{"id":1503,"date":"2026-02-02T06:10:36","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T06:10:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/?p=1503"},"modified":"2026-02-02T06:10:36","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T06:10:36","slug":"ultimate-five-cheese-baked-mac-cheese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/02\/ultimate-five-cheese-baked-mac-cheese\/","title":{"rendered":"Ultimate Five Cheese Baked Mac & Cheese"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ultimate Five Cheese Baked Mac & Cheese\u00a0<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Ingredients<\/strong><\/h2>\n

For the Pasta<\/strong><\/h3>\n
    \n
  • 1 lb large elbow macaroni<\/li>\n
  • 1\u00bd tablespoons kosher salt (for boiling pasta water)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    For the Cheese Sauce<\/strong><\/h3>\n
      \n
    • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter<\/li>\n
    • \u2153 cup all-purpose flour<\/li>\n
    • 3\u00bd cups whole milk (warm)<\/li>\n
    • 1 cup heavy cream<\/li>\n
    • 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)<\/li>\n
    • \u00bd teaspoon black pepper<\/li>\n
    • \u00bd teaspoon paprika<\/li>\n
    • \u00bd teaspoon garlic powder<\/li>\n
    • \u00bd teaspoon onion powder<\/li>\n
    • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional, but recommended)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Five Cheeses (about 4\u00bd\u20135 cups total)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
        \n
      • 1\u00bd cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded<\/li>\n
      • 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded<\/li>\n
      • 1 cup Colby Jack cheese, shredded<\/li>\n
      • \u00bd cup Gruy\u00e8re cheese, shredded<\/li>\n
      • \u00bd cup Parmesan cheese, grated<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        For the Topping (Optional but Amazing )<\/strong><\/h3>\n
          \n
        • 1\u00bd cups panko breadcrumbs<\/li>\n
        • 3 tablespoons melted butter<\/li>\n
        • \u00bd cup shredded cheddar or Parmesan<\/li>\n
        • 1 teaspoon paprika or Italian seasoning<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          Instructions<\/strong><\/h2>\n

          1. Cook the Pasta<\/strong><\/h3>\n
            \n
          1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.<\/li>\n
          2. Add salt and macaroni.<\/li>\n
          3. Cook 1\u20132 minutes less than package directions<\/strong> (al dente).<\/li>\n
          4. Drain and set aside.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            2. Make the Cheese Sauce<\/strong><\/h3>\n
              \n
            1. In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.<\/li>\n
            2. Whisk in flour and cook for 1\u20132 minutes<\/strong> (do not brown).<\/li>\n
            3. Slowly whisk in warm milk and cream.<\/li>\n
            4. Cook until slightly thickened (3\u20135 minutes).<\/li>\n
            5. Add salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and Dijon mustard.<\/li>\n
            6. Lower heat and stir in cheeses one handful at a time<\/strong>, reserving a little for topping.<\/li>\n
            7. Stir until smooth and creamy.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              3. Assemble<\/strong><\/h3>\n
                \n
              1. Preheat oven to 375\u00b0F (190\u00b0C)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
              2. Mix cooked pasta with cheese sauce.<\/li>\n
              3. Pour into a greased 9\u00d713-inch baking dish.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                4. Add the Topping<\/strong><\/h3>\n
                  \n
                1. Mix panko breadcrumbs with melted butter and cheese.<\/li>\n
                2. Sprinkle evenly over mac & cheese.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                  5. Bake<\/strong><\/h3>\n
                    \n
                  • Bake uncovered for 25\u201330 minutes<\/strong>, until bubbly and golden on top.<\/li>\n
                  • For extra crisp topping, broil for 2\u20133 minutes (watch closely).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                    Serving Tips<\/strong><\/h2>\n

                    Let rest 5\u201310 minutes before serving
                    \nAdd crispy bacon or jalape\u00f1os if you like
                    \nPerfect with salad or roasted veggies<\/p>\n

                    Why This Mac & Cheese Is \u201cUltimate\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

                    Ultra creamy
                    \nFive-cheese flavor bomb
                    \nCrispy golden topping
                    \nCrowd-pleaser every time<\/p>\n

                     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                    Ultimate Five Cheese Baked Mac & Cheese\u00a0 Ingredients For the Pasta 1 lb large elbow macaroni 1\u00bd tablespoons kosher salt…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1504,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-recipe"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1503"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1503\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1505,"href":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1503\/revisions\/1505"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}