Should you’re a fan of Panera Mac and Cheese, now you can make it at dwelling with this simple recipe. It delivers creamy, tacky pasta that tastes identical to the restaurant model.
Should you’ve by no means tried it, you could 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 gadgets on their menu that I can’t think about they ever discontinue!
Straightforward To Make! Making this dish at dwelling is easy and fast. You management the elements, lower your expenses, and skip the journey to the restaurant.
Completed In About 20 Minutes! Every little thing is completed proper on the range high 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 checklist is tremendous easy. You would possibly even have every thing in your kitchen proper now! Make certain 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 be able to simply discover, however I all the time have shells on-hand, so I exploit these too. Any quick, reduce pasta will work! Simply prepare dinner it al dente so it holds a bit 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 should use unsalted butter as properly. 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 extra seasoning within the ac and cheese recipe. I like loads of 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 light white cheddar cheese. You possibly can 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 essentially 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 elements earlier than beginning. This recipe comes collectively in a short time, so that you wish to have every thing on-hand and prepared once 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 additional scrumptious.
Cooking the pasta: I like to begin the water boiling for my pasta on the identical time I soften the butter for the sauce, that manner every thing is completed about the identical time. However you possibly can simply make the pasta earlier than hand and simply drain and hold it coated and heat so as to add on the finish. The pasta would possibly stick collectively a bit, however it will likely be okay as soon as it’s combined into the cheese sauce.
What Makes Panera Mac and Cheese Particular
The wonderful thing about this recipe is that it’s accomplished in minutes, it has nice taste, may be loved as a fast primary dish dinner or lunch, or perhaps a good 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 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 can too use a special mix of cheese for those who want and use this recipe as a base to essentially make your individual!
Concepts To Add-In To Mac and Cheese
After all Panera Mac and Cheese is ideal as-is, there are tons of issues you possibly can add to make it a full meal or amp of the flavour!
Scorching sauce. My husband ALWAYS provides sizzling 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 sizzling sauce offers.
Rooster. Actually any sort of protein would work properly in mac and cheese, however cooked rooster combined in is a straightforward strategy to make this a full meal. And for those who actually wish to take it there, attempt rooster nuggets combined in…SO GOOD!
Chili. When you’ve got some leftover chili, including a scoop on high of this mac and cheese creates probably 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 when you find yourself utilizing actual cheese. Whereas it’ll lose a little bit of the creamy texture you possibly can 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 prepare 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 contemporary floor black pepper
2 1/2 cups 2% or entire milk
2 cups contemporary shredded white cheddar cheese
1/4 cup contemporary shredded parmesan cheese
4 slices deli-style white American cheese, torn into items
Convey a big pot (5 – 6 quarts) of water to a boil. Add within the salt and stir. Add within the pasta and prepare dinner based on 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 easy. Add within the black pepper after which slowly add within the milk, whisking always.
Convey the milk combination to a boil, stirring often 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 kind 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!
