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We are breaking up with boxed mac and cheese!! We’ve fallen in love with this baked mac and cheese and we can’t go back.
Although we can’t quite beat the efficiency of a boxed mac and cheese with this recipe, this baked mac and cheese is SO easy to make and tastes INSANE! A creamy cheese sauce made with a blend of four cheeses and topped with crunchy toasted Ritz crumbs.
We love to put modern twists on recipes to make it something that we would actually enjoy to eat. For for this mac and cheese recipe, we used greek yogurt instead of heavy cream and topped the cheese. It gives that creamy texture and flavor but doesn’t
Serve this four cheese baked Mac and cheese as a side at your next barbecue or for a weeknight dinner for friends and family.
Four Cheese Baked Mac & Cheese
Ingredients:
Direction Snapshot:
1. Make pasta.
2. Grate cheeses.
3. Make your roux and cheese sauce.
4. Stir in pasta into cheese sauce.
5. Sprinkle extra cheese onto and bake.
6. Make toasted Ritz cracker crumbs.
7. Serve and top with cracker crumbs! Enjoy!
Want more pasta recipes? Check out our Easy Weeknight Sweet Pea & Spinach Pasta or our Lemon Cacio e Pepe.
How to make a roux...
You may be asking: What is a roux? A roux is used to thicken sauces like the cheese sauce in the four cheese Mac and cheese. It is made with equal parts butter and flour.
1. You start by melting butter in a skillet.
2. Whisk in flour until it is incorporated.
3. Add in spices if your recipe calls for them (this one does!)
It is super easy to do! And once you make the roux, you add in all the other yummy sauce ingredients. And within a couple minutes you have a super yummy cheese sauce.
How to cook al dente pasta...
Al dente = the perfect balance between crunch and crumbly!
Follow package instructions. It is important to pay attention to the package instructions, because each noodle type can have a different cook time.
Test the pasta as you go. Sample the pasta as you cook to see how well don’t the pasta is. You want to make sure the pasta is still firm in the center but not crunchy. If it is crunchy, cook for a bit longer and test again.
How does the pasta look and feel? Your pasta should be chewy, not crunchy or crumbly. When you bite into the pasta, there shouldn’t be a white center.
Do not skip the Toasted Ritz Crumbs!
The toasted Ritz crumbles on top of the Mac and cheese turn this dish into a show-stopper!! Trust us, you do not skip this step! It’s too good!
A lot of southern mac and cheese recipes will have bread crumbs baked on top. But we wanted to modernize this dish a bit by crushing Ritz crackers, seasoning them and toasting them.
They add an extra punch of flavor and a crunch to each bite that really elevates the dish!
Four Cheese Baked Mac & Cheese
Description
A creamy cheese sauce made with four cheeses and topped with crunchy toasted Ritz crumbs.
Ingredients
1 lb pasta
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 cup plain greek yogurt
2 cups milk
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup gruyere cheese, shredded
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
Toasted Ritz Cracker Crumbs
20 Rtiz crackers
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Fill a medium pot with water and cook pasta according to package instructions. Make sure to salt the water by adding a very large pinch of salt to the boiling water. Once pasta is cooked, strain out water. Add 1 tbsp of butter to the pasta and mix to coat. The butter will make sure the pasta doesn’t stick together in one clump.
- While water is boiling, grate your cheese. Combine all the grated cheese into one bowl and toss together to mix. Set aside.
- Make your cheese sauce: Start by making the roux for the sauce. In a dutch oven or deep skillet, over medium-high heat, melt butter until just bubbling. Add in flour and whisk until it thickens.
- Next add in paprika, onion and garlic powder, dijon mustard. And whisk to combine. Pour in milk and yogurt to the skillet and whisk until it all comes together.
- Next add in half of the cheese mixture to the sauce, whisking until melted. Save the other half of the mixture for topping.
- Remove the cheese sauce from heat. Pour pasta into sauce, stirring to coat all the pasta with the cheese sauce.
- Pour the cheesy pasta into a 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and bake in the oven for 35-45 minutes until the cheese onto is turning a golden brown color.
- Make toasted Ritz crumbs: Add about 20 crackers to a plant bag and crush them into crumbs by pounding with a wooden spoon or rolling pin. Add butter to a skillet over medium heat. Pour cracker crumbs and spices into skillet. Stir to coat crumbs. Toast for about 4-5 minutes until fragrant. When crumbs start to turn a dark golden color, remove from heat to cool
- Once cooked, remove from oven and cool for about 5-10 minutes before serving. Top with Ritz crumbs, fresh thyme.
