Panera Mac and Cheese – Cookies and Cups

Why You’ll Love This Mac and Cheese Recipe

When you’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 gadgets on their menu that I can’t think about they ever discontinue!

• Straightforward To Make! Making this dish at house is easy and fast. You management the elements, get monetary savings, and skip the journey to the restaurant.
• Finished In About 20 Minutes! Every thing 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 would possibly even have every little thing in your kitchen proper now! Be certain that to scroll all the way down to the recipe card on the backside for the complete 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 brief, reduce pasta will work! Simply cook dinner it al dente so it holds a bit of 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 choose. You should use unsalted butter as effectively. 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 plenty 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 take advantage of a gentle white cheddar cheese. You may actually use yellow cheddar if that’s what you’ve! The consequence 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 gentle 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 elements earlier than beginning. This recipe comes collectively in a short time, so that you need to have every little thing on-hand and prepared while 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 start out the water boiling for my pasta on the identical time I soften the butter for the sauce, that manner every little thing is completed about the identical time. However you may 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 is going to 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 carried out in minutes, it has nice taste, could be loved as a fast major dish dinner or lunch, or perhaps a good dish dish at your cook 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 precise? 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 too can use a special mix of cheese in case you choose and use this recipe as a base to essentially make your personal!

Concepts To Add-In To Mac and Cheese

After all Panera Mac and Cheese is ideal as-is, there are tons of issues you may 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 do-it-yourself or from a field. He loves the warmth and tang that scorching sauce provides.
• Rooster. Actually any sort of protein would work effectively in mac and cheese, however cooked hen blended in is an easy option to make this a full meal. And in case you actually need to take it there, strive hen nuggets blended in…SO GOOD!
• Chili. If in case you 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 sincere, this recipe is finest 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’s going to lose a little bit of the creamy texture you may completely retailer this and revel in it the day as leftovers. Merely cowl it in hermetic container and while you reheat it add a splash or 2 of milk as you cook dinner it!