← Back to the recipe garden

🍝 Pasta

Four cheese mac n' cheese with garlic sage breadcrumbs

Bubbly, stretchy, and crowned with savory little crunchy bits

⏱️ Time estimate: about 50 minutes

White cheddar, gouda, swiss, and mozzarella melt into a saucy béchamel-backed baked mac, with heavy cream for extra lushness and a garlicky sage breadcrumb top that gets golden in the oven.

Baked four cheese mac and cheese with breadcrumbs

Ingredients

  • 2 cups grated white cheddar
  • 2 cups grated gouda
  • 2 cups grated swiss cheese
  • 1 ball fresh mozzarella, torn
  • 5 tablespoons salted butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 quart whole milk
  • 2 garlic cloves, grated
  • 2 sprigs rosemary
  • 3 sage leaves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 16 ounces pasta shape of choice
  • 1 cup heavy cream

Breadcrumb topping

  • 2 cups dry bread crumbs
  • 10 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 10 medium sage leaves

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  2. Mix the cheeses. Combine the grated cheddar, gouda, swiss, and most of the mozzarella in a large bowl, reserving some mozzarella for the top.
  3. Start the béchamel. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the nutmeg and cayenne, then add the flour and stir into a paste.
  4. Add the milk slowly. Lower the heat and gradually pour in 3 cups of the milk in small additions, stirring smooth between each one, then continue until you have a smooth sauce.
  5. Season the sauce. Add the grated garlic, rosemary, sage, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Let it cook about 5 minutes, then remove the rosemary, sage, and bay leaf.
  6. Cook the pasta. Boil the pasta in salted water until very al dente, about 6 to 7 minutes, then drain.
  7. Assemble. Pour the béchamel over the cheeses, then add the pasta and heavy cream. Stir until melty, then transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Dot with the reserved mozzarella and pour over the last cup of milk.
  8. Make the topping. Pulse the bread crumbs, sliced garlic, and sage in a food processor until the texture is like coarse sand. Season lightly with salt.
  9. Bake. Scatter the breadcrumbs over the mac and cheese and bake uncovered for 30 minutes, until golden and bubbling at the edges.
  10. Serve. Let it settle briefly, then scoop and serve warm.

Mac note: this one is meant to stay saucy, so resist the urge to overbake it into submission.