7-Cheese Mac & Cheese

Submitted by LilPinkieJ

"This recipe started from a card from a grocery store, then turned into something indulgent. You can change the cheeses to whatever you want, but after many trials, these cheeses work the best. You can beef up this mac and cheese by adding extra ingredients before baking: -- Add in two cups cooked broccoli cuts and 2 cups cooked diced chicken breast. -- Add in 2 cups cooked crumbled bacon and 1 cup chopped scallions. -- Add in 2 cups diced cooked ham. -- Add 2 cups chopped tomatoes and 1 cup chopped fresh basil."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 45mins
• Ingredients: 15
• Serves: 10-12

ingredients

• 2 lbs elbow macaroni
• 8 eggs
• 1 cup Velveeta cheese, cubed
• 1⁄2 cup butter, melted
• 6 cups half-and-half, divided
• 6 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
• 2 cups parmesan cheese, freshly shredded, divided
• 1 1⁄2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 cups asiago cheese, shredded
• 1 cup havarti cheese, shredded
• 1 cup muenster cheese, shredded
• 1⁄8 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 2 cups Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted

directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until slightly al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside to keep warm.
2. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl.
3. Add the Velveeta, 1 stick melted butter and 2 cups of the half-and-half to the large bowl of eggs. Add the warm macaroni tossing until the cheese has melted and the mixture is smooth. Add the remaining half-and-half, 4 cups of the sharp yellow Cheddar, 1 cup of Parmesan and the remaining shredded cheeses, and salt and pepper, tossing until completely combined in the large bowl.
4. Pour the mixture into buttered baking dishes (approximately 3 (3-quart) baking dishes). Mix together remaining 2 cups of grated Cheddar, 1 cup Parmesan, and bread crumbs. Sprinkle casseroles with the bread crumb mixture. Drizzle melted butter on top. Bake covered with foil for 35-40 minutes. Uncover and bake another 15-20 minutes more.
5. ___ Optional Items ___ (Add before baking).
6. Add in two cups cooked broccoli cuts and 2 cups cooked diced chicken breast.
7. Add in 2 cups cooked crumbled bacon and 1 cup chopped scallions.
8. Add in 2 cups diced cooked ham.
9. Add 2 cups chopped tomates and 1 cup chopped fresh basil.

Reviews

[KateL]

Very good (DH had 3 double-servings), complex cheesy taste. I make 1/3 recipe and added 1 drained can of diced tomatoes (would use 2 cans next time), which required a 10x13 baking pan! (If I had made the full recipe, I would have had to mix the noodles and cheeses in a large stockpot!) Because the cheese mix is subtler than the traditional sharp cheedar cheese macaroni & cheese, this recipe lends itself very well to variations with chicken and veggies, as described by this chef. Thanks for posting this recipe, Jess! Made for Top Favorites of 2008 Tag, based on appleydapply's recommendation.

 

[appleydapply]

This is so amazing; I want to eat it every day! So cheesy and delicious. It went together surprisingly quickly with the long list of cheeses; I got most of them grated up quickly while the pasta was boiling. I cut the recipe, but if I were making the full recipe I'd definitely get out my food processor to grate all the cheese. The calorie count makes me want to cry. I have leftover cheeses since I bought packages of so many different kinds, so I will try to make this again and experiment a little with reducing the fat - maybe replacing the half-n-half with milk.

 

[CookingONTheSide]

This is delicious - a gourmet mac and cheese if there is such a thing! It is very rich and very cheesy as you can imagine by the list of ingredients. It's not the mac and cheese I would make all the time, but for special occasions. Thanks for sharing!