Although Shane and I have a go-to macaroni and cheese recipe, I couldn’t help but try this variation which Michelle shared over on Brown Eyed Baker a few months ago. The recipe is similar to our favorite, but even more interesting because it adds mushrooms, shallots and herbs – three things I absolutely love, especially when they’re combined in one dish! Annie also tried the recipe and posted it just a few weeks ago, reminding me that I still hadn’t gotten around to making it yet, and since she also raved about it, I knew I needed to get on it. As luck would have it, Shane was heading out of town for the weekend and since he doesn’t like mushrooms or shallots it was the perfect opportunity to make this dish. I whipped it up ahead of time and had enough leftovers to feed me all weekend, which freed up the time I would otherwise have spent cooking dinner so I could bake 🙂
Not surprisingly, I loved the macaroni and cheese! I rarely eat cheese and I hadn’t tried Gruyere prior to using it to make our go-to recipe for the first time. Now, I can’t believe I was missing out for so long – it’s such a fantastically nutty, creamy cheese and it works beautifully in this dish. The mushrooms were a wonderful addition to the macaroni and cheese – one I wish I’d thought of before – and the quantity was right on. As Annie noted, it will seem like a lot of mushrooms when you cut them up, but they cook down quite a bit so don’t be concerned. Ever since I made homemade macaroni and cheese for the first time, I’ve mostly given up the boxed variety and with so many variations out there to try, I imagine that won’t change anytime soon!
Mushroom Herb Macaroni and Cheese
adapted from Brown Eyed Baker and Annie’s Eats
1 pound (16 oz) elbow macaroni (or other small pasta)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 pound baby bella mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
3 cups whole milk
6 ounces shredded Gruyere cheese
6 ounces shredded white cheddar cheese
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
Preheat oven to 400 F. Butter a 9×13-inch baking dish and set aside. Add the pasta to a large pot of boiling salted water and cook the pasta until it is al dente. Drain the pasta in a colander then return to the pot.
While the pasta is cooking, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and shallots to the pan and saute, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender and most of the liquid has evaporated from the pan, about 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds more, just until the garlic is fragrant. Remove the pan from the heat and season the mushroom mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Mix in the vinegar and then set the pan aside.
To make the sauce, melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Once the butter has melted, add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is golden, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in the herbs and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the milk to the pan and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce comes to a simmer and thickens. Once thickened, remove from the heat and add the shredded Gruyere and cheddar cheeses, whisking until they are completely melted and the sauce is smooth.
Pour the sauce over the cooked pasta and stir to coat. Add the mushroom mixture and mix to combine. Transfer to the prepared baking pan.
Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Pour the butter over the breadcrumbs and use a fork to coat the crumbs evenly. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly over the top of the pasta.
Bake for 18-20 minutes, until browned and bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
this looks awesome. I tried macaroni and cheese for the first time this weekend and I was hooked. Ha I was going to adds shallots and mushrooms too but since I didnt have any I left them out. Next time I ll surely try this one. 🙂 Mine was a low fat recipe though it was made with less cheese and with more ricotta. I loved it just the same : )
mac and cheese with shrums and shallots. Sounds, and looks, delicious. I would make it just for me, too, except The Boy mite like it too.
great job on this one.
Oh my, this looks decadent. Gruyere is one of my all time favorite cheeses and I could eat mushrooms all day long. I will have to give this one a try. Thanks for posting this recipe. :o)
I love the way this looks! The cheeses and the addition of the mushrooms, yum!
My friends and I decided our next throwdown should be something savory and we’re thinking mac and cheese! I’ll have to keep this in mind.
I just love macaroni and cheese recipes (in fact I posted one today too). I have been meaning to make one with mushrooms and goat’s cheese, but gruyere is also a great idea.
I am a sucker for anything with mushrooms and pasta 🙂 Yummy!
That looks amazing… I love macNcheese and I love mushrooms. yumyumyum
So glad you loved this mac n’ cheese. It’s so insanely scrumptious!!
It’s after midnight and I’m having cravings for this. Can I stop by your refrigerator and have some? I’m sure your husband won’t mind :>) BTW-brilliant idea adding the mushrooms.
Yum… I loved this when I saw it on Brown Eyed Baker. Now I really want to give it a try!
this sounds delicious!!!
Roughly how long did it take for your milk to thicken? We followed this recipe tonight and the resulting sauce was a bit grainy…
Hi Amanda,
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. It’s been a few months since I made this recipe so I don’t exactly remember how long it took for the sauce to thicken. My best guess is just a few minutes though. You might want to try turning down your heat just a little bit when you add the milk and also, I’ve found that using whole milk tends to give me better results.
Hope that helps!
Mmm, this looks like a keeper. Mac ‘n’ Cheese is my all time comfort food and I love mushrooms. Am a bit concerned about using whole milk as well as butter; what difference would 2% milk make in the recipe. Does this dish freeze well? Will try it when the weather cools off.
I just made this recipe tonight and it was very good. This was my first ever mac-n-cheese! Too bad I didn’t have shallots, I’m sure it tastes even better with them