Sometimes the simplest recipes are the ones we love most. This Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese is a new twist on an old favorite: a creamy homemade cheese sauce made with smoky gouda and sharp cheddar, baked under a buttery, crunchy breadcrumb top.
This is one of those simple dishes that brings back so many memories. You can’t go wrong with macaroni and cheese, but this time I wanted to elevate the flavors and try something new. Smoked gouda takes those flavors up a notch, and mixed with sharp cheddar it makes a simple dish feel extra special.
It is the perfect recipe to prepare ahead during the day, ideal for busy midweek madness when you want something hearty, and just as at home on a holiday table. If you love a cheesy pasta with a kick, my buffalo chicken mac and cheese is its spicy cousin, and a plate of lavender lemon cookies makes a sweet finish.
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 30 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 45 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 6 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 1113kcal per serving
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Smoky, sharp and creamy, under a buttery golden crumb
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, with one sauce to whisk
Quick Answer
Cook 16 ounces of elbow macaroni and drain it. Melt butter in a large pot, add skim milk and bring it to a near boil, then whisk in the flour over medium heat until thick. Whisk in the heavy cream, salt, pepper, dry mustard and Worcestershire, and stir on low for about 5 minutes. Stir in a pound of shredded smoked gouda and half a pound of sharp cheddar until melted, fold in the macaroni, and pour it into a 13×9 dish. Top with fresh breadcrumbs tossed in melted butter and bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Smoked gouda brings the depth, cheddar brings the bite. Gouda melts silky and tastes smoky but mild; sharp cheddar keeps the sauce from tasting flat. Together they taste like more than the sum of two cheeses.
- A real white sauce is the creaminess. Butter, milk and flour thicken into a base that holds a full pound and a half of cheese without turning greasy or grainy.
- Heavy cream finishes it rich. It keeps the sauce loose enough to coat every noodle after baking, which is where most baked mac and cheese goes dry.
- Dry mustard and Worcestershire are the secret seasoning. Neither tastes like itself here; they just make the cheese taste cheesier.
- Low heat for the cheese. Stirring the shredded cheese in over low heat lets it melt smooth instead of seizing into strings.
- Fresh crumbs beat boxed. Bread whizzed in the food processor and tossed in butter bakes into a crunchy golden lid over the creamy center.
- Al dente pasta finishes in the oven. Pasta cooked just to tender keeps its bite after 25 minutes of baking in the sauce.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Perfect comfort food. Two cheeses add so much flavor and creamy goodness.
- Make it ahead. Assemble it during the day or the night before, then bake when you are ready to serve.
- A holiday side that steals the show. It belongs next to the turkey as much as on a Tuesday night.
- Kids try something new without even noticing; it is still mac and cheese.
- Your add ins, your way. Onions and olives give it texture, or leave them out.
- It anchors a whole dinner with my steak on the indoor grill or a turkey pot pie on the same table.
Key Ingredients
Pantry staples plus two good cheeses. Quantities are in the recipe card below.
- Elbow Macaroni. Cooked and drained, following the package directions, al dente so it holds up in the oven.
- Butter, Skim Milk and Flour. The base of your cheese sauce, the roux and white sauce that carry the flavor. You will also need a bit of extra butter, melted, for the topping.
- Heavy Cream. A little extra cream makes the flavors stand out and elevates the mac and cheese.
- Kosher Salt and Ground Black Pepper. Seasoning is very important for a cheese sauce.
- Dry Mustard and Worcestershire Sauce. The secret ingredients; they work incredibly well with cheese.
- Smoked Gouda and Sharp Cheddar. Shred your own; this is the main flavor of the dish.
- Sliced Bread. Processed into fresh crumbs for the crunchy topping.
- Onions and Sliced Black Olives, optional. They add texture, but not everyone loves olives.
See the recipe card below for exact quantities and full instructions.
Variations & Substitutions
- Don’t like gouda? Swap it out! Pair a fairly strong cheese with the cheddar for the best flavor.
- Add some bacon. Bacon gouda mac and cheese is delicious; cook the bacon first, then stir it into the sauce.
- Add another protein: ground chicken, beef, or rotisserie chicken stirred into the sauce.
- Skip the food processor: tear fresh bread into small pieces for a rustic topping.
- Leave out the onions and olives for a classic, kid friendly version.
- Bring it to a party: it travels to potlucks next to my BLT party dip and garlic olive crostini.
How to Make Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese
- Prepare the macaroni according to the package directions, drain, and set aside.
- In a large pot, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the skim milk and bring to near boiling, then reduce the heat to medium, sprinkle in the flour, and whisk vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes until the mixture is thick and boiling.
- Slowly add the cream while whisking. Add the salt, pepper, mustard and Worcestershire sauce, reduce the heat to low, and stir for about 5 minutes.
- Shred the gouda and cheddar in a food processor, add them to the pot, and stir until thoroughly combined.
- Add the cooked macaroni to the cheese mixture and pour it into a 13×9 dish. In the same food processor bowl, process 4 slices of bread to a fine crumb, toss with the melted butter, and sprinkle over the macaroni.
- Bake uncovered in a 375 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is golden and crunchy.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Don’t overcook the pasta. Follow the package guidelines for al dente; it finishes in the oven.
- A food processor does double duty, shredding the cheese quickly and making the fine crumb topping.
- Watch the sauce as you make the roux and add the milk and cream; you don’t want to over boil it.
- Shred your own cheese. Bagged shreds carry anti caking starch that keeps the sauce from melting silky.
- Make ahead: assemble up to the baking step, cool, cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours, then bake.
- Leftovers keep airtight in the refrigerator up to 3 days; reheat in the oven or microwave until piping hot. It also freezes, baked or unbaked, for up to 2 months; thaw completely before baking.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
Serve it with some garlic bread and a green salad for a weeknight dinner, or set it on the holiday table next to my turkey pot pie, a lattice top apple pie and a tray of mini pumpkin cheesecakes. It also pairs beautifully with a steak on the indoor grill or a slice of crustless spinach and feta quiche for brunch.
For a party spread, it holds its own beside my holiday appetizers, apple appetizers, a charcuterie board and the rest of my game day recipes and tailgate food ideas. Finish with something from my pumpkin desserts, or keep it light with a chia seed pizza for the vegetarians at the table.
Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese FAQs
Absolutely. Gouda is a semi soft Dutch cheese packed with flavor, and it melts smoothly into a creamy sauce. Smoked gouda adds a gentle smoky depth on top of that.
This mac and cheese is a little different from the standard one or the kind from a box. The cheese flavors should stand out, so the smoked gouda works best with another strong tasting cheese like sharp cheddar.
Follow the directions on the package, but aim for al dente. The pasta keeps cooking in the sauce and in the oven, so you don’t want to overcook it at the start.
Yes. Assemble it up to the baking step, let it cool, cover it, and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours. Bake it when you are ready to serve, adding a few extra minutes if it goes in cold.
Yes, baked or unbaked, for up to two months. Thaw it completely in the refrigerator before baking or reheating in the oven.
Pair a fairly strong cheese with the cheddar for the best flavor: smoked cheddar, gruyere or fontina all work. Regular gouda is milder but still melts beautifully.
Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 16 oz elbow macaroni cooked and drained
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 2 1/4 cups skim milk
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
- 2 Teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 Teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 Teaspoon dry mustard
- 2 Teaspoons worcestershire
- 1 lb smoked gouda cheese shredded
- 1/2 lb sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 4 slices bread
- 3 Tablespoons butter melted
- Onions (optional)
- Sliced Black olives (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare macaroni according to package directions. Set aside.
- In large pot, melt butter over medium high heat. Add skim milk and bring to near boiling. Reduce heat to medium and sprinkle in flour. Whisk vigorously over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Mixture should be thick and boiling. Slowly add cream, while whisking. Add in salt, pepper, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Reduce heat to low and continue to stir for about 5 minutes.
- In food processor, shred Gouda and Cheddar cheese. Add to pot, stir until thoroughly combined.
- Add cooked macaroni to cheese mixture. Pour into a 13×9 dish.
- In same food processor bowl process 4 slices of bread to a fine crumb. Add melted butter. Sprinkle over macaroni.
- Bake uncovered in a 375 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.
Jennifer at Making Our Life Matter says
I never used Gouda cheese in a recipe before. Definitely need to try this sometime!
Barb @ A Life in Balance says
I love the bread crumbs on the top of the mac and cheese, but I can’t get my kids to eat that. Hmph! I should do 2 versions so I can eat what I like.
Sharon Rowe says
Thanks for sharing on How To Get Organized At Home, great recipe one that I must try.
Sarah Halstead says
That sounds amazing! I love macaroni and cheese. Yumm!
Mischa {Accidental Farm Wife} says
This looks so creamy and delicious! I love Gouda…would definitely add the onions and maybe even some chicken!
Jackie says
Oohh, I like the addition of olives and the smoked gouda! I can’t wait to try this!
Mandee Pogue says
Smoked Gouda is my FAV cheese and this recipe sounds AMAZING! Thanks so much for sharing!