The three cheese macaroni and cheese was inspired by the macaroni and cheese I had at a local restaurant in Ann Arbor when I was a student in college. Whenever I completed a final exam, I would treat myself to Sava’s macaroni and cheese. Sava’s macaroni and cheese had a wonderful smokiness, saltiness, and creaminess to it. The menu description for the macaroni and cheese listed smoked gouda, white cheddar, and parmigiano reggiano as the cheese ingredients. After I graduated from college and moved away from Ann Arbor, I still occasionally crave Sava’s macaroni and cheese. Since I am unable to travel to Ann Arbor just for the macaroni and cheese, I decided to create my own version over the weekend. I created the following recipe to serve for lunch on Saturday as Kevin and I watched our school’s second football game of the 2018-19 football season. Our school ended up winning this game, which made the macaroni and cheese taste even better.
Three Cheese Macaroni and Cheese:
· 1 pound (16 ounces) Tortiglioni pasta
· 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
· 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
· 1½ cups whole milk
· 4 ounces smoked gouda, grated, plus additional ounce for topping
· 4 ounces sharp white cheddar, grated
· 4 ounces parmigiano reggiano, grated
· ½ teaspoon kosher salt
· ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Set aside a baking dish.
2) In a large pot, cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
3) Heat a large, deep skillet on medium heat. Add the butter into the skillet. Once the butter melts, add the all-purpose flour. Cook for 1-2 minutes until mixture starts to form bubbles.
4) Add the whole milk and cook until the milk starts to thicken. Add the cheese one batch at a time and let the cheese melt before adding the next batch of cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
5) Add the cooked pasta into the skillet and stir until the pasta is coated in the cheesy mixture.
6) Scoop the pasta into the baking dish. Top with the additional ounce of smoked gouda.
7) Bake for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the macaroni and cheese sit in the oven for another 5 minutes.
Takeaways: The macaroni and cheese tastes great on its own, but I also like some crunchiness in my macaroni and cheese. I ended up dividing the macaroni and cheese into a medium baking dish and three small ramekins. I made a crunchy topping by toasting some panko crumbs (1½ cups) in butter (2 tablespoons) until golden brown. I sprinkled the toasted panko crumbs on top of the macaroni and cheese in the ramekins. I also baked the ramekins for 20 minutes and let them sit in the oven for an additional 5 minutes before serving.
