Smoked Gouda Mac & Cheese

Happy Friday, everyone! Here we are at the end of another week & halfway through the month of July. It is hard to believe that so much of the year has passed already. I find myself already dreaming of cooler weather, fall festivities, and the holidays to come. Although we are still hanging out in the land of eternal heat & mugginess, I recognize that those crisp autumn mornings are just around the corner.

I received a call from the school regarding enrolling my oldest child in Pre-K the other day & information regarding orientation. Let me tell you, I just don’t know how ready I am for this. It seemed so far in the distant future, even though I knew different. All year I have been able to ignore it’s immediate forthcoming. However, now, in the middle of July, I see that August (and thus the school year) is just around the corner.

Enough of my motherly woes at the moment…

Anyhow, today I want to share a recipe for Smoked Gouda Mac & Cheese. I will start with a disclaimer of this not being the healthiest recipe you may find. However, it is the comfort food of all comfort foods and is beyond delicious. Up until maybe the past year or so, I had never tried gouda cheese. What in the world was I thinking?! This stuff is delicious; especially when smoked.

“Life is too short for fake butter, cheese, or people.”

It has quickly climbed the ladder to being one of my favorite types of cheese. Now, I am aware that cheese isn’t the best food to try to force our digestive system to process; however, it makes my soul happy & my heart smile. So, I shall press on!

I found this recipe & tweaked it a little based on what I like or what I may have in the kitchen. That is basically the story of my life when cooking. I find a recipe for an “idea” and then tweak it to fit me; creating something unique. It is thick, creamy, cheesy, warm, crispy, bacon-y, and a gift straight from the heavens. It will have you bumbling around the kitchen and scampering to steal a second helping, before it’s all gone.

I do wish to apologize that I do not have great photographs of this amazing side-dish. Each time I make it, it doesn’t usually last long enough to take a better photo. However, next time it pops out of the oven, I will be sure to do so and update this post.

• Servings: 8-10
• Time: 35 minutes
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

The perfect comfort food to satisfy those cheesy tastebuds.

Time above included prep & cooking. I use egg noodles because I like the texture for this dish. I use yellow mustard (yes the kind you put on hotdogs) because I don’t keep powdered mustard around.

Ingredients

• 16oz cooked noodles, drained (I used egg noodles)
• 4Tbsp butter
• 1 medium diced onion
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2lb shredded smoked gouda
• 2tsp salt
• 1 cup Chicken Broth
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• 1 1/4 cup heavy ream
• 1/2lb shredded cheddar cheese
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1Tbsp yellow mustard

Topping

• 2 cup Panko crumbs
• 1/2 cup crumbled bacon
• 4Tbsp melted butter
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan

Directions

1. Prepare noodles and set aside.
2. Using a saute pan, met the butter on medium-high heat and saute the onions until they are beginning to brown.
3. Reduce heat and slowly sprinkle in flour. Cook on medium heat for approximately a minute.
4. In a separate container, combine the milk, heavy cream, and chicken broth. Add combination at once to flour and onions.
5. Whisk on medium heat for 1-2 minutes. You will notice that the mixture will immediately begin to thicken. Continue to whisk thoroughly.
6. Add salt, pepper and mustard. Reduce heat and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
7. Add the cheeses and stir thoroughly until all are melted and mixed with previous ingredients.
8. Add in the noodles & stir. Place into a baking pan.
9. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle on top of noodles & cheese. Place in oven and broil until beginning to brown.
10. Enjoy!

I hope you all enjoy this recipe. I don’t make it often (mostly because I find myself wanting to continually snack on it until it’s gone), but it is definitely a favorite of mine.

Do you have a favorite not-so-healthy comfort meal that you love?

-Shawna

Check out last week’s #FridayFoodie recipe here!