Panera Mac and Cheese – Cookies and Cups

Why You’ll Love This Mac and Cheese Recipe

Should you’ve by no means tried it, you may 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 residence is easy and fast. You management the substances, get monetary savings, and skip the journey to the restaurant.
• Achieved In About 20 Minutes! Every thing is finished proper on the range prime 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 would possibly even have all the things in your kitchen proper now! Be sure that 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 simply discover, however I at all times have shells on-hand, so I take advantage of these too. Any brief, lower pasta will work! Simply prepare dinner it al dente so it holds just a little 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 effectively. The one added salt on this recipe is what you employ to salt the pasta water in addition to the salt that exists within the cheese.
• Flour. Common all function 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 variety of black pepper, however be happy 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 light white cheddar cheese. You possibly can actually use yellow cheddar if that’s what you might 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 light 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!

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 once 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 begin the water boiling for my pasta on the similar time I soften the butter for the sauce, that means all the things is finished about the identical time. However you may 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 would possibly stick collectively a bit, however it will likely be okay as soon as it’s blended into the cheese sauce.

What Makes Panera Mac and Cheese Particular

The beauty of this recipe is that it’s executed in minutes, it has nice taste, will be loved as a fast foremost 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 may be 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 straightforward and scrumptious, with a creamy mix of cheeses. Is it precise? I can’t say for positive, however it’s fairly darn shut!

You possibly can actually sub in yellow cheddar and yellow American for the white cheddar and it’ll work completely. You too can use a unique mix of cheese when 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 may 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.
• Hen. Actually any sort of protein would work effectively in mac and cheese, however cooked hen blended in is an easy technique to make this a full meal. And when you actually need to take it there, attempt hen nuggets blended in…SO GOOD!
• Chili. In case you have some leftover chili, including a scoop on prime of this mac and cheese creates essentially the most scrumptious Chili Mac!

How To Retailer Panera Mac and Cheese

I’ll be trustworthy, this recipe is finest the identical day you make it, loved heat. Macaroni and cheese tends to lose its creaminess the longer it sits. That’s simply the way in which it really works when you find yourself utilizing actual cheese. Whereas it’s going to lose a little bit of the creamy texture you may completely retailer this and luxuriate in it the day as leftovers. Merely cowl it in hermetic container and once you reheat it add a splash or 2 of milk as you prepare dinner it!