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

• Straightforward To Make! Making this dish at house is straightforward and fast. You management the elements, lower your expenses, and skip the journey to the restaurant.
• Executed In About 20 Minutes! Every part is finished proper on the range prime 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 listing is tremendous easy. You would possibly even have every part in your kitchen proper now! Make sure that to scroll all the way down to the recipe card on the backside for the total listing 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 exploit these too. Any quick, minimize 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 choose. You need to use unsalted butter as nicely. 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 happy to make use of as a lot or as little as you favor.
• Milk. You need to use both 2% milk or complete 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 definitely use yellow cheddar if that’s what you have got! The end result 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!

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 part 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 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 means every part is finished about the identical time. However you’ll be able to simply make the pasta earlier than hand and simply drain and hold 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 completed in minutes, it has nice taste, could be loved as a fast foremost dish dinner or lunch, or perhaps a good dish dish at your prepare dinner out or BBQ.

Can You Use One other Sort Of Cheese?

There’s 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 straightforward and scrumptious, with a creamy mix of cheeses. Is it precise? I can’t say for positive, however it’s fairly darn shut!

You possibly can definitely 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 choose and use this recipe as a base to essentially 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 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.
• Hen. Actually any sort of protein would work nicely in mac and cheese, however cooked hen combined in is a straightforward option to make this a full meal. And for those who actually need to take it there, attempt hen nuggets combined in…SO GOOD!
• Chili. If in case you have some leftover chili, including a scoop on prime 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 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 when you’re utilizing actual cheese. Whereas it is going to lose a little bit of the creamy texture you’ll be able to 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 prepare dinner it!