Cheese Lovers 5 Cheese Mac and Cheese

Recipe courtesy Rick Massa

Show: Ultimate Recipe ShowdownEpisode: Ultimate Recipe Showdown: Comfort Food

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (119)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(119)

Cook Time:
1 hr 0 min
Level:
Intermediate
Yield:
6 servings

Times:

Prep: 35 min
Inactive Prep: 5 min
Cook: 1 hr 0 min
Total:: 1 hr 40 min

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Ingredients

Kosher salt
1 (16-ounce) package macaroni (cellentani or other curly noodle)
1/4 pound bacon, diced
1 medium onion, diced
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more to butter baking dish
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups grated fontina
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
3/4 cup grated Gruyere
3/4 cup grated white Cheddar (Australian)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and butter a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain.

In a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot, saute the bacon until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Saute the onion in the bacon drippings until soft. Add the 5 tablespoons butter to the onion mixture and melt the butter stirring with a wooden spoon.

Using a whisk, add the flour, and stir constantly until well mixed with the fat making a roux. Whisk in the mustard. Gradually add the milk and cream whisking constantly.

Add the thyme, bay leaf, and salt. Let come to a simmer and stir frequently for 15 minutes.

Strain the hot milk mixture into a metal bowl and discard the solids. Working quickly, mix in 1 cup fontina, blue cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyere, 1/2 cup white Cheddar, 1/2 cup Parmesan, the reserved bacon, and parsley. Continue to stir until all cheese is melted.

Add the cooked noodles to the cheese mixture to coat. Add the noodle mixture to the prepared baking dish. Mix the remaining cheese and bread crumbs together and sprinkle on top of the noodles. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown. Remove from oven when done and rest for 5 minutes.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Cheese Lovers 5 Cheese Mac and Cheese
Jessica lynn, MA 11-17-2009
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ABSOLUTELY THE BEST MAC N CHEESE I EVER HAD!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I seen the episode and wanted to make this....needless to say I did. All I can say is amazing! Now everyone in my house... requests this at least once a month...some even offer to pay me for it. Now at every family gathering my dad asks me to bring this. Kudos to Rick Massa!!!!!!!!!!!!Read more
recipe Cheese Lovers 5 Cheese Mac and Cheese
Christine Palos Hills, IL 10-24-2009
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Creamy and delicious
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

The gooeyness of this mac and cheese is just perfect. Don't make the mistake of thinking thicker is better. It should start... off thinner than you want it to be at the end or the macaroni (I used cavateppi)will absorb the goo and it will be dry. The cheese sauce alone is worth making. I cheaped out on the cheese but it got rave reviews with Fontinella, mozzarella, gorgonzola, and tillamook 2 year old white cheddar (all on sale cheap) The other cheeses were all a dollar an ounce. The flavor may be for grown ups or kids with open minds but you could convert to kid friendly easily. My sixteen year old was very excited with the gobs of it we had leftover that microwaved up pretty well. He understands not to heat up the macaroni and cheese too much or it turns into an oil slick. It is in the "please make it again" section of my recipes. Read more
recipe Cheese Lovers 5 Cheese Mac and Cheese
Laura St. Charles, IL 10-14-2009
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This would be my 'last supper'!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I made this recipe for a dinner party a week after the episode aired, and it was to die for! My picky kids even loved it. I... made the recipe exactly as stated, and I wouldn't change a thing. It is NOT a light recipe--you will need to spend an extra hour or so on the treadmill--but it's well worth it! The cold weather has returned, and I can't wait to make this amazing comfort food recipe again. If you are looking for heaven in a 9x13 dish, this is it!Read more
recipe Cheese Lovers 5 Cheese Mac and Cheese
Corrie Cumming, GA 10-11-2009
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So Good! 500% better than TGIF!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

So, my husband and I decided to give this recipe a try after eating the mac and cheese @ TGIF. This goes well above and... beyond!!! We did cut the recipe in 1/2, which was a good thing b/c the full recipe makes well over 6 servings. I also used less bacon drippings,a little less onion and a little less butter. Other than that, we followed the recipe exactly and it was fantastic!! Dont skimp on the cheese, buy good cheese! We went to Whole Foods and had some help choosing the best types and flavors and it was worth every penny!! Anyone who looks at this recipe has got to give it a try! Read more
recipe Cheese Lovers 5 Cheese Mac and Cheese
joe rutherford , NJ 08-12-2009
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AAAAAAWWWWWWSSSSSSOOOOOOMMMMMMEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

my mom and i watched URS way back so one day she told me to make it so i did i swear that was the best mac and cheese in the... whole world OMG my gosh if ur on a diet u still have to cheat once in a while this is what u should cheat to. but dont go to TGI Fridays after u make it cuz i went with my friends after the high school play we always go there after the play on fri. and i ordered it and i swear not even close to how good it is home made PLEZZZZ U GOT TO TRY THIS U HAVENT LIVED. kudos to RIck Massa the creator.Read more
recipe Cheese Lovers 5 Cheese Mac and Cheese
billie old town, ME 08-09-2009
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Even with fat reduced, still tasty!
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I've been dying to try this ever since seeing it on URS. However, I knew there was no way my digestion could handle the high... fat content. I finally tried it today with some modifications and was pleasantly surprised at how tasty it was. These are the changes I made: 1. I eliminated the bacon (I don't care for it, anyway. I imagine turkey bacon would be OK for those that want that flavor) 2. I sauteed the onion in a little olive oil and some trans-fat free margarine 3. I used reduced fat white cheddar, reducing the other cheeses by half and increasing the amount of the cheddar so that the total amount of cheese was the same (the whole point of the recipe is the flavors of the different cheeses - I didn't want to compromise that by eliminating any of them, so this was my compromise) I used italian bread crumbs for a little extra flavor and voila! I'm sure it's nothing compared to the original, but it's a couple of steps above the plain cheddar I normally make and certainly puts the box to shame! Read more