Aldi Day 5: Mediterranean Gouda and Parmesan Mac and Cheese
Today, Aldi gave us a beautiful Mediterranean Gouda that pairs beautifully with Parmesan in mac and cheese. Mediterranean gouda contains black olives, tomato, and garlic flavors. It tastes like eating pizza.
Every year, Aldi releases a cheese Advent calendar. The calendar contains one individually wrapped piece of cheese for each day. There are twelve different cheeses available so we have two opportunities to explore different recipes we can make to feature each cheese. This is one of those recipes. Follow along here.
When you bite into a piece of cheese, the flavor often sits at the beginning or the end of the bite. Well-rounded mac and cheeses utilize a cheese whose flavor is at the opening paired with a cheese that is at the close.
Gouda is a cheese that tends to cross the line between opener and closer. Softer cheeses like we see in this advent calendar lean toward the beginning of the bite while harder, longer aged cheeses move to the end of the bite; It’s important to taste a gouda before using it in a mac and cheese to make sure you’re using the best pairing. This Mediterranean flavored gouda sits squarely in the opener category.
Parmesan is one of my favorite closer cheeses to use in a mac and cheese. It’s easy to get and it pairs fantastically with a variety of cheeses without overpowering.
Radiatore is a great pasta to use for a mac and cheese vehicle. It has plenty of ridges to soak up cheese sauce and is small and easy enough to easily grab with a fork.
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Ingredients
- 16 oz pasta cooked according to package directions
- 3 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp flour
- 3 cups whole milk
- 4 oz Mediterranean Gouda, grated
- 4 oz Parmesan, grated
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pre heat your milk in the microwave for 45 seconds – just enough to take the chill out of it.
- Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat and let it heat until it becomes foamy.
- Mix in flour. Cook it for a minute while stirring constantly
- Slowly add warmed milk to the butter mixture 1/4 cup at a time. Whisk it continually until combined. Season generously with salt and fresh cracked pepper.
- Once all of the milk is added, cook for a few minutes while whisking it. Do not let it boil. You will feel the sauce start to thicken. It’s ready for cheese when you rub a small amount between your fingers and it feels silky.
- Remove from heat and stir in your cheese until it’s melted and mixed into the sauce.
- Once the cheese is incorporated, use a cooked noodle to taste your sauce. If it doesn’t taste cheesy enough try adding a little more salt to bring out the flavor.
- Combine the pasta and sauce and serve.