Adult Macaroni and Cheese

Introduction

This macaroni and cheese skips the traditional béchamel for a direct cheese sauce built from mascarpone, cream cheese, and three hard cheeses melted into heavy cream. The result is dense, creamy, and finished in under 30 minutes—quick enough for a weeknight dinner but luxurious enough to stand as a side for a proper meal.

Recipe Details

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Servings: 4

Ingredients

• ½ pound (227 g) elbow macaroni
• 6 ounces (170 g) heavy cream
• ½ tsp (2.5 ml) kosher salt, plus more for the water
• ½ cup (60 g / 2.1 oz) grated Fontina
• ½ cup (60 g / 2.1 oz) grated Gruyere
• ½ cup (150 g / 5.3 oz) mascarpone cheese
• ½ cup (150 g / 5.3 oz) cream cheese
• 4 thin slices Swiss cheese, julienned
• 1¼ sticks (150 g / 5.3 oz) unsalted butter, divided
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp (5 ml) tabasco sauce

Instructions

1. In a gallon (~3.8 L) of salted boiling water, cook macaroni to al dente. Strain into a colander and rinse with cold water.
2. While pasta is cooking, in a heavy saucepan, melt 2 tbsp butter over medium heat. Once bubbling ceases, whisk in flour and cook, whisking continuously, until blonde.
3. Add remaining ingredients except butter. Once cheese is melted and sauce is smooth, add 1 tbsp butter, whisking continuously until melted. Repeat until all butter has been used.
4. Gently fold in macaroni and serve warm.

Variations

Use a different hot sauce. Tabasco adds sharpness and bite; swap it for sriracha (same amount) for a gentler heat and subtle sweetness, or use half the amount of a hotter sauce like cayenne pepper if you prefer restraint.

Add cooked mushrooms. Sauté sliced cremini or shiitake mushrooms in butter until golden, then fold them in with the macaroni for umami depth and texture contrast.

Increase the Swiss cheese proportion. Replace one of the hard cheeses (Fontina or Gruyere) with an equal amount of grated Swiss cheese for a milder, slightly nuttier flavor.

Mix in caramelized onions. Cook sliced yellow onions low and slow in butter until deeply golden, then fold them into the finished sauce for sweetness and savory complexity.

Finish under the broiler. Transfer the finished mac and cheese to a baking dish, top with panko breadcrumbs mixed with melted butter, and broil for 2–3 minutes until golden for a crisp, textured crust.

Tips for Success

Cook the roux until it stops sizzling. Once you add flour to melted butter, whisk constantly for 1–2 minutes until the mixture turns pale blonde and the raw flour smell disappears. This ensures the flour cooks out and won’t make the sauce grainy.

Add cheese off the heat or on low. High heat can cause the cheese to separate and become oily. Keep the burner at medium or lower once you add the cheese mixture, stirring gently until fully melted before adding the butter increments.

Rinse the cooked pasta with cold water. This stops carryover cooking and removes excess starch, which keeps the sauce from becoming gluey when you fold the pasta in.

Fold, don’t stir aggressively. Use a rubber spatula and fold the macaroni into the sauce gently to avoid breaking the pasta and creating a mushy texture.

Serve immediately or within a few minutes. The sauce thickens as it cools, so eat it while it’s still flowing slightly. If it sits, you can loosen it with a splash of warm cream, whisked in gently.

Storage and Reheating

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The sauce will thicken significantly as it cools.

This dish does not freeze well—the emulsion breaks down and the texture becomes grainy upon thawing.

FAQ

What if my sauce breaks or becomes grainy? Remove it from the heat immediately and whisk in a few tablespoons of cold cream slowly. The emulsion may reset. If it doesn’t, strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve to remove graininess, then whisk it smooth with a touch more cream and reheat gently. Prevent this by keeping heat at medium or lower and avoiding high temperatures once cheese is added.

Can I use a different pasta shape? Yes. Small shells, penne rigate, or cavatappi all work well, as the ridges and curves hold the sauce. Avoid very thin or delicate shapes like angel hair, which will break during folding and absorb too much sauce.

Why rinse the pasta if I want a creamy dish? Rinsing stops the cooking and removes starch that would make the sauce thick and gluey rather than smooth and pourable. The cheese and cream provide all the richness you need; excess starch only dulls the cheese flavor and creates a pasty texture.