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 elements, lower your expenses, and skip the journey to the restaurant.
Completed In About 20 Minutes! The whole lot is completed proper on the range prime very simply. It is a nice recipe for starting cooks.
Scrumptious Taste! This recipe will simply turn into a household favourite.
What You Will Want
The Panera Bread Mac and Cheese ingredient checklist is tremendous easy. You may even have all the pieces in your kitchen proper now! Be sure that to scroll right down to the recipe card on the backside for the total checklist of elements 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 take advantage of these too. Any quick, lower pasta will work! Simply prepare dinner it al dente so it holds slightly chew because it sits within the cheese sauce and continues to prepare dinner a bit.
Butter. I specify utilizing salted butter on this recipe as a result of it’s what I want. You need to use unsalted butter as properly. 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 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 loads of black pepper, however be at liberty to make use of as a lot or as little as you like.
Milk. You need to use both 2% milk or entire milk on this recipe. I don’t suggest 1% milk, skim milk, or almond milk for the creamiest outcomes.
Cheddar Cheese. To make this an actual copycat Panera recipe I take advantage of a light white cheddar cheese. You may actually use yellow cheddar if that’s what you could have! The outcome would be the identical, 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 actually 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 elements earlier than beginning. This recipe comes collectively in a short time, so that you wish to have all the pieces on-hand and prepared whenever 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 further scrumptious.
Cooking the pasta: I like to start out the water boiling for my pasta on the identical time I soften the butter for the sauce, that manner all the pieces is completed about the identical time. However you’ll be able to simply make the pasta earlier than hand and simply drain and maintain it coated and heat so as to add on the finish. The pasta may 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 wonderful thing about this recipe is that it’s completed in minutes, it has nice taste, may be loved as a fast essential dish dinner or lunch, or perhaps a excellent dish dish at your prepare dinner out or BBQ.
Can You Use One other Kind 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 arduous 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 may actually sub in yellow cheddar and yellow American for the white cheddar and it’ll work completely. You can too use a unique mix of cheese if you happen to want 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’ll be able to add to make it a full meal or amp of the flavour!
Sizzling sauce. My husband ALWAYS provides scorching sauce to his mac and cheese. Doesn’t matter if it’s do-it-yourself or from a field. He loves the warmth and tang that scorching sauce offers.
Rooster. Actually any sort of protein would work properly in mac and cheese, however cooked hen blended in is an easy method to make this a full meal. And if you happen to actually wish to take it there, attempt hen nuggets blended in…SO GOOD!
Chili. You probably have some leftover chili, including a scoop on prime 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 should lose a little bit of the creamy texture you’ll be able to completely retailer this and luxuriate 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 prepare dinner it!
It is 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 prepare dinner in response to the package deal 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 prepare dinner for 1 -2 minutes till clean. Add within the black pepper after which slowly add within the milk, whisking consistently.
Deliver the milk combination to a boil, stirring often 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 all the time greatest when loved the identical day. You may all the time retailer hermetic within the fridge and reheat within the microwave with a splash of milk!
