If my kids were building their own food pyramid, the bottom, biggest part of the triangle would be mac and cheese. They will eat mac and cheese any time, any where, just about any way. We love a good boxed mac and cheese, but I discovered recently that homemade doesn’t require anything more than what I usually have on hand, and it is significantly better! This little twist of three different types of cheddar really gives it an extra flavor bump, but honestly, you could throw in whatever cheese you like! (My favorite is actually using gouda and gruyere, so get creative!)

Cook one pound of elbow macaroni (or whatever type of pasta you like- bowtie, penne, the little spiral ones, whatever!) according to the package directions.

For the sauce, start by making a roux- this sounds complicated, but really, it’s just mixing equal parts melted butter and flour- in this case, 4 tablespoons of each over medium heat. Whisk together until they are incorporated and cook until it begins to bubble.

Next, add in 1.5 cups of milk and whisk together with butter and flour mixture. Allow this to cook for 5 or so minutes until it begins to thicken up. Add in 1.5 cups of Tillamook triple cheddar shredded cheese (or 1/2 cup sharp cheddar, 1/2 cup medium cheddar, and 1/2 cup white cheddar), and stir until all the cheese is melted and smooth.

Combine sauce with drained cooked pasta, either in the sauce pan, or the macaroni pan. When I made this for Thanksgiving, I cooked the sauce in an oven safe skillet and didn’t transfer it to finish off, but if you use a non-safe skillet, move the entire mixture into a greased oven safe dish. Once it is in the oven safe dish, top with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and a few shakes of paprika for color, and bake at 350 degrees for twenty minutes until the cheese on top is melted and bubbly. Then enjoy! 🙂

Triple Cheddar Mac & Cheese

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Equipment

• 1 cooking pot
• 1 large oven safe skillet OR
• 1 large regular skillet and one oven safe 9×13 dish

Ingredients

  

• 4 tbsp butter
• 4 tbsp flour
• 1½ cups milk
• 1 lb elbow macaroni cooked
• 2 cups Tillamook triple cheddar shredded cheese divided

OR

• ½ cup sharp cheddar (grated)
• ½ cup medium cheddar (grated)
• ½ cup white cheddar (grated)
• + extra for sprinkling on top
• paprika

Instructions

 

• Cover elbow macaroni with water and cook according to package instructions. Preheat oven to 350°.
• While macaroni is cooking, melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once butter is melted, whisk in the flour. Cook for a few minutes until is is incorporated together and starting to bubble.
• Pour in milk and whisk often to incorporate the roux (butter and flour) as the milk cooks. Let this cook for 4-5 minutes until it starts to thicken and bubble.
• Pour in 1½ cups of the grated cheese (if you shredded and combined your own cheeses, leave a ½ cup out), and stir until cheese is melted and combined with the roux mixture.
• Once the macaroni is cooked, drain any excess water, and combine with the cheese mixture. Pour in a greased 9×13 baking dish, or keep in oven safe skillet. Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese on top, and top with a few shakes of paprika for color.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350° until top and edges are golden.