Panera Mac and Cheese – Cookies and Cups

Why You’ll Love This Mac and Cheese Recipe

In the event 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 objects on their menu that I can’t think about they ever discontinue!

• Simple To Make! Making this dish at residence is straightforward and fast. You management the elements, get monetary savings, and skip the journey to the restaurant.
• Performed In About 20 Minutes! Every thing is finished proper on the range high very simply. It is a nice recipe for starting cooks.
• Scrumptious Taste! This recipe will simply turn out to be a household favourite.

What You Will Want

The Panera Bread Mac and Cheese ingredient record is tremendous easy. You would possibly even have every thing in your kitchen proper now! Be certain that to scroll all the way down to the recipe card on the backside for the total record 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 cook dinner it al dente so it holds slightly 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 favor. You need to use unsalted butter as nicely. 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 goal 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 at liberty to make use of as a lot or as little as you favor.
• 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’ll be able to actually use yellow cheddar if that’s what you will have! The outcome would be the similar, 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 every thing on-hand and prepared if 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 similar time I soften the butter for the sauce, that manner every thing is finished about the identical time. However you possibly can simply make the pasta earlier than hand and simply drain and preserve it lined 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 combined into the cheese sauce.

What Makes Panera Mac and Cheese Particular

The wonderful thing about this recipe is that it’s performed in minutes, it has nice taste, might be loved as a fast foremost dish dinner or lunch, or perhaps a excellent dish dish at your cook dinner out or BBQ.

Can You Use One other Sort 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 laborious 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’ll be able to 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 favor and use this recipe as a base to actually make your personal!

Concepts To Add-In To Mac and Cheese

In fact 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!

• Sizzling sauce. My husband ALWAYS provides sizzling sauce to his mac and cheese. Doesn’t matter if it’s selfmade or from a field. He loves the warmth and tang that sizzling sauce offers.
• Rooster. Actually any type of protein would work nicely in mac and cheese, however cooked rooster combined in is an easy strategy to make this a full meal. And in case you actually wish to take it there, strive rooster nuggets combined in…SO GOOD!
• Chili. You probably have some leftover chili, including a scoop on high 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 when you’re utilizing actual cheese. Whereas it’ll lose a little bit of the creamy texture you possibly can completely retailer this and revel in it the day as leftovers. Merely cowl it in hermetic container and if you reheat it add a splash or 2 of milk as you cook dinner it!