Creamy Smoked Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
If you are a baked macaroni and cheese fan, then you’ll absolutely go crazy for this Creamy Smoked Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese recipe. It’s so decadent and delightful and we love it so much! It’s a copycat recipe from one of our favorite restaurants and I think I’ve just about nailed it! And it’s time to share it with you! It’s so delicious and everyone will love it, even the kids! It’s perfect for a crowd, for a special occasion, or for an idle Tuesday! The spicy breadcrumbs on top totally make the dish!
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I dream about this smoked cheddar macaroni and cheese. It’s a recipe that I’ve crafted after a side dish at our favorite special occasion restaurant, Flemings. And being that it’s our special occasion place, and quite expensive, we don’t get to go all that often for a date night, so I decided to make my own recipe so we could have this side dish any time we wanted. It’s still not something I make ALL the time, it’s a special dish, but it’s SO good and truly very, VERY easy to make! Mac and cheese is such a comfort food for so many people, and I just know you’ll love this recipe so much!
This Smoked Cheddar Mac & Cheese is definitely a meal in and of itself if you want it to be. Or it’s a wonderful side dish. I like to have it with a steak for sure. They just go so well together! But it’s also good with a simple pork tenderloin or something fancier like a Blackberry Pork Tenderloin. Add on some green veggies or a salad as a side, some rolls, and a delicious and decadent dessert, like these chocolate truffles, and you’ll be in absolute heaven!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Taste: Mainly you’ll love this because it’s damn delicious. For real! Don’t let the “Smoked” part of the recipe hold you back either, I’m not huge on smoked food and the smoked cheddar in this recipe just gives it a little extra taste and quality. It’s delicious and not too much at all. Kids love it!
- Easy Recipe: This is such an easy recipe with such an impressive presentation! It looks like you have worked all day on it and really, it was done in less than an hour total. It feels fancy but it’s ridiculously easy to make.
Recommended Equipment
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- 9×13 baking casserole dish – I have this dish and I adore it because it comes with the lid that fits it. No more fooling with aluminum foil or plastic wrap! Plus it keeps the smells of your dish inside the dish and not in your refrigerator as foil and plastic wrap do!
- Oven Mitts – This is a heavy and hot dish! Make sure you have good oven mitts to protect your hands!
- Santoku Knife – You don’t have to go out and buy a nice knife. BUT, if you were in the market for a knife, this is the one I couldn’t do without, and the one I go for time and time again. It’s wonderfully and beautifully made. I’ve had this knife for over 10 years and it’s my favorite thing in my entire kitchen.
- Cutting Board – I’ve had these for years and I love them. Mine are red! They are the perfect sizes, easy to store, and have a little groove around the edges to stop juices from flowing all over. This is the cutting board I go to time and time again when I’m cooking.
- Cheese Grater – Quick secret? I hate grating cheese. But freshly grated cheese is SO good. And I really don’t like washing a cheese grater. HOWEVER, I have found the solution to this dilemma! I do love this cheese grater. It folds flat, comes apart and is dishwasher safe. Oxo Good Grips for the win!
- Flat Whisk – I adore this OXO Good Grips Flat Whisk. If I couldn’t have anything else in the kitchen, THIS is the gadget I’d keep. It’s the best whisk I’ve ever had and the flat part of the design is such a game-changer for making things in the pan! I could not recommend this more! This is the only brand I’ve ever had, and I’m a big fan of all the OXO products.
Ingredients
- Cavitappi pasta: I just love this shape of pasta. It’s like a really long elbow macaroni with a tighter spiral. It catches the cheese sauce and it’s so good!
- Vegetable Oil: You can also use extra virgin olive oil, too!
- Yellow Onion: Sweet onions are the way to go with this dish. It just complements the smoked cheddar so much and it’s delicious.
- Butter: I like to use unsalted butter so I can control the levels of salt in the dish.
- All-Purpose Flour: Self-rising flour works just fine, too!
- Heavy Cream: This is the heavier part of the milk mixture and really adds the creaminess!
- Half-and-Half: If you don’t have half-and-half, whole milk or 2% milk will work fine! Half-and-Half is just next level delicious though!
- Salt: I like to use kosher salt as my salt of choice.
- White Pepper: I love the white pepper instead of black pepper in this recipe. It doesn’t make any black flecks in the beautiful cheese sauce and it tastes a little extra special, in my opinion.
- Smoked Cheddar Cheese: A nice block of smoked cheddar works perfectly in this recipe.
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese: I love the sharp bite that this gives the sauce. It complements the smoked cheddar very well.
- Panko Bread Crumbs: The crunchy crumbs on top give this dish such a nice texture combination. The crispy top is everything!
- Dried Chipotle Powder: This is the magic – it is the spice that gives even deeper smoky flavor to this dish. If you don’t have this, smoked paprika would work beautifully too.
Substitutions, Modifications, and Additions: Creamy Smoked Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
There are quite a few ways you can modify and change this dish up to your tastes!
Substitutions
- Pasta Shapes – I love a cavatappi pasta for this dish because it’s just a little fancier than elbow macaroni shape, but it’s totally fine to use whatever kind of short pasta you’d like! Plus I think the cavitappi holds a little extra sauce!
- Cheeses – You can mix and match your cheeses in this dish! I love cheddar and smoked cheddar, but feel free to use a smoked gouda or other smoked cheeses!
Modifications
- Gluten-Free – You’ll have to do a few modifications here, but it’s done easily enough! As always, read and double check your ingredients for yourself! As long as you get blocks of cheese you shred yourself, then they should be gluten free. You’d want to use gluten-free pasta and gluten-free breadcrumbs for sure. And then the only other component you’ll want to change is to exchange the all-purpose flour for cornstarch, and only use two tablespoons of cornstarch instead of three tablespoons of flour. It works beautifully and this is a great gluten-free recipe.
- Dairy-Free – You probably could get there. However, you’d have to change so many ingredients, I think you’d likely be better off searching for an already developed vegan smoked mac and cheese recipe if I’m being honest. Once you start changing a lot of components of the recipe, you can really mess with texture, taste, and consistency.
Additions
- Mushrooms – Feel free to add in some white mushrooms. My husband is a big fan of adding mushrooms!
- Bacon – What does crispy bacon not make more delicious? Nothing. Add some bacon on top of the dish!
- Cayenne Pepper – Want to put a little extra heat on it? Add cayenne pepper or hot sauce to the cheese sauce for an extra zip of heat!
Step by Step Cooking Instructions
Let’s get cooking on our Creamy Smoked Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese Recipe!
Preheat: Preheat oven to 350*. Prep your cheese and chop your onions.
Boil: Cook pasta just a minute or so less than package directions. You want to aim for al dente doneness because this will still bake in the oven.
Toss: Toss the pasta in oil once drained.
Melt: In the meantime, over medium heat, melt butter and saute onion for 5 minutes.
Add: Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, but do not let it get brown.
Add: Add cream, half-and-half, salt and white pepper.
Simmer: Bring to a simmer and let thicken over medium-low heat. (about 5 minutes).
Add: Add in the shredded cheese. (This step BEGS for me to say “You just… fold it in…”. Love you forever, Schitts Creek!)
Add: Once cheese is melted, add cooked pasta and stir to coat.
Pour: Pour pasta mixture into greased baking dish. You can also use a large cast iron skillet as well.
Saute: In a saute pan over medium-high heat, add the oil. Once oil is hot, add bread crumbs and chipotle powder and stir, toasting the breadcrumbs with the spice.
Sprinkle: Sprinkle breadcrumbs over mac & cheese and bake at 350* for 20-25 minutes.
Stand: Let stand out of the oven for about 5-10 minutes then serve and enjoy!
Tips and Notes
- Prep is everything! – This recipe goes quickly when you are making the sauce, so have all your ingredients chopped and shredded and ready to go. This is not a recipe where you can chop and add as you go. You have to be ready to add, add, add!
- Breadcrumbs – These little babies toast REALLY fast. So keep your eyes on them for sure. Don’t walk away!
- Shredding Cheese – I’m a huge advocate for always shredding your own cheese. I rarely buy shredded cheese. But for this it is a must. You need the cheese to be freshly shredded AND the pre-shredded cheese is dusted in a coating that makes it not clump together and it will really compromise the texture of the sauce if you use pre-shredded cheese.
- Half-Recipe – This recipe makes a FULL baking dish of mac and cheese. Feel free to cut in half if you aren’t serving a crowd!
- Individual Portions – It’s also super fun to make this recipe and put the pasta in individual ramekins, so you each get your own little ramekin of smoked mac and cheese casserole!
Serving Suggestions
- Wine Pairing – I like a crisp white wine with this dish. I don’t do recommendations past that because I’m sure no expert!
- Side – If you are serving this as a main dish, I love it with a big, cool, crisp salad!
- Bread – I like a loaf of toasted French or Italian bread with this dish as a main course!
- Main Dish – If this is a side dish, I love it with a steak or chicken recipe.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Storage
- Refrigerator – Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freezer – This dish does not freeze well. It just doesn’t keep the same consistency after it thaws.
Reheating
- Stovetop/Oven – I like to reheat this in the oven. I think it just heats up the best in the oven, covered with foil. It might take 20-30 minutes to heat up the whole dish, or less if you put in one serving.
- Microwave – You can put this in the microwave to heat up, no problem! I just like it a smidge better in the oven!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Absolutely! There are so many cheese variations you could use! Just make sure one of them is a “Smoked” cheese so you get that deep smoke flavor in your creamy cheese sauce! Smoked gouda or mozzarella would be absolutely delicious in this! Monterey jack cheese is a great sauce cheese. It melts beautifully!
You absolutely can! I get it – it’s a LOT of cream and half-and-half! You could use whole milk, 2% milk (or even skip milk is fine), it will still be good and creamy. It just won’t be AS creamy. But that works perfectly fine. If it doesn’t thicken up like you’d like, you MIGHT need to add a little more cheese to the mixture and it should thicken up nicely.
Wrap-Up – Creamy Smoked Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
I can’t wait for you to try this recipe. It’s so special to us and I love it so much! And I just know you will too! Give it a try and see what you think! It’s a perfect side dish for a big crowd for a big family dinner or special occasion. I love it for Easter or Thanksgiving and Christmas! Let me know what you think about it when you make it! I can’t wait to hear! Happy cooking, and as always, Just Keep Shuffling!
Printable Recipe Card – Creamy Smoked Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
Creamy Smoked Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Heavy Sauce Pan
- 1 pasta pot
- 1 Baking Dish
- 1 cutting board
- 1 Box Shredder
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta I like Cavitappi shape
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced finely or shredded
- ½ cup butter 1 stick butter
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 3 cups half-and-half
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 3/4 pound shredded smoked cheddar cheese
- 1/2 pound sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon dried chipotle powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350*.
- Cook pasta according to package directions and toss in oil once drained.
- In the meantime, melt butter and saute onion for 5 minutes.
- Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, but do not let get brown.
- Add cream, half-and-half, salt and white pepper.
- Bring to a simmer and let thicken (about 5 minutes).
- Add in the shredded cheese.
- Once cheese is melted add cooked pasta and stir to coat.
- Pour pasta mixture into greased baking dish.
- In a saute pan over medium-high heat, add the oil. Once oil is hot, add bread crums and chipotle powder and stir, toasting the breadcrumbs with the spice.
- Sprinkle breadcrums over mac & cheese and bake at 350* for 20-25 minutes.
Nutrition
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