What's Cookin' Wednesday

Smoked Gouda Mac & Cheese

Sometimes, after a hard day at work, you just want a comfort meal. But, if you're like me, you're also lazy and don't want to put in too much effort. Story of my life, really. If you're like me, then this mac & cheese is for you! It's literally ridiculously delicious. Basically boyfriend's favorite meal.

Ingredients:

1 box of pasta

4 Tbsp. butter

1/4 cup flour (I use whole wheat)

1 egg

2 1/4 c. half & half

1/2 pound cheese of choice

Panko crumbs (optional)

Let's start off by saying that I change the kind of cheese I use every time I make this. I usually buy my cheese at Trader Joe's because they have a good selection. The blocks, wedges, whatever are usually around 0.6 lbs, and I use the rest for sprinkling on top. This time, I got a reduced fat smoked gouda. It very well might be the best kind we've tried. A close second is the white cheddar & gruyere block.

 How to:

Start off by cooking the noodles to just before fully cooked, around 7-10 minutes. Set them aside once they're done. While that's happening, melt the butter in a sauce pan. Once fully melted, whisk in the flour. You're making a roux! Let that cook for about 5 minutes, whisking occasionally. 

Don't let it burn!!

Grate up yo' cheese! I make boyfriend do this...

At this point, I also preheat my oven to 350.

Slowly add the half & half to your roux, whisking until smooth after each addition. Let that simmer for a bit until it thickens, about 10 minutes.

Beat your egg, and add about 1/4 cup for the half & half mixture to the egg, while whisking. This is just to prevent the egg from instantly cooking when you throw it in the pan. After it's all whisked, add the egg mixture to the pan, and stir until incorporated.

Next, pile in your cheese and stir that around until smooth. With the smoked gouda, it never really got smooth because of the rind.

Once your cheese sauce is smooth, you can toss your noodles in and stir!

Squish all that into a greased glass pan. I usually use a 9x13.

Sprinkle with the remainder of the cheese, panko crumbs, and freshly grated pepper, and pop it in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Around this time, I turn the broiler on for 1-2 minutes, just to get the top a little crispier. It's not necessary, though.

Here it is, in all of it's baked goodness:

Literally, smoked gouda might be the best one we've tried. It's so good.
Let me know if you try it out and how it goes for you!