Divine Gouda mac and cheese: creamy, oozy, and delightful. Made with only five ingredients and ready in about 15 minutes.
This Gouda mac and cheese recipe is a family favorite. Comforting macaroni in a velvety rich cheese sauce made with Gouda cheese and milk. Just a few ingredients but so much pleasure.
Who doesn’t love a good mac n cheese? I don’t know anyone who doesn’t… Not exactly healthy food, but so incredibly delicious and comforting. And if you like this kind of cheesy dish just as much as we do, check out Mac and Cheese without Milk, Mac and Cheese without Flour, Mac and Cheese with Cream Cheese, White Cheddar Mac and Cheese, or Tuna Mac and Cheese.
Or check out the Copycat Chick-fil-A Mac and Cheese or the Old-Fashioned Mac and Cheese for a baked or broiled version of macaroni.
Recipe ingredients
- Elbow macaroni is the classic, but should you not have them in the pantry, don’t stress about it; any short pasta shape will do.
- Cheese: Gouda, regular or smoked. Two different flavors, both equally delicious. Use what you like best or what you happen to have in the fridge.
- Milk and all-purpose flour make the sauce creamy and unctuous.
- Dijon or regular yellow mustard for a bit of extra flavor.
Step-by-step directions
- Cook pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add salt generously and cook the macaroni al dente.
- Cheese: While the pasta cooks, grate the cheese (1).
- Place cheese, milk, flour, mustard, salt, and pepper in a large pan and whisk well to combine (2).
- Heat: Just 1 minute before you have to drain the noodles, add cheese and heat the cheese mixture on very low heat, stirring occasionally to help melt the cheese and combine the ingredients (3).
- Combine: Immediately, add the drained noodles (4) and stir well to coat the macaroni with the Gouda sauce (5).
- Adjust the taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
Expert Tips
Don’t overheat the cheese mixture, or it might clump. Heat it on the lowest heat and just long enough to help the cheese melt; it will not take a minute. If the Gouda is not completely melted, it’s ok; it will continue to melt when you mix it with the hot pasta.
Other cheese sorts you can use
- Cheddar
- Gruyere
- American cheese
- Colby
- Fontina
- A blend of cream cheese, mozzarella, Parmesan, American cheese, Cheddar, Gouda, etc. I would not use cream cheese, mozzarella, Parmesan, or American cheese on their own, but combined with other sorts, they are excellent.
Please don’t use shredded cheese. It contains additives that will prevent it from melting nicely, it is more expensive and doesn’t taste as good as regular cheese.
Portion control
Well, that’s the main issue with mac and cheese of any kind. I’ve read recipes stating that this amount will feed 8 (as the main) and up to 16 people (as a side)… Really?
We are two adults and two kids and manage almost the whole lot in one go (as a main dish) with a bit of leftovers for my husband’s lunch box.
I know the dish contains lots of calories, but I prefer to eat salad and soup for the following two days than eat only 2-3 tablespoons of this delicious dish for one meal. And I can’t imagine telling the kids they are only allowed a small handful of noodles for a meal.
Recipe FAQ
Sure. Place the cheesy pasta in a baking dish. Top it with breadcrumbs, preferably Panko breadcrumbs previously roasted in a pan until golden. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for about 15-20 minutes.
Yes, you can prepare the dish, keep it refrigerated and reheat it before serving. In this case, it’s probably best to reheat the dish in the oven as instructed above.
Refrigerate for 3-4 days in an airtight container and reheat before serving.
Freeze for up to 3 months and defrost in the fridge.
Reheat in the oven or on the stovetop. If reheating on the stovetop, add a good splash of milk and stir often.
What to serve with it?
How about chicken wings? We have plenty of recipes here. Try the Garlic Butter Chicken Wings, the Hot Lemon Pepper Wings, or the Cajun Chicken Wings. Or any other of our chicken wing recipes.
To serve this as a main dish, make a refreshing green salad or cucumber salad; you will need nothing more.
More delicious pasta
- The Best Lemon Pepper Pasta Recipe
- Mascarpone Pasta
- Fried Spaghetti (with Leftover Pasta)
- Creme Fraiche with Salmon Pasta
- Creamy Tahini Pasta
- Easy Thermomix Mac and Cheese
Gouda Mac and Cheese (5 Ingredients)
Equipment
- 1 large pot
- 1 large skillet
Ingredients
- 1 lb elbow macaroni Note 1
- 2 cups full-fat milk or semi-skimmed
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard or yellow mustard
- 1 ½ teaspoon fine sea salt or Kosher salt Note 2
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 9 oz Gouda Note 3
Instructions
- Cook pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add salt generously and cook the macaroni al dente.
- Cheese: While the pasta cooks, grate the cheese.
- Place cheese, milk, flour, mustard, salt, and pepper in a large pan and whisk well to combine.
- Heat: Just 1 minute before you drain the noodles, add the grated cheese, and heat the cheese mixture on very low heat, stirring occasionally to help melt the cheese and combine the ingredients. Don’t overheat the cheese mixture or it might clump. Heat it on the lowest heat and just long enough to help the cheese melt, it will not take a minute. If the Gouda is not completely melted it’s ok, it will continue to melt when you mix it with the hot pasta.
- Combine: Immediately, add the drained noodles and stir well to coat the macaroni with the Gouda sauce.
- Adjust the taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
Notes
- Or any other short pasta shapes, like penne, fusilli, bow tie, orecchiette, rotini, etc.
- Start with less if using table salt, it’s more potent than sea salt. You can always add more at the end.
- I usually have regular Gouda, but smoked Gouda or a blend of the two is excellent.