Panera Mac and Cheese – Cookies and Cups

Why You’ll Love This Mac and Cheese Recipe

If you happen to’ve by no means tried it, you is likely to 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!

• Straightforward To Make! Making this dish at house is straightforward and fast. You management the substances, lower your expenses, and skip the journey to the restaurant.
• Completed In About 20 Minutes! Every little thing is completed 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 the whole lot in your kitchen proper now! Be sure to scroll right down to the recipe card on the backside for the total listing of substances and directions!

• Pasta. Panera makes use of Pipette Rigate, which you’ll be able to simply discover, however I at all times have shells on-hand, so I take advantage of these too. Any quick, minimize pasta will work! Simply prepare dinner it al dente so it holds a bit chunk 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 desire. 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 objective 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 a number of black pepper, however be happy to make use of as a lot or as little as you like.
• Milk. You should 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 take advantage of a gentle white cheddar cheese. You may actually use yellow cheddar if that’s what you’ve gotten! 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 gentle 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 substances earlier than beginning. This recipe comes collectively in a short time, so that you wish to have the whole lot on-hand and prepared whenever 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 begin the water boiling for my pasta on the identical time I soften the butter for the sauce, that method the whole lot is completed about the identical time. However you’ll be able to 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 will probably 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 completed in minutes, it has nice taste, could be loved as a fast fundamental 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 onerous 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 may actually sub in yellow cheddar and yellow American for the white cheddar and it’ll work completely. You can too use a unique mix of cheese should you desire and use this recipe as a base to actually 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 scorching sauce to his mac and cheese. Doesn’t matter if it’s selfmade or from a field. He loves the warmth and tang that scorching sauce offers.
• Rooster. Actually any type of protein would work properly in mac and cheese, however cooked rooster blended in is a straightforward approach to make this a full meal. And should you actually wish to take it there, strive rooster nuggets blended in…SO GOOD!
• Chili. You probably 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 sincere, 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 should 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 whenever you reheat it add a splash or 2 of milk as you prepare dinner it!