Maybe feta wouldn’t be great in this dish. I usually just add whatever I have on hand – except feta.
If you want to get a little fancier, gruyere, gouda, brie, cream cheese, mozzarella, and parmesan make great cheese options. For best results, grab shredded cheddar cheese or shred up a block yourself!
What is the best Cheese for Mac and Cheese?Ĭheddar is a classic cheese choice. When your sauce is done, you can toss your cooked pasta in it and enjoy ASAP (we love a good stovetop mac and cheese) or bake it to get a crust on top if you have some patience (recipe below). If it’s too thin, turn up the heat slightly and let it cook more. If your sauce gets too thick, simply add more milk (or water/broth). Then you can add in your cheese, salt, pepper and other spices. You want to use a whisk, not a spoon or spatula, during this process to smooth out any lumps from the flour and butter mixture.Īs you cook the sauce, you’ll notice it will start to thicken. It’s important to not let your milk boil (then it will curdle) but the heat should be medium-low so it bubbles a little bit. Once you have a good roux going, you can slowly add milk. You make it by cooking flour in the fat so it’s no longer raw (raw flour can be super harmful to consume) which takes about 2-3 minutes and requires your attention on the stove. This is called a bechamel sauce (flour, butter, milk).Ī roux is a mixture of flour and fat (oil or butter in most cases) that allows sauces to get thick. The easiest way to make homemade cheese sauce for your mac is by starting with a roux, then adding milk and cheese (plus other flavors, which we’ll get to later).