smoked gouda mac and cheese

Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese That Tastes Like a Hug in a Bowl

Name: Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 8 oz macaroni pasta; 2 tbsp unsalted butter; 2 tbsp all purpose flour; 1 1/2 cups heavy cream; 1/4 cup 2% milk (more ); 6 oz smoked gouda cheese (shredded, remove rind); 2 slices deluxe American cheese; 1 tsp salt (or more to taste)

A 30-minute roux, real smoked gouda, and one slice of American cheese for backup. That's the whole trick.

Dowell CooksAugust 4, 20266 min read Print this post

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A bowl of smoked gouda mac and cheese, sauce clinging to every noodle.

Thirty minutes, one pot for sauce, one pot for pasta, and a smoked gouda mac that tastes like you fussed way more than you did.

Hey, welcome back to Dowell Cooks! If you've got 30 minutes and a whisk, you've got this smoked gouda mac and cheese in your future. No boxed mix, no baking, no waiting around for a casserole to bubble in the oven. Just a stovetop cheese sauce that turns silky and smoky in about the time it takes the pasta water to boil.

Overhead view of Macaroni Pasta, Unsalted Butter, All-Purpose Flour, Heavy Cream, % Milk, Smoked Gouda Cheese, American Cheese and Salt arranged on a table — Butter, flour, cream, milk, and shredded smoked gouda and American cheese, ready to go.

Smoked gouda is the star, so it's worth knowing what actually plays well with it.

Pairs for Cheese

CheeseAmerican Cheese

Score 75

Shared aroma compounds and complementary structure.

What to put next to it

This mac is rich and salty enough to carry the whole plate, so I like putting it next to something sharp and green to cut through it, roasted broccoli, a lemony salad, or garlicky green beans all work. It's also the perfect sidekick to a simple roasted or grilled chicken if you want it to be dinner instead of a side. Think of the mac as your comfort anchor and let everything else on the plate bring the brightness it's missing.

Baking macaroni pasta while preparing Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese — Whisking the roux into a smooth paste before the cream goes in.

One small tip

Taste your sauce before you fold in the pasta, not after. Salt levels are already high between the two cheeses, so you might not need the full teaspoon the recipe calls for, and you'll never guess right once the noodles are already mixed in and soaking it all up.

Smart swaps

Substitutions that still taste like the recipe.

Missing something in the fridge? Here's what actually works in its place.

cheese

creme fraiche↓ savory
Shares lactone compounds with cheese — less savory
sour cream↓ savory
Shares acid compounds with cheese — less savory
buttermilk↓ fatty
Shares acid compounds with cheese — less fatty

american cheese

colby jack
Shares lactone compounds with american cheese
ricotta salata
Shares lactone compounds with american cheese
halloumi
Shares lactone compounds with american cheese

heavy cream

cream
Shares lactone compounds with heavy cream
half-and-half
Shares lactone compounds with heavy cream
mascarpone
Shares lactone compounds with heavy cream

milk

cottage cheese
Shares lactone compounds with milk
buttermilk↑ sour
Shares lactone compounds with milk — more sour
creme fraiche↑ fatty
Shares lactone compounds with milk — more fatty

That's it, that's the whole recipe. Thirty minutes, a couple pots, and a mac and cheese that tastes like you tried way harder than you did. Go make it for the next holiday table or just because it's Tuesday and you want something good. Browse all recipes for more like this one.

The recipe

Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese

Serves 430 minAmerican

The Quarterly

Seasonal recipes, notes, and the issue links worth saving.