavatappi in the photo? I discovered cavatappi in an Italian deli in San Francisco 35 years ago and have used it for mac n cheese since. Thank you for such a creative recipe!
BTW, I made your Cider Braised Short Ribs last week and it was fantastic! I have made several things from your blog and they all have been terrific! Thank you so much.
Yes definitely try this one! I am sure you will love it, and I am so happy you enjoyed the short ribs!! That is awesome! Let me know how you like this mac and cheese Terence, thanks!! ?
Has anyone made this in advance – minus the Ritz cracker topping – and then reheated it in a crockpot for a potluck at the office? If no, any thoughts on whether that would work? Should I double the recipe if I can reheat in a crockpot? I’m thinking of preparing this for a Holiday Party where there will be plenty of other foods and about 20-30 people. Not everyone will probably be taking some. Thoughts? Comments? Much appreciated.
This looks and sounds amazing btw!!
Hi! I have made this in advance and it works great. I think the crockpot sounds like a good idea to warm it up. I would double the recipe for that many people. if you think more than 10 people will be eating it. Let me know if you have any other questions. Hope this is a hit! 🙂
The white dish on this post with the handles. It’s beautiful. Where did you buy it?
Thanks,
x
West Elm, but a while a go. Thanks!
Hello there!
Just wanted to say thank you for sharing this Mac and Cheese Recipe. It is officially a thanksgiving tradition for the boys to make this dish, they have been preparing it for the past 2 years and love how delicious it is! Thank you!
That is amazing to hear! I am so glad one of my recipes made it into your family tradition, and you guys love it so much! Thank you Rose!
My family loves this Mac and cheese and it’s requested at every dinner or cookout we have as a group! I’m making it tomorrow for our 4th of July party!!!
Thats so awesome! Might actually be my favorite thing to hear!!
Hope you have a amazing fourth!
How many servings would you say this is?? Also, have you ever assembled it and then baked it a couple of days later? Just trying to plan out my Thanksgiving week. Thanks!
I believe I saw in one of the above comments that she mentioned it’s served about 10 people and she made it up in a 9 by 13 dish. She also said it’s fine to make it at least a day ahead and then reheat in the oven it may take a little bit longer to cook because it won’t be warm coming straight off the stove top so the reheating might take a little bit longer. Also maybe to tin foil the over the top because the crumb top might burn.
I’ve made it had some and then reheated it for dinner for like two three days in a row and it was delicious. Hope this helps. Enjoy!
This will serving about 6-8. Yes, this works great to make in advance and then bake later. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Happy Thanksgiving! 🙂
This mac and cheese was the best darn dish I made all year! I made it moments before I left for camping and took it with me this weekend to yosemite. I left most of it for the guests that were gonna be over for thanksgiving dinner, and my sister texted me saying it was definitely all gone. The moment I tried it straight out the oven I knew I will be making it again. Definitely has that wow factor. My friends devoured it all in seconds on our trip. I can’t wait for work to have a potluck so I can make it again. Thank you so much for this recipe!
This is so awesome! I am so glad you and your guests love this dish Jane! Thank you!!
I had about 1/2 a Brie wheel left Over from an ugly Christmas sweater party I had last weekend and came across this recipe I decided to try it out oh my gosh so good. I’m not supposed to do a whole lot of carbs because I’ve had weight-loss surgery and mac & cheese is like my kryptonite I just can’t stay away? I did change the recipe a tiny bit. I cut the amount of pasta in half and added about 1 cup of shredded rotisserie chicken and a cup of steamed broccoli.. still decadent but with less guilt.. and definitely one I’ll make again
I am so happy you loved this recipe! Thank you so much Sarah!
I made this last night for a Christmas Dinner It was a Hugh hit. I will be adding this to my Christmas meuns for sure.
That is so amazing! I am so glad you loved this! Thank you Tonya!
You are using cavatappi not “elbow”. It’s like calling bechamel sauce “white sauce” Call things as they are intended and don’t be a contributor to the dumbing down of the American Mind.
Hi Mark! Thank you so much for this correction. People are welcome to use either type of pasta they choose. Mac and cheese is more commonly made with elbow pasta, so that is why it is stated under the ingredients. I hope you have an amazing day and Happy Holidays!
OMG! Just made this recipe. So freaking good!!!
I was a little intimidated by the number of ingredients, but I did it.
Made one swap, on the topping. Instead of crackers, went for a panko/melted butter/thyme crumble topping. ?
Thank you for this recipe.
Ooo yum! I am so glad you loved this Araina! Thank you!!
I’m pretty new to this but I thought comments were supposed to be what people who prepared a recipe thought of it. I’ve read many, many comments but no one has made this Mac & Cheese! Every one wants to make it, but no one has. Maybe I’ll be the first!
I hope you do make this Anna! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Hi! This looks incredible. Do you think there’s any way to incorporate figs or some kind of fig spread? I love new and fig spread on crackers and was searching to a recipe that has all 3. This was the closest – but if you don’t think it will make sense or bake well, i’ll keep as is. Thank you so much!
Hey Amanda!! YUMM. Figs or fig preserves would be delicious. If I where you, I would stir 2 tablespoons fig preserves into the cheese sauce, than I would half 3-4 figs and bake them right on top of the mac and cheese along with the ritz. SO GOOD and great idea! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Tried this tonight and it was AMAZING! Very easy, straight forward directions. For some reason whenever I melt cheese myself it comes out a tad grainy and I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong. Regardless the flavors were spot on. Thank you so much for sharing!!
Hey Morgan!! Try melting the cheese at a lower temp. It sounds like you could be burning it an over cooking it just a little. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I am so glad you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
This mac n cheese looks amazing! I’m going to make it as a side for a bbq dinner tonight. I noticed there are two similar recipes on the website, one that is topped with ritz and the other with shredded sourdough bread. There are only a few small differences. Do you like one recipe better? Thanks!
Hey Jennifer,
I love them both, I think it is personal preference for you as to which topping you like better. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This was SOOOOO good. It was devoured in seconds!! Thank you so much.
Thank you Kelly! xTieghan
Hello Tieghan
Fellow Cleveland Ohioan here!! I made this Mac and cheese and it was yummy my twin boys both liked it too which is always a plus!! Quick question tho. It wasn’t as creamy as what your looked like only things I did differently is I used shells foe pasta, when it was time to mix the butter and flour I did from that step on in a cast iron skillet, added pancetta and a little of the water from the pasta but less than a half a cup I’ve done that in other Mac and cheese recipes to help make it creamy. Could that have made it a bit grainy? Regardless it still tasted great just wondered if any of those things could have been the culprit?
Anyways thanks for all the fun recipes keep em coming! And your barn/home is amazing!! Happy cooking!
Jackie Z
Hey Jackie,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad you family enjoyed! I think adding the pancetta and water could have made this slightly grainy. I hope this helps for next time. xTieghan
Hello, fellow Cleveland native here. I got this recipe from a work colleage and made it with cavatappi and it was really, really delicious, probably the best mac I’ve ever made. My husband and teenager loved it, roo. I like the idea of subbing half the pasta with cooked, shredded chicken and broccoli florets, as another commenter suggested. Great recipe, a keeper, for sure.
Hey Robin,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy New Year! xTieghan
I’ve been making this for years and it is 100% the best darn macaroni and cheese recipe I have EVER made! Always always gets rave reviews! It’s delicious.
Hey Lindz,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan