Tag Archives: mac and cheese

Gouda Mac & Cheese with Brussels Sprouts in 9×13 Family Casserole

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Gouda Mac and Cheese with Brussels Sprouts and Mushrooms offers a tasty and on-trend twist to one of America’s most comforting pasta dishes. The rich, earthy flavors of Brussels sprouts and mushrooms seemingly melt into the creamy goodness of Gouda cheese – combine all that with the pasta of your choice, and it’s noodle nirvana!

This delicious, hearty mac and cheese can be made ahead and baked as a side dish for Thanksgiving or other family meals! It's a 9x13 casserole crowd pleaser!

Plus, veggies – don’t forget you sneaked vegetables into each and every serving of this gouda mac and cheese! It’s a great way to convince kids to eat more of the good stuff. As for the pasta, you can use the flour variety (eg: traditional durum wheat or a gluten-free alternative (I like ZenB Pasta made from 100% yellow peas to offer LOTS of fiber and protein)

This delicious, hearty mac and cheese can be made ahead and baked as a side dish for Thanksgiving or other family meals! It's a 9x13 casserole crowd pleaser!
Brussels sprouts and mushrooms roast in the oven for a caramalized, rich flavor that elevates gouda mac.

This Brussels sprout mac and cheese is an easy 9” x 13” side dish and makes a great take-along offering to a pot luck or holiday feast at a friend’s house – keep it warm in this awesome casserole cozy. I know It will be one of our most popular and best thanksgiving side dishes of this year.

This delicious, hearty mac and cheese can be made ahead and baked as a side dish for Thanksgiving or other family meals! It's a 9x13 casserole crowd pleaser!
These cheese sauce comes together easily and is the “yum” that binds this baked pasta together.

TIPS FOR GOUDA MAC & CHEESE WITH BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Cheese Swap: You can swap out the Gouda for an equal amount of sharp cheddar (or really any similar cheese) for a bold change.

Don’t Like Mushrooms?: Just leave them out, no other modification needed.

Don’t Like Brussels Sprouts?: Swap with fresh broccoli florets and roast as directed for Brussel sprouts in recipe.

Pasta Shape: I prefer an elbow macaroni, penne, cavatappi or rotini for Mac and Cheese recipes. These have lots of twists and/or tunnels to catch the cheesy sauce.

Pasta Alternatives: I’ve used both traditional and gluten-free pastas to make this Brussel Sprouts Mac & Cheese, so go with your preference. It’s best when pre-cooking the noodles to take them off al dente (very slightly “to the tooth” or firm) because they will cook a second time as a mac and cheese casserole in the oven.

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5 from 4 votes
This delicious, hearty mac and cheese can be made ahead and baked as a side dish for Thanksgiving or other family meals! It's a 9x13 casserole crowd pleaser!
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Gouda Mac and Cheese with Brussels Sprouts
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
40 mins
Total Time
50 mins
 

This delicious, hearty mac and cheese can be made ahead and baked as a side dish for Thanksgiving or other family meals! It's a 9×13 casserole crowd pleaser!

Course: Pasta, Side Dish
Keyword: 9×13, brussels sprouts, comfort food, mac and cheese, pasta
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
  • 8 ounces brussels sprouts; tough outer leaves removed trimmed and halved (or quartered, if large)
  • 8 ounces white button mushrooms quartered
  • 2 tbsp olive oil divided
  • ½ tsp salt plus a dash more for pasta water
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 8- ounce box of uncooked pasta elbows, rotini, penne or similar
  • 6 ounces gouda cheese grated
  • ¼ cup butter
  • ¼ cup flour
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 18 ounces whole milk
  • 1 ounce fresh-grated Parmesan cheese about ½ cup
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 425F.
  2. Trim Brussels sprouts and pull off tough outer leaves. Half smaller sprouts, and quarter large ones. Do the same for mushrooms.
  3. In 9” x 13” glass baking dish, add Brussels sprouts. Drizzle with 1 tbsp of olive oil, and sprinkle with about half of the salt and pepper to season.
  4. Roast in oven for a total of 20-25 minutes. After 10 minutes, pull out and add mushrooms to the dish, along with the remaining olive oil, salt and pepper. Return to oven to roast for 10 more minutes (so 10 minutes total for mushrooms, 20-ish for sprouts).
  5. While vegetables are roasting, bring water to boil in pasta pot and prepare pasta per package instructions for “al dente”. After cooking, drain in colander and set aside.
  6. In same pot that pasta was cooked in (now empty), melt butter over medium-high heat. Sir in mustard and garlic and stir for about 1 minute. Next add in flour a little at a time, using a whisk to incorporate. Whisk constantly, making a roux that turns deep golden brown, in about 3 to 4 minutes.
  7. With heat turned to medium, pour in milk a little at a time, whisking until combined and smooth. Next add cheese a little at a time, whisking until smooth.
  8. Add cooked pasta to cheese sauce and mix until coated. Then pour into 9×13” dish with roasted veggies; stir. Top with 1 ounce of fresh grated Parmesan cheese.
  9. Place in oven now heated to 350F. Bake for 15 minutes, or until cheese bubbling and lightly browning on top.
Recipe Notes

Macros coming.

Willpower Rest Day – Bacon & Blue Cheese Mac

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Bacon & Blue Cheese MacI try to eat green and eat clean, but sometimes I need to give it a rest! And, now I have the science to prove that it’s okay to indulge in my Bacon & Blue Cheese Mac recipe every once in a while. A recent study says that our willpower is like a muscle, after use it becomes fatigued and is no longer able to perform at peak levels. After a lot of use, your needs to take a break, just like you need to recover after a hard run or workout!  The scientists studying decision making called it “self-regulation failure,” and people in the food and fitness world call it a “cheat day” when these decisions come to food – I don’t like those terms and am rebranding the idea a Willpower Rest Day!

sauce for blue cheese mac

This pot of cheesy goodness is about to be poured onto noodles.

I first developed this rich and creamy recipe for macaroni and cheese for Litehouse Foods using blue cheese crumbles from their Simply Artisan Reserve line of cheese. It’s become famous with friends, family and readers of the Living Litehouse Blog. And, also beloved by the thousands of people who have sampled it at Fresh Summit in Atlanta and recently the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco. I’m not trying to brag (oh, who am I kidding?!), but I’m heard exclamations like, “OMG, this is the BEST macaroni and cheese I’ve EVER eaten.”

BAco

Smoky, salty bacon complement bold blue cheese – there is a lot of umami action going on with this fancy mac and cheese. However, the flavors aren’t so over the top that the kids will be freaked out. However, maybe you WANT to keep them out of it (more for you) so just double up on the blue cheese! Have I convinced you to give your willpower a rest day and make up a batch of this delicious baked macaroni and cheese recipe?  This baked pasta recipe can even be made ahead and then popped into the oven an hour before serving.

Bacon and Blue Cheese Mac

 

Also, check out these macaroni and cheese making tips from from Cooking Light — everything you need to know to satisfy your mac madness!

Willpower Rest Day – Bacon and Blue Cheese Mac #ComfortFood #LivingLitehouse #CLBlogger

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What is your favorite comfort food? Do you rest your willpower every now and then? Fan of blue cheese? Please share in the comments below, XOXO — Jennifer 

Bacon & Blue Cheese Mac
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Willp
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 15 mins
 
Treat yourself to this rich and creamy baked macaroni and cheese made with blue cheese and bacon -- delicious as a side dish to steak, a casserole for your pot luck or just straight out of the dish.
Course: Main Dish, Pasta, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Italian
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 pound radiatore pasta mini ziti or elbow noodles
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 2/3 cup blue cheese dressing I used Litehouse brand
  • 8 ounces white cheddar, freshly grated
  • 5 ounces blue cheese, crumbled I used Simply Artisan Reserve Brand
  • 1/4 cup Instantly Fresh Herbs, or fresh chopped
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
for topping
  • 1 tablespoon melted butter
  • 1/2 cup unsalted panko
  • 1 tablespoon Instantly Fresh Parsley, or fresh chopped
  • 6 strips center cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 F degrees. Spray a baking dish with nonstick spray.
  2. Bring water to a boil and prepare pasta according to directions, but shaving 1-2 minutes off of the cooking time to keep al dente.
  3. Meanwhile, heat butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. When butter begins to sizzle, quickly add flour and whisk constantly until roux is golden, about 2 minutes.
  4. Pour in milk and whisk constantly, stirring until the mixture slightly thickens.
  5. Reduce heat to low and add in white cheddar and blue cheese a couple handfuls at a time until cheese melts and sauce is thickened.
  6. Stir in Blue Cheese Dressing. Stir in Instantly Fresh chives and season with salt and pepper.
  7. Add cooked pasta to baking dish. Pour cheese sauce over top, tossing to coat all the noodles.
  8. Cover top in panko bread crumb mixture.
  9. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until top is golden and crunchy and sauce is bubbling. Top with crumbled bacon