Best Cheese to Use When Making Mac and Cheese | Premio (2024)

Best Cheese to Use When Making Mac and Cheese

As a mac and cheese lover, you can’t resist gooey, melty cheese and your favorite noodles. Maybe you’ve tried lots of recipes or have an old standby you bring out whenever you’re craving this comfort dish.

With help from this guide, you may discover new favorites and the best cheese for mac and cheese. Get ready to make mac and cheese with velvety cheeses that make your mouth water!

7 Best Cheeses for Macaroni and Cheese

While sharp cheddar is the most common choice, the best mac and cheese recipes use a blend of several cheeses. By mixing parmesan, gruyere, brie, or gouda into your mac and cheese, you can create gourmet flavors. The best mac and cheese blend will ultimately depend on your preferences, but you should go for something that offers a creamy, gooey texture. You can experiment with a wide variety of cheeses, including:

1. Cheddar

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Cheddar is a staple for countless recipes. This option is a classic cheese for mac and cheese, so you’ve probably had it before. But you may not have tried this pasta dish withdifferent cheddar varietieslike:

  • Sharp:Use sharp cheddar cheese for a stronger taste. Remember this variety takes a bit more heat to melt.
  • Mild:Mild cheddar has been aged for a short time, giving it subtle flavors and a smooth melting texture.
  • Medium:Medium cheddar is the ideal compromise between sharp and mild varieties. It melts well and offers a bit more flavor than mild options.

Extra-sharp cheddar cheese offers a strong flavor, but with a lower moisture content, it doesn’t melt as well. Save that cheese for a snack and use the other varieties for your mac and cheese recipes.

2. Parmesan

Parmesan is a salty cheese with complex flavors. For a mac and cheese recipe, consider the combination of sharper cheddar cheeses and a flavorful Parmesan. This cheese adds a boost of fruity, nutty notes to your favorite macaroni recipes.Parmesan is also ideal for grating on top of mac and cheese before you bake it to add golden color.

Choose Parmesan options that you grate yourself for a smoother melt and better texture. Using pre-grated alternatives may create a less appealing, gritty texture compared to fresh Parmesan.

3.Gruyere

Update your mac and cheese recipes to something more mature with Gruyere. It’s a hard cheese that melts to a smooth and velvety texture, making it the best melting cheese forfondue—but it’s just as delicious mixed with pasta. Gruyere has a flavor that combines nuttiness with earthiness and the slightest hint of sweetness. The result is a complex taste you probably never thought to pair with mac and cheese.

Consider combining Gruyere with white cheddar for a delicious mac and cheese dish. Add a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg to kick the meal up a notch and keep things sophisticated.

4. Brie

You might have enjoyed this creamy cheese on a cheese board before, but it makes the perfect addition to a macaroni recipe. Brie becomes liquidy and buttery when it melts, making for a gooey and delicious mac and cheese. Depending on what varieties you can find, brie can offer anything from mild to strong nutty and tangy flavors.

Combine brie with ingredients like Parmesan, bacon or garlic for a mac and cheese that elevates the classic comfort food to something sophisticated.

5. Smoked Gouda

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Enhance your meal with the almost meaty flavors of smoked Gouda. Young aged Gouda melts well, resulting in a creamy texture that makes it a great cheese for mac and cheese. Younger versions of this ingredient also offer a milder profile, meaning you can create a dish that everyone in your family will enjoy. Want stronger, more complex flavors for your mac? Opt for aged Gouda, which provides a robust flavor.

6. Monterey Jack

This cheese has a similar texture and flavor to colby and cheddar, making it a familiar swap for mac and cheese favorites. Monterey Jack melts perfectly for this dish, creating a buttery, gooey texture. You can even combine it with colby and cheddar for a three-cheese mac that everyone will love.

7. Fontina

Fontina melts perfectly, putting it among the best cheeses for mac and cheese. Some varieties have a pungent, nuttier profile, while others are lighter, buttery and fruity. Fontina is versatile. Its texture and flavor make it ideal as a table cheese— one you snack on or add cold to dishes— and as a melting cheese. Melt and combine a mid-priced option with pasta for a grown-up macaroni recipe that even kids will love.

Mac and Cheese Recipes

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Now that you’ve discovered some of the best cheeses for mac and cheese. Are you ready to take the best cheeses and incorporate them into mouthwatering mac and cheese recipes? Get inspiration with these flavorful ideas:

Sausage Mac and Cheese

Take a basic mac and cheese recipe and kick it up with the addition ofPremio Sweet Italian Sausage. Thissausage mac and cheese recipegets its creamy texture from shredded cheddar and Parmesan cheese. A combination of flour, butter and milk creates a thick base for the sauce, which you can pour over your favorite type of pasta.

For this simple recipe, cook and crumble the sausage, then combine with the prepared sauce and cooked pasta. Transfer everything to a baking dish and grate on more Parmesan cheese, which will become golden brown and bubbly in the oven. The creamy, flavorful cheeses combine with the delicious and authentic taste of sweet Italian sausage for a meal everyone will enjoy.

Bacon and Sausage Mac and Cheese

Different varieties of cheddar combine in this flavorfulbacon and sausage mac and cheese recipe. Cook up a few slices of bacon and half a package ofPremio Sweet Italian Chicken Sausageto combine with shredded sharp and white cheddar. You can cut the sausage into bite-sized rounds or crumble it up, depending on your preference. Thicken the cheesy sauce mixture with a blend of butter, flour and chicken broth for added richness and flavor.

No matter how you prep the ingredients, you’ll get a mouthwatering comfort meal that’s full of protein and flavor. And the addition of Premio Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage reduces fat without compromising on taste.

Comfort Mac and Sausage Bake

Create this mac and sausage dish with a combination of Romano, Mexican blend and feta — a few more of thebest cheeses for mac and cheese. Thiscomfort mac and sausage bake recipegets an infusion of flavor fromPremio Hot Italian Sausageand our sweet variety. That balance, combined with stewed tomatoes, spinach, basil, oregano and garlic, creates the most flavorful mac and cheese you’ve ever had.

These cheeses melt better than you might expect to create a luscious and flavor-packed macaroni dish. Feta has a high moisture content despite its crumbly appearance. The tangy, salty flavor plays well with Romano’s saltiness, and the addition of Mexican blend cheese helps create a gooey, melty meal.

Enhance Your Mac and Cheese Recipes With Premio Foods

Combine the best cheeses for mac and cheese with another delicious addition— Premio sausage! At Premio Foods, we’re dedicated to creating our products the way sausage should be. With no fillers or preservatives, Premio Sausage gives your recipes authentic, fresh flavors. And with so much variety to choose from, our range of products lets you find just what your family will enjoy for any meal of the day.

Shop Premio Sausage onlinetoday orfind us in a store near you!

Buy Premio Sausage Near You

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Best Cheese to Use When Making Mac and Cheese | Premio (2024)

FAQs

Best Cheese to Use When Making Mac and Cheese | Premio? ›

What Is the Best Cheese for Mac and Cheese? Sharp cheddar is the overwhelming popular choice, but for extra-creamy results, we think medium cheddar is even better. Other delicious options include Gruyère, smoked Gouda, and Monterey Jack.

Which cheese is best for mac and cheese? ›

What Is the Best Cheese for Mac and Cheese? Sharp cheddar is the overwhelming popular choice, but for extra-creamy results, we think medium cheddar is even better. Other delicious options include Gruyère, smoked Gouda, and Monterey Jack.

What is the best pair for mac and cheese? ›

Mac and cheese is versatile and can be eaten as a side dish with meats like chicken, brisket or bbq ribs, or as a main dish with a vegetable side dish like an acidic green salad or simple steamed vegetables.

What is the most common thing added to mac and cheese? ›

Crispy and golden breadcrumbs are the most traditional addition to mac and cheese. The interplay of texture between soft pasta and rich, buttery breadcrumbs is the reason why this combination has endured the test of time.

What cheeses are not good for mac and cheese? ›

Dry, crumbly cheeses like feta or cotija are not ideal. With their high moisture levels, they don't melt properly and will leave you with clumps of cheese instead of a smooth sauce.

What kind of milk is best for mac and cheese? ›

Milk: Keeps our cheese sauce super creamy. I use whole milk or reduced-fat milk. Mustard and spices: A combination of Dijon mustard, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt makes this macaroni and cheese extra delicious. Cheese: I use white cheddar and parmesan or pecorino cheese.

Is mature or mild cheddar better for mac and cheese? ›

Tips for getting a smooth cheese sauce:

High quality aged cheddar cheese will give you a stronger taste and smoother texture. More mild and inexpensive cheddar cheeses will have less flavor and almost a grittier taste. Use fresh grated cheese.

What adds Flavour to mac and cheese? ›

Cayenne, Nutmeg, Black Pepper, and Dry Mustard

Simply add ½ teaspoons of cayenne, black pepper, and dry mustard with a dash of nutmeg to a mixture of 1 egg and 1 cup (0.24 l) of heavy cream. Pour this spice mixture on top of your traditional mac and cheese recipe before baking.

What is mac and cheese called mac and cheese? ›

Macaroni and cheese (also known as mac and cheese in Canada and the United States and macaroni cheese in the United Kingdom) is a dish of macaroni and a cheese sauce, most commonly cheddar sauce. Macaroni and cheese. Alternative names.

What is the most perfect cheese to use on Mac & cheese? ›

Monterey Jack is perhaps the ultimate melting cheese. Fontina is a crowd-pleasing melter that was born to pair with pasta. Baby swiss has a natural creaminess that is perfect for mac & cheese. Mozzarella is the classic melter pairs well with any pasta.

What keeps mac and cheese moist? ›

Keep baked macaroni and cheese moist by adding plenty of milk and not too much flour.

What cheese is best for melting? ›

What is the best melting cheese? Cheeses with more moisture and lower melting points - cheddar is one of the most popular choices, but Swiss and Gruyère are also terrific options. Which melts better, mild or sharp cheddar? Mild cheddar melts more smoothly than sharper (more aged) cheddar.

Is Velveeta real cheese? ›

Though Velveeta is no longer an FDA-defined genuine cheese, it does have some similarities, namely pasteurized milk and cheese culture.

Which is the best cheese for pasta? ›

When selecting cheese for your pasta, the contrasting flavors of Parmesan and Pecorino offer different paths. Parmesan's nutty, savory notes create an easy-going blend with creamy pasta dishes, while Pecorino's robust tanginess is perfect for robust tomato-based sauces.

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