This African’s Smoked Gouda Baked Mac N’ Cheese

This African Cooks’ Baked Mac ‘N Cheese

I hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day that they enjoyed with awesome food, wonderful friends, and a loving family. As a nurse, I work in a field that is open 24 hours and seven days a week. So some holidays I have to work and others I don’t. Lucky for me I just so happened to be off today, which is always rewarding. I had initial plans to cook and either go out for a picnic or revisit a cool festival in the town I last lived in 2 years ago. The booming town of Royal Oak, MI has an annual festival known as Arts, Beats, and Eats that is always a great time every year.  Tons of fun, it gets quite packed very quickly so parking can be a bear.

Anyhow, we ended up staying home instead and I had the chance to whip up a really delicious Labor Day Meal.  I first made a caramel apple bundt cake, which I’ll be posting later this week as well. Next, I put Michael to work on the grill to cook up the spicy chicken wings and breast that we picked up from Eastern Market a couple of weeks back.  Quick note: if you have the space to spare, and yet to purchase a deep freezer, definitely invest in one.  With our refrigerator’s freezer full of  Ava’s favorite food (hint, hint), the deep freezer has come in very handy.   Meanwhile, I made my delicious mac n’ cheese that will be featured below, as well as carmelized sweet potato and kale fried wild rice by Iowagirleats, and my custom-created watermelon slushies that I’ve posted on my Instagram in the past.  Two of Michael’s good friends came over and polished off all the food LOL…no biggie, as I made sure to pack my leftovers for work the next day before they arrived.

Well of course what’s an American Holiday without an American Classic the mac n’ cheese.  And we are not talking about the boxed kind–I can’t hang with the powdered cheese or Velveeta anymore.  Now don’t get me wrong, as a kid, I didn’t mind and always found it to be delicious. However, as I’ve aged my palate has become much more refined to the point I can’t eat some of the foods I once enjoyed. Mac n’ cheese just so happens to be one of those things, and I was determined to figure out a way to continue enjoying it. Thus, in regards to this recipe, I have experimented with making it in different ways. I’ve done things such as toying with different cheeses, eggs versus no eggs, adding Velveeta versus not, you get the point, etc. With confidence, I feel I have come up with my final recipe (for now), which uses Smoked Gouda to bring it all together.  So without further ado here is this African’s Mac N’ Cheese 🙂

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This African's Baked Mac N Cheese

Course

Main Dish, Side Dish

Cuisine

American

Prep Time

20 min

Cook Time

5-7 min

Servings

people

Ingredients

cheese sauce

• 3 cups milk I used 2 %, but you can use regular
• 1.5 cups 4 state cheddar I used Sargento, found in most grocery stores, but plain yellow and white cheddar mixed will do.
• 1 cup dutch smoked gouda I love getting mine from Trader Joe's...it's my favorite
• 1.5 cup shredded mozzarella use a good one like sargento off the block
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 tsp salt I use sea salt, but any is fine
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika Regular paprika works but smoked is my favorite
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

topping

• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1 cup shredded cheddar
• 1/2 tsp lemon pepper

pasta

• 16 oz pasta Which ever one you like. I used Italian trottole.
• salt Optional

Course Main Dish, Side Dish Cuisine American Prep Time 20 min Cook Time 5-7 min Servings people Ingredients cheese sauce 3 cups milk I used 2 %, but you can use regular 1.5 cups 4 state cheddar I used Sargento, found in most grocery stores, but plain yellow and white cheddar mixed will do. 1 cup dutch smoked gouda I love getting mine from Trader Joe's...it's my favorite 1.5 cup shredded mozzarella use a good one like sargento off the block 2 tbsp unsalted butter 2 tbsp flour 1 tsp salt I use sea salt, but any is fine 1/2 tsp smoked paprika Regular paprika works but smoked is my favorite 1/2 tsp onion powder 1/2 tsp black pepper topping 1 cup shredded mozzarella 1 cup shredded cheddar 1/2 tsp lemon pepper pasta 16 oz pasta Which ever one you like. I used Italian trottole. salt Optional

Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Preheat oven on broil.
2. Place a sauce pan on the stove on medium heat. Add butter to pan and melt, making sure not to burn. Add flour and whisk for a minute, then add milk, and continue to whisk to avoid making your sauce lumpy. Milk will start to thicken slightly.
3. Add cheeses, smoked paprika, black pepper, onion powder, and salt to milk mixture, whisk an promptly remove from heat, because you don't want to cheese to break down, you want it to be stringy and pully lol.

   
4. Drain cooked pasta, add it to sauce mixture and stir well.

   
5. Transfer to a 9x9 inch baking pan lined with parchment paper. Add half the cheddar cheese and half the mozzarella. Repeat again by adding the other half cheddar cheese, then the other half of mozzarella. Sprinkle lemon pepper on top.

   
6. Broil for 5 to 7 minutes, to brown top. Be careful not to burn the top, monitor the entire time. Enjoy and comment. This African

   

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