Go Back
A dark grey rectangular baking dish half filled with four cheese macaroni and cheese and a metal spoon lifting a scoop out.
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Four Cheese Macaroni and Cheese

This four cheese macaroni and cheese is made with a creamy béchamel sauce, penne pasta, fontina, Gorgonzola, pecorino Romano, and Parmesan cheeses, and finished with a crispy panko topping.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Mains
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 to 12 servings
Calories: 768

Ingredients

For the topping

  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 2 tablespoons (1 oz) unsalted butter, melted
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper,, to taste
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

For the macaroni and cheese

  • 1 pound penne pasta
  • 4 tablespoons (2 oz) unsalted butter, plus more for the aluminum foil
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • Two (12-oz) cans evaporated milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 cups fontina cheese, shredded
  • 1 cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
  • 3/4 cup pecorino Romano cheese, grated
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
US - Metric

Instructions

Make the topping

  • Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
  • Toss the panko with the melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Spread the mixture on a rimmed baking sheet, slide it in the oven, and bake, stirring every 2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes total. Transfer the panko mixture to a plate and let cool to room temperature.
  • Combine the cooled panko mixture and 1/4 cup Parmesan and transfer to a resealable storage container.

Make the macaroni and cheese

  • While the panko mixture cools, bring at least 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Add the pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until just beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Reserve 1 1/2 cups cooking water and then drain the pasta. Rinse with cold water and drain again, leaving the pasta slightly wet in the colander.
  • Dry the now-empty pot used to cook the pasta. Add the 4 tablespoons butter and melt over medium-low heat. Sprinkle with the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, anywhere from 1 to 4 minutes.
  • Slowly whisk in the evaporated milk, cream, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and bring to barely a simmer, whisking often. Pull the pot off the heat and gradually whisk in the fontina, Gorgonzola, pecorino, and the 1/2 cup Parmesan until melted and smooth. Let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 300°F (149°C). Stir the reserved cooking water and pasta into the cooled sauce. Dump everything into a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. (You can wrap the dish tightly with plastic wrap and then refrigerate the pasta and panko mixtures separately for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. If you refrigerated the pasta mixture, stir it thoroughly to recombine before baking it.)
  • Cover the dish tightly with buttered aluminum foil and bake, stirring thoroughly every 10 to 15 minutes, until the mac and cheese is warmed through, 30 to 45 minutes.
  • Remove the foil and stir the pasta once more. Sprinkle it with the panko mixture and bake, uncovered, until the topping is heated through, about 3 minutes. Let it rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes and then serve.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 768kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 27g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 146mg | Sodium: 822mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 12g