Nothing says comfort food better than homemade mac n cheese, however, if you are looking to jazz it up a bit for a special dinner you need to serve this wildly scrumptious Gouda Mac n Cheese recipe.
Mac n cheese has been an American classic cuisine since the beginning of the formation of this great country. The creamy combo made its way to the United States courtesy of President Thomas Jefferson who, while visiting France, relished the French’s ability to create flavorful pasta dishes. He brought back noodle recipes and a pasta machine, which was not available in the Colonies. He then served macaroni and cheese at an 1802 state dinner. From then on, its popularity grew to become an American classic for young and old.
We have an outstanding restaurant in our area, Frog Hollow, that has created an inventive twists on this comfort food classic by making it with Gouda and lasagna noodles. The restaurant is so popular in our area that it can be a challenge to get a table some weekends so I wanted to try to create my own version of the dish to enjoy at home when we have a special dinner party or we can not get a reservation. I created this purely on tasting theirs trying to guess the ingredients. I was very happy with the way it turned out and so was my family.
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Gouda Mac n Cheese
Ingredients
- 6 oz lasagna noodles
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon of flour
- 2 teaspoons freshly minced garlic cloves
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped sweet onion
- 1 1/2 cups of whipping cream
- 1 1/2 cups freshly grated 1 year old Gouda cheese not the cheap kind in red wax
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 white pepper
- dried parsley for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot, bring 5 quarts of water to a boil. Drop in the lasagna noodles and cook until al dente
- Drain pasta, then place in cold water until ready to assemble mac n cheese. This prevents the noodles from sticking together
- In a medium sauce pan, heat butter until it just starts to brown over medium heat
- Add onions, cook for 2 minutes
- Add garlic, cook for one minute
- Whisk in flour, cook for one minute
- Whisk in whipping cream, continually stirring until slightly thicken about 1 minute
- Add Gouda and Parmesan cheeses, stirring until the sauce is creamy and smooth
- Add nutmeg, salt and pepper, stir until blended and remove from heat.
- Drain noodles, cut in 1/2 with scissors.
- Lay one layer of noodles in a 7 x 5 1/2 x 3 inch baking dish
- Spread a light layer of cheese sauce and then continue to layer noodles and cheese sauce until all are used. Be sure to save a little sauce to top the final layer of noodles with.
- Bake 20 – 25 minutes at 350 degrees until the top starts to slightly brown
- Allow to cool 10 minutes before slicing and serving
- Garnish with dried parsley after slicing
I am drooling over here! I love gouda in mac&cheese! I’ve never used lasagna noodles before when making it, though…sounds even better!!
I love Frog Hollow, and get their Mac and cheese every time I go. I have tried multiple times to recreate it. I have had a little success, but it still isn’t as good as theirs. The ingredients they gave me didn’t include garlic or Parmesan. How close is this recipe? I also use no boil noodles and soak them. The restaurant version has 8 layers of noodles. I will try your method and see how it goes.
I carefully tried to breakdown their ingredients as I ate there. I think the only way to really know what really is in there is to get a job in his kitchen. Take a picture of it and tag me on IG. I would love to know how it compares, maybe we can tweak it and get closer. https://www.instagram.com/intentionalhospitality/
I found an article in Paula Deen magazine where chef Sean said he used smoked Gouda, cheddar, cream cheese, and vidalia onions. I am going to use this combo along with a béchamel using your proportions. We’ll see how it goes.
Tagged you. It was nearly perfect. Just need to tweak the cheese a bit.
I’ve been trying to recreate frog hollows mac n cheese since I moved to NY. Little tweaking and it’s nearly perfect, thank you.
Thanks, Crystal. They have so many great items on their menu but the mac/cheese is one of my favorites for sure.