Get ready to a new mac and cheese recipe onto your dinner menus. White Cheddar mac and cheese is so creamy and baked to cheesy perfection. The white Cheddar is looks beautiful against the broiled smoked paprika topping!
INGREDIENTS
Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe.
Pasta. I like to use a traditional elbow macaroni for this! But you can use whatever you’d like, but I recommend a small shaped pasta noodle.
White Cheddar. Definitely grate the cheese yourself for best quality, this is the White Cheddar I used here.
Butter and flour. This mac and cheese starts with a roux, it makes it every creamy and really helps the sauce hold together.
Light Cream. You’ll need 3 cups.
Seasonings. Salt, black pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika.
Pretty simple, right? To shred the cheese you’ll also want to make sure you have a box grater.
WHITE CHEDDAR VS YELLOW CHEDDAR
So you might be wondering what’s the difference between white Cheddar and yellow Cheddar. And the answer is: annatto. Annatto is a natural food coloring that can give foods an orange reddish hue. With a very mild flavor annatto is the perfect natural food coloring since it will give color with out seriously altering the taste.
So while there isn’t really a taste difference between a white Cheddar mac and cheese and a yellow Cheddar mac and cheese, I feel like this version as a slightly elevated flavor from the garlic powder and smoked paprika in this recipe.
I made this as a baked mac and cheese because that extra cheesy topping is essential to epic mac and cheese for me. But if you want to make this an even easier and faster dinner skip the baking and broiling and serve right away! Just make the white Cheddar sauce, mix in the cooked macaroni and serve.
For more mac and cheese recipes check out more of my favorites!
Cajun mac and cheese
Beer cheese mac and cheese
Baked mac and cheese
Stove top mac and cheese
White Cheddar Mac and Cheese
A beautiful mac and cheese made with white Cheddar. Topped with more cheese and smoked paprika then baked and broiled until cheesy perfection.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings
- Category: Side Dishes
- Method: Saute
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
3 cups dry macaroni noodles
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
3 cups light cream
6 cups shredded white Cheddar cheese, you’ll use 5 in the sauce and one to top (you’ll grate two 8oz blocks of cheese for this)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Smoked paprika for topping
Instructions
1. Cook the noodles according to box instructions, strain then set aside until the cheese sauce is done. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grate the 2 block of cheese, you’ll get 5 cups for the sauce and 1 cup to garnish.
3. While the water is coming to a boil and noodles cook, preheat the oven and spray a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray.
4. In a large pan melt the butter over medium heat then whisk in the flour. Cook for 30 seconds then add the 3 cups of light cream, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook over medium low heat for 6 minutes to thicken. The sauce will bubble a little but shouldn’t be simmering or rapidly bubbling. If it does, turn heat down to low.
5. After 6 minutes, reduce heat to low then add the 5 cups of cheese, 1 cup at a time.
6. Once all of the cheese is melted into the sauce turn off the heat. Add in the cooked noodles, then pour into the 9×13 dish. Top with the remaining 1 cup of cheese and sprinkle generously with smoked paprika.
7. Bake for 15 minutes, then broil until the cheese is browned and bubbly.
Enjoy every bite!
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