Day 20’s recipe in the Aldi cheese advent calendar is a sweet English cheddar mac and cheese topped with Parmesan crisps.
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Using Cheese in Mac and Cheese
When you take a bite of cheese, pay attention to when the flavor starts to come through. Sometimes it takes a few seconds for it to develop, but lasts throughout the end of the bite. These are what I call closer cheeses. Other cheeses come through immediately, but fade away quickly. These are opener cheeses. Well-rounded mac and cheese recipes should include both opener and closer flavors to ensure there’s flavor throughout the entire bite.
Sweet English cheddar
The sweet moniker on this cheese lead me to believe this cheese was going to be sticky sweet. That is not the case. This is a great opener cheese, and the sharp cheddar flavors in Aldi’s cheddar curd shine through at the end of this mac and cheese, making it a well-rounded mac and cheese.
Penne Pasta in Sweet English Cheddar Mac and Cheese
Pasta is one of the most important ingredients in mac and cheese. If your noodle size is too small, you lose valuable texture and run the risk of your dish being a soupy mess. On the other hand, if your pasta is too large it’s cumbersome and difficult to eat.
I used penne in this recipe, and it is in the perfect Goldilocks spot between too large and too small. Plus it offers plenty of crevices to hold onto all of that cheesy goodness.
Toppings
Toppings add extra layers of flavor, texture, and color and make your mac and cheese more interesting. In this recipe I used Parmesan crisps. They pack more cheesy flavor and a crunch that you can’t get from just cheese sauce and pasta.
Reheating Sweet English Cheddar Mac and Cheese
While most mac and cheese is difficult to reheat, I have no trouble reheating roux-based mac and cheese like this. A minute or two in the microwave and you’ll have perfectly creamy mac and cheese. In fact, letting the ingredients mingle for a couple of days in the microwave will yield even better mac and cheese than the day you made it.
Add a Fork
Sweet English cheddar mac and cheese is a delicious, creamy, cheesy dish packed with flavor and perfect for any time you need a comfort food pick me up.
Sweet English Cheddar Mac and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound Penne Or other medium sized pasta
For the sauce
- 3 tbsp Butter
- 3 tbsp Flour
- 3 cups Whole milk
- 8 oz Sweet English cheddar
- 1/2 tbsp Better than bullion Chicken flavor
- 1 tsp Ground mustard
Toppings
- Parmesan Crisps
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions in well salted water. If you think it’s salty enough, add more.
Prepare the Sauce
- 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. Stir in mustard powder and Better than Bullion
- 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.
- Plate your Pasta
- Layer pasta with Parmesan crisps broken up. Serve immediately.
