If you happen to’re a fan of Panera Mac and Cheese, now you can make it at house with this simple recipe. It delivers creamy, tacky pasta that tastes similar to the restaurant model.
If you happen to’ve by no means tried it, you is perhaps 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 house is easy and fast. You management the components, lower your expenses, and skip the journey to the restaurant.
Accomplished In About 20 Minutes! The whole lot is finished proper on the range prime very simply. This can be a nice recipe for starting cooks.
Scrumptious Taste! This recipe will simply develop into a household favourite.
What You Will Want
The Panera Bread Mac and Cheese ingredient listing is tremendous easy. You would possibly even have every little thing in your kitchen proper now! Be certain to scroll right 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 simply discover, however I all the time have shells on-hand, so I exploit these too. Any quick, minimize pasta will work! Simply cook dinner it al dente so it holds just a little 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 desire. You should use unsalted butter as nicely. The one added salt on this recipe is what you utilize to salt the pasta water in addition to the salt that exists within the cheese.
Flour. Common all function 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 a variety of black pepper, however be at liberty to make use of as a lot or as little as you like.
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 light white cheddar cheese. You possibly can definitely use yellow cheddar if that’s what you’ve gotten! The end result 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 light taste, so that you don’t need an excessive amount of Parmesan.
American Cheese. That is the “secret ingredient” to essentially getting the creamiest cheese sauce. Don’t skip the addition of the deli-sliced white American cheese!
Suggestions 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 every little thing on-hand and prepared whenever you want it!
Use high-quality white cheddar: This provides 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 further 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 approach every little thing is finished about the identical time. However you’ll be able to simply make the pasta earlier than hand and simply drain and preserve it coated and heat so as to add on the finish. The pasta would possibly stick collectively a bit, however it is going to be okay as soon as it’s combined into the cheese sauce.
What Makes Panera Mac and Cheese Particular
The beauty of this recipe is that it’s completed in minutes, it has nice taste, may be loved as a fast foremost dish dinner or lunch, or perhaps a excellent dish dish at your cook dinner out or BBQ.
Can You Use One other Sort Of Cheese?
There’s 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 certain, however it’s fairly darn shut!
You possibly can definitely sub in yellow cheddar and yellow American for the white cheddar and it’ll work completely. You may also use a special mix of cheese for those who desire and use this recipe as a base to essentially make your personal!
Concepts To Add-In To Mac and Cheese
In fact Panera Mac and Cheese is ideal as-is, there are tons of issues you’ll be able to 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 selfmade or from a field. He loves the warmth and tang that scorching sauce offers.
Rooster. Actually any sort of protein would work nicely in mac and cheese, however cooked rooster combined in is a straightforward approach to make this a full meal. And for those who actually wish to take it there, strive rooster nuggets combined in…SO GOOD!
Chili. You probably have some leftover chili, including a scoop on prime of this mac and cheese creates probably the most scrumptious Chili Mac!
How To Retailer Panera Mac and Cheese
I’ll be sincere, 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 way in which it really works when you find yourself utilizing actual cheese. Whereas it’ll lose a little bit of the creamy texture you’ll be able to completely retailer this and revel in it the day as leftovers. Merely cowl it in hermetic container and whenever 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 function 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
Deliver a big pot (5 – 6 quarts) of water to a boil. Add within the salt and stir. Add within the pasta and cook dinner based on 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 easy. Add within the black pepper after which slowly add within the milk, whisking always.
Deliver the milk combination to a boil, stirring continuously so the milk doesn’t scald. As soon as it’s reached a boil, stir always for two minutes till thickened.
Flip the warmth instantly to low and add within the cheddar, parmesan, and American cheese, stirring till easy. 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 all the time greatest when loved the identical day. You possibly can all the time retailer hermetic within the fridge and reheat within the microwave with a splash of milk!
