This smoked gouda mac and cheese is the ultimate comfort food! It’s smoky, creamy and outrageously cheesy. It’s made using a homemade smokey cheese sauce that is bound to please crowds and family members. It also works incredibly well smoked, baked and non-baked.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
If you love smoked gouda, you’ll love this recipe. It’s smoky and creamy, but I love it because it’s homey, wholesome and easy to make. Most of the ingredients are usually in my pantry, so it makes grocery shopping easy for me.
Ingredient Notes
- Smoked Gouda: Smoked gouda has a bit more of a nutty and of course, smoky taste compared to regular gouda. You can also alternative this recipe with regular gouda if you prefer.
- Cheddar: I like to use American cheddar because it melts incredibly well and is so creamy! If you prefer a richer taste, you can swap American cheddar for a sharp cheddar.
- Macaroni: Any macaroni works for this recipe. I used elbow macaroni because I like how it caches a lot of the creamy cheese sauce.
- Milk: You can use any type of milk for this recipe. For a slightly richer mac and cheese, use whole milk and semi-skimmed for a slightly lighter version.
- Breadcrumbs: Both breadcrumbs and panko breadcrumbs work well. I used panko breadcrumbs as they added more texture to the recipe.
Expert Tips & Tricks
I would class myself as quite the mac and cheese expert. I have made mac and cheese at least five hundred times in my professional cooking career. So, if you want to make some high-level mac and cheese, follow these tips.
How to not burn the bottom of your cheese sauce
If this has happened to you, don’t worry about it! It is such a common thing the first few times making cheese sauce.
The trick to avoiding this is regularly scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. This stops the flour from sitting on the bottom of the pot and burning.
What I like to do after adding this part of milk is to scrape the bottom of the pot every 30 seconds while stirring the sauce consistency.
This doesn’t give the flour in the sauce enough time to settle at the bottom and burn.
- Scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula every 30 seconds.
How to keep your mac and cheese creamy while baking or using a smoker
You may notice that sometimes your mac and cheese is so lush and creamy before placing it in the smoker or baking and after it isn’t. This is for two reasons:
- Baking mac and cheese will cause the liquid to evaporate.
- The starches in both the flour and pasta absorb the liquid in the milk.
To keep your baked mac and cheese creamier, rinse the macaroni with water in the colander after boiling it. This will help rinse off excess starch from the pasta.
That extra removed starch will help keep the mac and cheese creamier.
Don’t use pre-grated cheese
Most pre-grated cheeses are not a good choice for mac and cheese. Many of them have added preservatives like starch and don’t melt as well, making the cheese sauce less creamy.
Make sure the white sauce is a very low heat or turned off while adding the cheese
Turn the heat off or on very low while adding the cheese. If you have the heat on very low, make sure to mix the sauce thoroughly while adding the cheese.
Too much heat will cause the cheese and sauce to split, giving you a grainy sauce.
Step by Step Instructions
1) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the macaroni following the package instructions or for 9-11 minutes. Drain the macaroni in a colander and stir while rinsing with cold water until cool. Pour the macaroni back into the large pot, add a lid and place to the side.
2) Preheat the to smoker 230f (110c) or oven to 350f (180c). My favourite woods to use are cherry or applewood.
3) In a separate large pot over medium heat, cook the butter and flour for 1 to 2 minutes while slowly mixing with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula.
4) Vigorously stir in one-third of the milk with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, occasionally scraping the bottom of the pot.
5) Switch to a whisk, and add another one-third of the milk of while stirring until thickened. Add the last third of the milk and continuously stir with the whisk until the white sauce (bechamel sauce) comes to a very light simmer.
Note: Requarally scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula will stop the sauce from catching and burning.
6) Turn the heat very low and gradually whisk in the smoked gouda and American cheese.
7) Stir the cooked macaroni into the cheese sauce. Taste and season with salt.
8) Transfer to a baking tray. Sprinkle with panko breadcrumbs and bake at 350f (180c) for 25-30 minutes or smoke for an hour at 230f (110c).
9) Place on a wire rack or heatproof mat and serve immediately.
Storage Information
You can store this mac and cheese in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze this recipe and it will stay good for up to 3 months.
Freezer Tip: Once the mac and cheese has cooled, transfer it in portions in freezer bags. You can then flatten them and stack them in the freezer. This tip allows you to take out one serving at a time and saves freezer space.
FAQs
Does smoked gouda cheese melt well?
Smoked gouda cheese melts well and is excellent for adding flavor and creaminess to your macaroni cheese recipe.
What sized oven-proof dish should I use?
This mac and cheese fits nicely in a family-sized oven-proof dish. I used a 13 x 9 x 2-inch, which is approximately a 33 x 22 x 5 cm dish.
How to reheat leftover mac and cheese
I like to reheat leftover mac and cheese in single servings in the microwave. Make sure to cover it, as this will help retain more moisture.
How to make this mac and cheese ahead of time
If you want to make this recipe ahead of time. Follow all the steps until you transfer it into the baking dish. After that wrap it in cling film and place it in the refrigerator. It will stay good for up to 3 days.
Then place in a 350f (180c) pre-heated oven for 30 minutes or until hot.
More Recipes You May Like
- 4-Ingredient Potato Soup
- Baked Cauliflower Cheese
- Baked Mac and Cheese
- Beef Kabobs in the Oven
- Chicken Kabobs in the Oven
Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese
Equipment
- Large Pot
- Baking Dish 13 x 9 inch (33 x 22cm)
Ingredients
- 500 g Macaroni
- 110 g Butter
- 80 g All Purpose Flour Plain
- 1 L Milk
- 320 g Smoked Gouda grated (If you're using a smoker you can use regular gouda.)
- 240 g American Cheddar grated
- Sea Salt
- 30 g Panko Breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the macaroni following the package instructions or for 9-11 minutes.
- Drain the macaroni in a colander and stir while rinsing with cold water until cool. Pour the macaroni back into the large pot, add a lid and place to the side.
- Preheat the to smoker 230f (110c) or oven to 350f (180c). My favourite woods to use are cherry or applewood.
- In a separate large pot over medium heat, cook the butter and flour for 1 to 2 minutes while slowly mixing with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula.
- Vigorously stir in one-third of the milk with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, occasionally scraping the bottom of the pot.
- Switch to a whisk, and add another one-third of the milk of while stirring until thickened. Add the last third of the milk and continuously stir with the whisk until the white sauce (bechamel sauce) comes to a very light simmer.
- Turn the heat very low and gradually whisk in the smoked gouda and American cheese.
- Stir the cooked macaroni into the cheese sauce. Taste and season with salt.
- Transfer to a baking tray. Sprinkle with panko breadcrumbs and smoke for an hour at 230f (110c) or bake at 350f (180c) for 25-30 minutes.
Notes
- Requarally scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula will stop the sauce from catching and burning.