For those who’re a fan of Panera Mac and Cheese, now you can make it at residence with this simple recipe. It delivers creamy, tacky pasta that tastes identical to the restaurant model.
For those who’ve by no means tried it, you may be questioning, “Is Panera Mac and Cheese good?” And I’m right here to reply that for you! Sure, it’s REALLY good. It’s tremendous creamy, tacky, and flavorful. It’s one of many stand-out, evergreen objects on their menu that I can’t think about they ever discontinue!
Simple To Make! Making this dish at residence is easy and fast. You management the components, lower your expenses, and skip the journey to the restaurant.
Completed In About 20 Minutes! Every part is completed proper on the range high very simply. This can be a nice recipe for starting cooks.
Scrumptious Taste! This recipe will simply grow to be a household favourite.
What You Will Want
The Panera Bread Mac and Cheese ingredient listing is tremendous easy. You would possibly even have the whole lot in your kitchen proper now! Make certain to scroll all the way down to the recipe card on the backside for the total listing of components and directions!
Pasta. Panera makes use of Pipette Rigate, which you’ll be able to simply discover, however I at all times have shells on-hand, so I exploit these too. Any brief, lower pasta will work! Simply cook dinner it al dente so it holds somewhat chunk because it sits within the cheese sauce and continues to cook dinner a bit.
Butter. I specify utilizing salted butter on this recipe as a result of it’s what I choose. You should use unsalted butter as nicely. The one added salt on this recipe is what you employ to salt the pasta water in addition to the salt that exists within the cheese.
Flour. Common all goal flour is what you want for this recipe.
Pepper. Floor black pepper is the one further seasoning within the ac and cheese recipe. I like numerous black pepper, however be happy to make use of as a lot or as little as you favor.
Milk. You should use both 2% milk or entire milk on this recipe. I don’t advocate 1% milk, skim milk, or almond milk for the creamiest outcomes.
Cheddar Cheese. To make this an actual copycat Panera recipe I exploit a gentle white cheddar cheese. You possibly can actually use yellow cheddar if that’s what you will have! The consequence would be the similar, simply the flavour will differ barely.
Parmesan Cheese. The addition of parmesan cheese enhances the cheddar with out making the sauce too “sharp”. Panera mac and cheese has a gentle taste, so that you don’t need an excessive amount of Parmesan.
American Cheese. That is the “secret ingredient” to actually getting the creamiest cheese sauce. Don’t skip the addition of the deli-sliced white American cheese!
Ideas On How To Make Panera Mac and Cheese
Prep all of the components earlier than beginning. This recipe comes collectively in a short time, so that you wish to have the whole lot on-hand and prepared once you want it!
Use high-quality white cheddar: This offers the mac and cheese its signature style. You don’t want to make use of an aged cheddar or something tremendous sharp, however a pleasant, creamy white cheddar will make the sauce additional scrumptious.
Cooking the pasta: I like to begin the water boiling for my pasta on the similar time I soften the butter for the sauce, that means the whole lot is completed about the identical time. However you may simply make the pasta earlier than hand and simply drain and maintain it lined and heat so as to add on the finish. The pasta would possibly stick collectively a bit, however will probably be okay as soon as it’s blended into the cheese sauce.
What Makes Panera Mac and Cheese Particular
The beauty of this recipe is that it’s achieved in minutes, it has nice taste, might be loved as a fast primary dish dinner or lunch, or perhaps a good dish dish at your cook dinner out or BBQ.
Can You Use One other Sort Of Cheese?
There may be only a creaminess and texture that may’t be defined, due in-part to the three cheeses I used. I labored exhausting to create this copycat recipe that’s each simple and scrumptious, with a creamy mix of cheeses. Is it actual? I can’t say for positive, however it’s fairly darn shut!
You possibly can actually sub in yellow cheddar and yellow American for the white cheddar and it’ll work completely. You too can use a distinct mix of cheese when you choose and use this recipe as a base to actually make your individual!
Concepts To Add-In To Mac and Cheese
In fact Panera Mac and Cheese is ideal as-is, there are tons of issues you may add to make it a full meal or amp of the flavour!
Scorching sauce. My husband ALWAYS provides scorching sauce to his mac and cheese. Doesn’t matter if it’s home made or from a field. He loves the warmth and tang that scorching sauce offers.
Hen. Actually any type of protein would work nicely in mac and cheese, however cooked rooster blended in is a straightforward approach to make this a full meal. And when you actually wish to take it there, strive rooster nuggets blended in…SO GOOD!
Chili. If in case you have some leftover chili, including a scoop on high of this mac and cheese creates essentially the most scrumptious Chili Mac!
How To Retailer Panera Mac and Cheese
I’ll be trustworthy, this recipe is greatest the identical day you make it, loved heat. Macaroni and cheese tends to lose its creaminess the longer it sits. That’s simply the best way it really works if you end up utilizing actual cheese. Whereas it’ll lose a little bit of the creamy texture you may completely retailer this and luxuriate in it the day as leftovers. Merely cowl it in hermetic container and once you reheat it add a splash or 2 of milk as you cook dinner it!
This can be a spot-on copycat model of Panera Mac and Cheese. It’s tremendous simple to make and takes lower than 20 minutes from begin to end. Everybody loves this one!
3 1/2 cups medium shell pasta
1 tablespoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons salted butter
1/4 cup all goal flour
1/4 teaspoon recent floor black pepper
2 1/2 cups 2% or entire milk
2 cups recent shredded white cheddar cheese
1/4 cup recent shredded parmesan cheese
4 slices deli-style white American cheese, torn into items
Carry a big pot (5 – 6 quarts) of water to a boil. Add within the salt and stir. Add within the pasta and cook dinner in keeping with the bundle instructions. Drain and put aside.
Whereas the pasta is cooking, in a medium saucepan soften the butter over medium-low warmth. As soon as the butter is melted, whisk within the flour and cook dinner for 1 -2 minutes till clean. Add within the black pepper after which slowly add within the milk, whisking consistently.
Carry the milk combination to a boil, stirring incessantly so the milk doesn’t scald. As soon as it’s reached a boil, stir consistently for two minutes till thickened.
Flip the warmth instantly to low and add within the cheddar, parmesan, and American cheese, stirring till clean. Add within the cooked pasta and stir till coated.
Season with extra pepper if desired and serve instantly.
Notes
This sort of mac and cheese is at all times greatest when loved the identical day. You possibly can at all times retailer hermetic within the fridge and reheat within the microwave with a splash of milk!
