This post was created in partnership with ALDI. All opinions are our own. Ready for an off-the-charts dish for entertaining? Meet our best smoked gouda mac and cheese: it had our friends begging for seconds before they were even done with firsts! This gouda mac and cheese features smoked gouda cheese, tender noodles and crunchy sourdough bread crumbs. We made this recipe in partnership with ALDI, which is truly a one stop shop for spring entertaining. Whether you’re hosting a Sunday brunch or Easter dinner, filling kids’ baskets, or throwing a fancy dinner party, ALDI has incredible quality products at affordable prices. We got all of the ingredients — and even the saucepan we made the cheese sauce in — at our local ALDI. You are going to love this one! COUPON & SHOPPING LIST! ALDI now delivers groceries to your door using Instacart: and we have a custom ingredient list for this recipe. You can order all the ingredients for this recipe by clicking here — just make sure to increment the Gouda cheese from 1 to 2! Then use the code ALDIACC for $10 off your first three ALDI orders on Instacart of $35 or more.
Video: How to make homemade mac and cheese
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A note on ALDI products
You’ll see we’ve used all ALDI products for our gouda mac and cheese: even the pot is from ALDI! A few notes on our favorites:
The Crofton Speckled Saucepans are available for a limited time in stores starting 4/3! The Specialty Selected Sourdough Bread is award winning. It was chosen by customers in a national survey as 2019 Product of the Year winner in the bread category (based on a survey of 40,000 American shoppers by global research agency Kantar TNS). The Specialty Selected Smoked Gouda is affordable and an incredibly high quality cheese. One of our favorite places to shop at ALDI is their cheese section!
How to make gouda mac and cheese
How to make homemade mac and cheese? You might think it’s simple, but this smoked gouda mac and cheese has a few techniques that are important to master. First, watch the video above! Then, read through our pointers for making the best gouda mac and cheese you’ll ever have.
How to cook pasta to al dente? Cooking pasta too long is a common mistake in the kitchen. To cook pasta to al dente, check the package instructions and then start tasting your pasta a few minutes before that! (The timing listed on many packages results in rubbery pasta.) You want to catch the pasta right when it goes from crunchy to tender. It should still be slightly firm inside–but not crunchy! How to make a roux? A “roux” is flour and butter cooked together and used to thicken sauces. It’s usually made from equal parts of flour and butter. You’ll cook the butter and flour together until they start to turn light brown, then add milk and cheese to the sauce. Check out the video to see me make the roux for this gouda mac and cheese!
And that’s how to make gouda mac and cheese!
Now, all of this results in a rich, creamy mac and cheese that is bursting with flavor. It’s lightly smoky from the smoked gouda mac and cheese, and crunchy from the sourdough bread crumbs. It’s sure to be a crowd pleasing dish anywhere you take it! Alex and I served it to friends and all of them absolutely raved about it. Since it’s cheesy and gooey and makes a huge pan, the serving size here is for 12 people. It’s perfect to serve alongside Sauteed Broccoli and a huge Radish Chopped Salad. Or, want to make it a main dish? Serve it with a green salad or steamed broccoli! Head to 10 Best Sides to Serve with Mac and Cheese for our favorites. Want to try it? Are you an ALDI fan? Let us know if you head to ALDI and make this recipe! Tell us in the comments below or tag us on Instagram: @acouplecooks and @aldiusa.
Looking for easy entertaining recipes?
This gouda mac and cheese is perfect for spring entertaining (like an Easter dinner). Here are a few more side dish recipes for entertaining:
Wedge Salad with Potato ChipsRoasted Green BeansStrawberry Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette Perfectly Creamy Polenta (or Vegan Polenta)Artisan Dutch Oven Bread Beet Salad Recipe with Green Apple Roasted Carrots with Cumin Seed & Hummus Radish Chopped Salad Recipe Best Creamy Coleslaw
This recipe is…
This gouda mac and cheese recipe is vegetarian. For gluten free, use gluten free pasta. 5 from 1 review For the bread crumb topping
2 medium slices Specialty Selected Sourdough Bread ⅛ teaspoon mustard powder ⅛ teaspoon thyme ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
For the gouda mac and cheese
1 pound short pasta of any type (shells, macaroni, fusilli, or penne — we used Priano Pipe Rigate Pasta) 14 ounces Specialty Selected Smoked Gouda 3 tablespoons Countryside Creamery Unsalted Butter 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 ¾ cups 2% milk, divided 1 teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon onion powder ½ teaspoon garlic powder Paprika, for garnish (optional)
