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

• Simple To Make! Making this dish at dwelling is straightforward and fast. You management the substances, get monetary savings, and skip the journey to the restaurant.
• Performed In About 20 Minutes! All the pieces is completed proper on the range high very simply. This can be a nice recipe for starting cooks.
• Scrumptious Taste! This recipe will simply change into a household favourite.

What You Will Want

The Panera Bread Mac and Cheese ingredient checklist is tremendous easy. You may even have all the things in your kitchen proper now! Make certain to scroll right down to the recipe card on the backside for the complete checklist of substances 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 take advantage of these too. Any quick, minimize 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 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 numerous black pepper, however be at liberty 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  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 gentle white cheddar cheese. You’ll be able to definitely 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 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!

Ideas 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 need to have all the things on-hand and prepared whenever 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 start out the water boiling for my pasta on the similar time I soften the butter for the sauce, that approach all the things is completed 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 may 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 accomplished in minutes, it has nice taste, may be loved as a fast major 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 simple and scrumptious, with a creamy mix of cheeses. Is it precise? I can’t say for positive, however it’s fairly darn shut!

You’ll be able to definitely sub in yellow cheddar and yellow American for the white cheddar and it’ll work completely. You may as well use a unique mix of cheese when you want 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!

• Scorching 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 provides.
• Rooster. Actually any sort of protein would work properly in mac and cheese, however cooked rooster blended in is a straightforward option to make this a full meal. And when you actually need to take it there, attempt rooster nuggets blended in…SO GOOD!
• Chili. In case you have 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 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 if you find yourself utilizing actual cheese. Whereas it’s going to lose a little bit of the creamy texture you’ll be able to completely retailer this and luxuriate 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!