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Gruyere mac and cheese in a white casserole dish.
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4.84 from 6 votes

Gruyere Mac and Cheese

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Author: Aleksandra

Ingredients

for the mac and cheese:

  • 1 pound (450g) macaroni pasta
  • 6 tablespoons (85g) butter
  • 5 tablespoons (40g) flour
  • 3 1/4 cups milk
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 3 cups (300g) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 2 cups (200g) shredded Gruyere cheese
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • salt and pepper to taste

for the topping:

  • 1 1/2 cups Panko breadcrumbs 85g
  • 1/4 cup butter 60g
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan 45g

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
  • Cook the pasta 1 minute shorter than the package instructions. Drain and set aside.
  • Grate Gruyere and cheddar cheese on the large holes of a box grater.
  • Make brown butter: melt butter in a pot then cook it over medium heat, whisking often, until butter turns light brown and smells nutty.
  • Add flour and whisk until combined. Cook over low heat for about a minute.
  • Add milk, heavy cream, and spices (paprika, onion and garlic powder, cayenne pepper, Dijon mustard). Whisk until combined, bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Cook the milk mixture over very low heat and make sure it's cooking very gently. Gradually add cheese, about 1/2 cup at a time, whisking after every addition until the cheese is melted and incorporated into the sauce.
  • When all the cheese has been added season the sauce with lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. You should have a smooth sauce but if yours look grainy, just blend it with a hand mixer/blender and it will be perfect. I often mix the sauce additionally with the blender even if it's already smooth - it won't split when reheated or frozen and thawed.
  • Add the cheese sauce and cooked and drained macaroni to a 9x13 inch (23x33cm) casserole dish, and stir them together. The mac and cheese will be too runny at this point - baked mac and cheese must be really runny before going into the oven or it will turn out dry. It will thicken in the oven and then more while cooling.
  • Make the topping: melt the butter in a medium pot, add the breadcrumbs and stir to coat. Take the pot off the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese.
  • Top the mac and cheese with the breadcrumb topping. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the topping is golden and crunchy. Let stand for 5 minutes to thicken slightly then dig in!
  • Enjoy!

Notes

Calories = 1 serving (1/10 of the recipe). This is only an estimate!

Nutrition

Calories: 539kcal