A rich and creamy baked mac and cheese recipe featuring pasta shells, a blend of Gouda, Cheddar, and Gruyère/Swiss cheeses, and a savory roux base. Topped with extra cheese and parsley for a crispy, gooey crust.
1. Boil pasta shells.
2. While pasta shells are boiling, start on your cheese sauce roux.
3. In a deep dish pan in medium low heat: add in garlic, butter, and dry seasonings. Saute for about 1-2 mins.
4. Lower heat to low. Slowly add in flour - 1 tablespoon at a time while stirring to butter mixture until there are no clumps. About 1-2 mins. This process goes super fast!
5. While stirring, slowly add in evaporated milk and heavy cream. Stir stir stir to prevent flour clumps. You want a smooth creamy gravy like sauce. About 3-5 mins or until the roux thickens.
6. Once the roux thickens, remove from heat. Slowly add in grated cheeses while stirring at the same time. 1 cup of cheese at a time until you get a thick cheesy sauce but it should not be too thick. It should be a little thin since it will still have to go in the oven and the sauce will thicken in the oven.
7. Add in cooked pasta and stir to combine sauce with pasta.
8. Add in pasta/cheese mixture in a buttered pan to prevent sticking. Top with cheese and dried parsley. Bake at 400 F for 20 mins or until top of cheese melts and starts to brown.
9. Turn oven to broil (550 F) and broil the top until it turns into a crispy brown ooey gooey topping crust (about 1-3 mins; slowly watch as it broils since it burns fast on broil!)
