Mushroom Mac and Cheese
This creamy Mushroom Mac and Cheese is baked with a rich fontina and gruyère cheese sauce and is the ultimate comforting pasta dish.
Servings: 8 people
Ingredients
- 1 lb short pasta such as macaroni or rigatoni
- 8 tablespoon butter divided
- 24 oz. sliced cremini mushrooms
- 1 shallot finely diced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups warm whole milk
- 2 pinches salt
- 2 pinches pepper
- 8 cups freshly shredded cheese, divided about 1.5 lb; I use a mixture of gruyère and fontina
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
- Melt 2 tablespoon butter in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the shallots, garlic, thyme, wine, and a pinch of salt and pepper and boil on medium-high until almost all the liquid has evaporated, about 10-15 more minutes.
- Meanwhile, In a large pot, boil water and cook pasta 2 minutes less than directions, or until al dente. Drain. In a small pot, heat milk on low heat until just warm, being careful not to boil.
- Melt in the rest of the butter in with the mushrooms. Whisk in flour, 1-2 tablespoons at a time, thickening the mushrooms, about 1 minute. One cup at a time, whisk in the warm milk to the mushrooms, and stir until creamy and lump-free.
- One cup at a time, add in the shredded cheese, reserving 2 cups, and whisk until the cheese is completely melted. Fold in the cooked pasta. Taste, adjusting for seasoning. Transfer the mac and cheese to the prepared baking dish. Top with the reserved cheese.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, until bubbly. Turn the oven to broil and broil for 1-5 minutes, until golden brown on top.
Notes
- Be careful not to get your milk too hot or you run the risk of the milk curdling and your mac and cheese turning grainy and runny. You want it warm but not piping hot.
