Ditch the box for good! Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese is a sophisticated, rich and creamy comfort food made for adults. Crispy bacon bits make it next level.
Mac and Cheese with Smoked Gouda
This elevated Mac & Cheese recipe has it all: creamy, smoky, and velvety bites of cheese, topped with savory bacon pieces. Good quality smoked gouda cheese is the key. Its smoked, nutty, flavor and ease in melting makes a robust Macaroni and Cheese. Like our Pub Style Mac and Cheese recipe, this dish will have everyone talking.
We cook it on the stove top, then bake it for 20 minutes so the cheese melts perfectly and all the flavors have time to develop.
Serve it with: Creamy Tomato Soup, Pulled Pork Sandwiches, or Bacon Sandwiches.
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Ingredients
- PASTA: we used pasta shells for this recipe because it holds the cheese sauce well. We also like Elbow Macaroni, Ditali, Penne, or any short grain pasta.
- CREAM CHEESE: this is the key to super creamy macaroni & cheese (that re-heats with ease!) Full fat cream cheese and Neufchâtel cheese works.
- SMOKED GOUDA CHEESE: known for its nutty, buttery flavor, we love recipes with smoked gouda! It makes for a creamy, delicious (and slightly smoky) Mac & Cheese. We shredded the cheese before making this recipe.
- BUTTER: salted butter or unsalted butter works, depending on your taste.
- HEAVY CREAM: using half heavy cream (whipping cream) in addition to milk makes the best Mac and Cheese
- MILK: we like 1% milk, but any milk will do (skim milk, whole milk)
- ONION POWDER: dehydrated onion powder
- SMOKED PAPRIKA: dried paprika give this an extra kick of flavor
- SALT: kosher salt or sea salt
- WHITE PEPPER: you can use crushed black pepper too
- BACON: crispy bacon pieces add that special something to this Mac and Cheese recipe. We also use the bacon grease to coat the baking dish for extra smoky flavor!
Instructions
- Bring water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and cook until al dente.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Drain pasta: when pasta is done, drain, reserving 1 C of pasta water.
- Return pasta to the pot. Add butter, cream cheese and pasta water.
- Cook: heat over medium heat to low heat until cream cheese has melted.
- Add shredded gouda cheese along with milk and heavy cream and cook, stirring often over low heat until cheese sauce thickens. If needed you can add more milk to desired consistency.
- Cook bacon: in a sauté pan, cook bacon until crispy. Remove from pan, reserving ¼ cup bacon grease.
- Chop bacon: chop cooked bacon up into small pieces.
- Grease pan: Using an oven safe 4 qt container, add bacon grease and rub sides to coat.
- Bake: transfer mac and cheese to container and bake for 20 minutes.
- Garnish: remove from heat and garnish with chopped bacon.
Featured review
❝ Nice smoky taste with the smoked cheese and bacon. Came together really easy. It had a fantastic flavor too. ❞
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Top tip
Do not use store-bought shredded cheese. Shred the block of gouda cheese yourself for optimum quality and flavor.
Storage
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat in a sauce pan over medium heat (or in microwave), adding a little milk if necessary.
🧀 More Mac and Cheese Recipes
- Pub Style Mac and Cheese: made with sharp cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese and beer, this bar food style macaroni and cheese is unforgettable.
- Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese: inspired by our favorite sandwich, this cheesy recipe with a kick of hot sauce is a family favorite.
FAQ
Smoked Gouda Cheese adds a rich, smoky flavor to the traditional Mac and Cheese. This gives it a unique taste profile compared to the standard version.
Yes, you can substitute bacon with ingredients like sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions, vegetarian bacon alternatives, or pretzel pieces to create a delicious vegetarian version. Use cooking spray or butter to grease the pan.
It depends! We love smoked gouda for its nutty, sharp flavor. But regular gouda, cheddar cheese, and Monterey Jack also work well. You can also use combinations of these to vary the flavor. Just do not use pre-shredded cheese. Shred the block yourself.
Yes, Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese can be prepared ahead of time and reheated later. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator and reheat it in the oven or microwave until heated through.
Absolutely! We used a quart container, but you can use any oven safe baking dish. A standard 9 X 13 baking dish would work for this recipe.
We used shells for this recipe because its shape holds the creamy cheese sauce well. You can also use traditional macaroni, penne, or fusilli for smoked gouda mac and cheese.
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Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese recipe
Ditch the box for good! Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese is a sophisticated, rich and creamy comfort food made for adults.
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 quarts 1x
Ingredients
- 1 lb of pasta shells (or your choice of pasta)
- 6 oz cream cheese
- 8 oz smoked gouda, shredded
- 4 tbsp butter
- 6 slices bacon
- 1 C heavy cream
- 1 C milk
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp white pepper
Instructions
- Bring water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and cook until al dente.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- When pasta is done, drain it, reserving 1 C of pasta water.
- Return pasta to pot and add butter, cream cheese and pasta water.
- Heat over medium low heat until cream cheese has melted.
- Add shredded gouda cheese along with milk and heavy cream. Cook, stirring often over low heat until sauce thickens. If needed, you can add more milk to desired consistency.
- In a sauté pan, cook bacon until crispy then remove from pan, reserving ¼ C bacon grease.
- Chop bacon up into small pieces.
- Using an oven safe 4 qt container, add bacon grease and rub sides to coat.
- Transfer mac and cheese to container and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat and garnish with chopped bacon.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: entrée
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cup
- Calories: 393
- Sugar: 2.5 g
- Sodium: 514.6 mg
- Fat: 23.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 31.7 g
- Protein: 13.5 g
- Cholesterol: 67 mg
Stephanie McQuillen says
Nice smoky taste with the smoked cheese and bacon. Came together really easy. It had a fantastic flavor too.
Jackie says
Thanks so much Stephanie! We are so happy you liked it!