Three Cheese Mac and Cheese with Buttered Croutons

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Mom made the best mac and cheese.  It was outrageously cheesy, ultra creamy, and topped with buttery and crunchy croutons that sent it over the top!  This melts in your mouth and you just can't get enough.  So over the years, there were times I would add and take away but I always come back to the original.  Three different cheeses and those melt in your mouth buttery croutons are the secret. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Cheese Mac and Cheese with Buttered Croutons

  

1 16 ounce box elbow macaroni

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups half and half

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded

2 cups Gruyere cheese shredded

2 cup mild cheddar

salt and pepper to taste

 

Topping

 

5-6 slices white bread

½ cup (1 stick) butter

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9 x 13 deep baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Combine all the shredded cheeses in a large bowl and set aside.

Cook the pasta one minute shy of al dente according to the package instructions. Remove from heat, drain, and place in a large bowl.   Set aside to cool while preparing cheese sauce.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Melt butter in a deep saucepan or skillet.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once butter has melted, whisk in the flour and continue whisking over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes to get rid of the flour taste.  It will be golden and bubbly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gradually whisk in the milk and heavy cream until nice and smooth. Continue whisking until you see bubbles on the surface and then continue cooking and whisking for another 2 minutes. Whisk in salt and pepper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add two cups of shredded cheese and whisk until smooth. Add another two cups of shredded cheese and continue whisking until creamy and smooth. Sauce should be nice and thick.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stir in the cooled pasta until fully coated with the cheese sauce.

Pour half of the mac and cheese into the prepared baking dish. Top with remaining 2 cups of shredded cheese.  

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top with the remaining pasta and cheese.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cut the sliced bread into small cubes.  Melt a stick of butter in a medium skillet and toss in bread cubes.  Continue to toss and stir until bread cubes are completely covered in butter.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remove bread cubes from skillet and arrange on top of baked mac and cheese.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Return to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes or until bread cubes are crispy and golden brown. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Serve immediately

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tips for the Best Homemade Baked Mac and Cheese

• Use block cheese and shred your own. Do not buy the pre-shredded cheese.
• Cook your pasta to slightly less than al dente, about one minute shy is perfect. The reason is that this is baked mac and cheese so the pasta will continue to cook in the homemade cheese sauce in the oven. You don’t want soggy macaroni.
• I used elbow pasta but really, any tubular pasta will work.
• This mac and cheese recipe starts with a roux. The roux is super important to getting the creamiest cheese sauce of your life. Here is what you need to look for:
• The roux (equal parts butter and flour) is whisked together until bubbly and golden.
• Whisk in cold milk – not warm – to prevent the flour from clumping.
• Cook the roux until you see bubbles on the surface and then continue cooking for an additional 2 minutes before adding the cheese.

Photography is the property of and copyrighted to Welcome Home.

INTRODUCTION

Hello, my name is Marty and I am the creator of The Welcome Home Kitchen. I created this webpage for those who love my recipes and have followed me on this journey of preserving the memories of my Mom after she moved to Heaven a few years ago. These are never seen recipes that I make just for you. They have not been released to the public and you can only find them here in your very own online kitchen. Read more about The Welcome Home Kitchen under the Introduction Tab or click on my photo to go there now.

See My 8 Cookbooks!

I love my Aerogarden!

TRANSLATE TO YOUR LANGUAGE

Powered by Translate

Search For Any Recipe!

Contact Form

Name

Email *

Message *

Gruyere And Swiss Mac and Cheese

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I make a lot of macaroni and cheese dishes but this is by far my favorite one.  So easy to make and so delicious. What makes it so good?  It’s creamy and gooey and perfect because of the evaporated milk and the fact that I do not use packaged Shredded cheese. I cube or shred my own from a fresh block. This is the one I choose for my Christmas dinner each year.

Gruyere And Swiss Mac and Cheese

2 (14.5 oz.) cans evaporated milk

18 oz. Swiss cheese block to shred or cube yourself

6 oz. Gruyere Cheese block to cube yourself

6 slices of white cheddar or Monterey Jack  

2 Tablespoons Cornstarch

½ teaspoons Dijon mustard

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 lb. macaroni, cooked al dente (about 1 to 2 minutes under the cooking time)

fresh Italian parsley (optional)

 

Pour the evaporated milk into a large pot and simmer over medium heat. Do not boil. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Combine the cubed or shredded Swiss cheese and the Gruyere cheese with the cornstarch, making sure it is well combined and coated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add the cheese mixture to the simmering milk. Whisk constantly until the cheese and milk mixture is smooth and creamy, and thick about 20 minutes. Be careful not to scald or scorch the bottom of the pan. Add the mustard and mix well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To test if the mixture is thick enough, use a spoon. If the spoon has a nice thick, silky coating on the back of the spoon, the mixture is ready. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the cooked macaroni and continue to cook for 2 minutes more until the macaroni and the sauce is combined and heated through.  

Pour into a 9 x 13  casserole and top with sliced cheese. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Serve warm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOTE:   You can add a topping. Pour into a greased 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Combine ¾ cup seasoned or Italian style breadcrumbs with ½ cup melted butter.  Sprinkle over the macaroni and cheese mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees for for 25 to 30 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden brown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best Mac and Cheese ever! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photography is the property of and copyrighted to Welcome Home. 

Salted Caramel Brownie Bites

These Salted Caramel Brownies are going to take your brownie game to a whole new level.  Deliciously moist and fudgy brownies topped with ooey gooey melted caramel and chocolate and then sprinkled with chopped pecans.  YUM.

Turtle Brownie Bites

2 cups granulated sugar

½ cup butter

½ cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon instant coffee

4 eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour

¾ cups unsweetened cocoa powder

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt 1 2/3 cups chocolate chips, divided

30 soft caramel candies

1 tablespoon milk

¾ cup finely chopped, toasted pecans

Preheat oven to 350° degrees. Line a 12 cup muffin pans with liners or baking cups. 

 

 

Stir sugar, butter, oil and coffee in a large, heavy saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until smooth and thick; remove from heat. Whisk in eggs, one at a time. 

 














Stir flour with cocoa, baking powder and salt in a bowl; stir into egg mixture until smooth. Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips. Divide batter evenly among baking cups. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Cool completely in pans.

Heat remaining chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl on MEDIUM (50%) for 40 to 50 seconds; stir until smooth. Heat caramels and milk in another microwave-safe bowl on HIGH (100%), stirring every 30 seconds, for 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth. 




 



















Spread an equal amount of warm caramel onto each cupcake. Then pour melted chocolate over each cupcake and sprinkle with pecans. Let stand until set.

 Photography is the property of and copyrighted to Welcome Home.

My 3 Ingredient Biscuits

 My 3 Ingredient Biscuits

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Biscuits so light and fluffy you can eat a dozen.  With butter of course!   Only three ingredients and fairly easy to make if you don’t mind folding dough. 

My 3 Ingredient Biscuits

• 
  

 

2 cups self-rising flour (see notes for all-purpose flour)

1 ½ cups heavy cream (do not substitute, heavy cream is a must!)

½ teaspoon sea salt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Keep cream cold in the fridge until you're ready to use it. 

Add flour and salt to a medium bowl. Pour in cold cream and stir with a heavy wooden spoon until mixed. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dump bowl onto a counter and scrape out any remaining dough or flour. Pat into a rectangle about 2" thick. Fold in thirds, turn 1/4 and fold again, continuing 3 times. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cut biscuits with a 3" biscuit cutter. Press down and bring straight up. Do not twist biscuit cutter. Pat excess dough out, cut, and repeat process again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Place biscuits on a cookie sheet about 2" apart. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes, until golden. Brush with butter. Serve warm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes

Trust me. You don’t want to try substituting whole or low-fat milk for heavy cream in this simple biscuit recipe! Heavy cream makes all the difference in the world for the best moist and flaky biscuits.

 You can use all-purpose flour in place of self-rising flour, with these additions: 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon fine salt. Mix well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photography is the property of and copyrighted to Welcome Home.