This 3-Pasta/3-Cheese Southern Macaroni and Cheese recipe makes one of the best side dishes you will ever taste! The recipe was inspired by a Gold Medal winner at the Coastal Empire Fair competition in Savannah, Georgia, forty years ago. My boyfriend’s mother used to make it and I often make it in Copenhagen. Once you’ve given it a try, you will be convinced by its authentic Southern taste!
I wanted slightly more than elbow macaroni and mild cheddar so I chose three shapes of pasta and three kinds of cheese to create a good balance of flavors and texture. Every bite is creamy, rich, and gooey—one might say “heavenly”—and the result is a perfect comfort food any time of the year! Your family and friends will go crazy for this gold medal-winning Mac and Cheese!
THE PASTA
The three pasta recipe lifts the appearance in interesting ways with spirals, ridges, scoops, and shells entangled with cheese connecting them nicely. I wanted contrasts in shapes and found them in Lumaconi (snail shell scoops), Conchiglie Rigate (seashells with ridges), and Cavatappi (spiral corkscrews). I read that the Cavatappi has a cool everyday name: ScoobyDoo!
THE CHEESE
We like our Macaroni and Cheese with a nice sharp taste teased out from the savory comfort of the other ingredients. In Denmark, there is limited selection of the popular American cheeses that most recipes call for. And yet, we’ve found a trio of cheeses that equals the original magic. It has extra sharp white Cheddar, Gouda Chili Cheese, and mild yellow Cheddar. If you are a big cheese lover like me, you can check out my Korean Fire Chicken with Double Cheese recipe!
I hope you will enjoy making and eating this 3-Pasta/3-Cheese Southern Macaroni and Cheese recipe! This is such a great comfort food. The taste is super satisfying and I can eat so much of it every time I make it.
MORE COMFORT FOOD RECIPES:
Double Cheesy and Spicy Udon Noodles
Sichuan-style Cheese Pepper Hot Dog Noodles
Korean Kimchi Bacon Cheese Ramen
Chinese-Korean Spicy Garlic Shrimp Spaghetti
3-Pasta/3-Cheese Southern Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- 75 g Lumaconi Pasta (snail shell shape), medium size
- 75 g Conchiglie Rigate Pasta (shell shape)
- 75 g Cavatappi Pasta (spiral tube shape) (also called Scooby-Doo Pasta)
- 3 tbsp Salted Butter
- 30 g finely chopped Onion
- 1 tsp Dry Mustard
- 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
- 1/8 tsp White Pepper
- 1/8 tsp Nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 3 tbsp All-purpose Flour
- 1 3/4 cups / 415 ml Whole Milk
- 210 ml Heavy Cream
- 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/2 cup shredded Extra Sharp White Cheddar (or NY Cheddar)
- 1/2 cup diced Extra Sharp White Cheddar (or NY Cheddar)
- 1/2 cup shredded Gouda Chili Cheese
- 1/2 cup diced Gouda Chili Cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded Mild Yellow Cheddar
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Rinse in cold water and set aside.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the salted Butter. Then add the Onion, Dry Mustard, Sea Salt, White Pepper, Nutmeg and Cayenne Pepper. Quickly stir together.
- Mix in the All-purpose Flour. Cook for about 30 seconds until golden.
- Gradually whisk in Milk and Heavy Cream. Bring to a boil and whisk occasionally.
- Bring the heat down to medium-low, and simmer for about 4-5 minutes. Whisk while the texture thickens up.
- Add in Worcestershire Sauce. Whisk well. Remove from heat.
- Add in shredded Extra Sharp White Cheddar and Gouda Chili Cheese. Mix well and let the cheese melt.
- Add in the pasta, diced Extra Sharp White Cheddar and Gouda Chili Cheese. Combine thoroughly.
- Generously Butter a 19 cm x 28 cm baking dish on the bottom and sides.
- Pour the Pasta mixture into the baking dish. Spread evenly.
- Then sprinkle a little shredded Mild Yellow Cheddar evenly on top.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 350 F (180 C) for 30-35 minutes until the cheese turns golden and bubbly.
- Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes. Ready to serve! Enjoy!
Notes
- You can always add more cheese—after all, that’s what this dish is all about! When it comes to the final toppings, besides mild yellow Cheddar, you might try a bit of shredded Parmesan and Mozzarella.
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