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 (124)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(124)

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
ALISA lenoir, NC 02-04-2010
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Yahoo, Yipee, Yum
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I tried this WINNER at TGIF's and it was FANTASTIC. I came home and madeit and it was UBER-FANTASTIC. It may be costly to... make, your waistline may suffer, and your colon might rebel, but it is worth it!!!!Read more
recipe Cheese Lovers 5 Cheese Mac and Cheese
Joanne Swansboro, NC 01-25-2010
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The best ever !
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I scrolled thru all the recipes and this one caught my attention because of all the ingredients. Yes it's a lot of expensive... cheese to buy. BUT oh so worth it in the end. The end result was awesome. I made it for my family on Christmas day. There were so happy. They loved it. So now this will be one of those old traditional recipes we will have for many years at our holiday table.Read more
recipe Cheese Lovers 5 Cheese Mac and Cheese
Meka Decatur, GA 12-16-2009
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TOO Delicious for Words!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I have never made a dish, where family members have begged me for the leftovers! This delicious macaroni and cheese made me... a superstar because it was so rich, creamy, cheesy, and sprinkled with bacon(which was the unique surprise!). I'll admit, it took a long time to make but it was WORTH IT! I'm planning on making it for Christmas dinner! This recipe is simply faboulous! However, I made one slight deviation from the dish and substituted Fontina with Mozzeralla, because every market I went to did not have Fontina in stock. However, it still turned out delicious!! Read more
recipe Cheese Lovers 5 Cheese Mac and Cheese
Katie Bexley, OH 12-11-2009
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10 STARS at least!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

It's the ultimate! Fun to make as a family. I watched this episode while on the treadmill. In the long run it's probably... counter productive to that. But, WOW, it is worth it. Every bite gets better!!!Read more
recipe Cheese Lovers 5 Cheese Mac and Cheese
Lynn South Bend, IN 11-23-2009
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A New High!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I just thought I knew good mac and cheese before....this was incredibly good! Kudos to the Chef!
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