‘Tis the season to find our favorite mac n’ cheeses! And I will officially (and unabashedly) suggest that this Four Cheese Mac n’ Cheese with Garlic Sage Breadcrumbs is a contender for your list. It’s packed with flavor, even more packed with secret ingredients, but still oh-so-easy to make. Plus, you can assemble it ahead and store it for later baking. Meaning, on Thanksgiving day, this will only take up 20-30 minutes of your valuable oven real estate. Please note this recipe has been updated from the 2023 version to be easier, cheesier, and more streamlined. You can still find the 2023 version below the updated recipe box!
Now, baked macaroni and cheese (like this blog post) and stove macaroni and cheese (like this one) are two very different things. And I love them equally! But wow, do they need to be treated differently. I learned this the hard way when I tried to make a stovetop macaroni and cheese for Thanksgiving. It was fine, but let’s just all admit, Thanksgiving is a time for baked mac only. The gooey center, the breadcrumb top, the cheese pull? It’s something only baked macaroni and cheese can give.
So after my mac n’ cheese trial-and-error, I have settled on my favorite way to have it. It includes four cheeses, some for flavor, some for that irresistible cheese-pull, a lot of béchamel sauce to keep the macaroni saucy even after baking, cream to get all brown around the edges of the pan, a few spices for layers of flavor, and of course, fried sage and garlic breadcrumbs. It’s my macaroni and cheese dream!
Table of contents
The four cheeses you’ll need for this four cheese mac n’ cheese
I used to live by the idea that all cheeses are interchangeable. But I’ve grown and I’ve learned from my friend Marissa over at That Cheese Plate, that that is simply not the case. Cheeses all have their own purpose, flavor and funk – some give some earthy, round flavor notes, others are sharp and tangy, and some (looking at you, mozzarella) are so stringy and melty that I just can’t resist. For this mac n’ cheese, we pull together the best flavors I could think of:
- Gouda – This cheese is a best friend to cheddar. While my older version of this recipe uses fontina, I switched it up to gouda to be a more comfortable mac n’ cheese for all palettes!
- White Cheddar – the sharpness cheddar gives is unmatched. It gives a mac n’ cheese that distinct “cheesy pasta” energy.
- Swiss – this is the odd man out for a macaroni and cheese, but mild swiss cheese flavor really rounds out the other cheeses. Plus, it’s easy to find, melts wonderfully and is easy to shred.
- Mozzarella! – This is a mild flavored cheese, but the cheesy pull it will bring to this four cheese mac n’ cheese is unmatched. It’s not the same recipe without it!
What is a béchamel?
A béchamel sauce is one of the five French Mother sauces and one of the first sauces I ever learned how to cook, so it holds a special spot in my heart.
A béchamel is traditionally a cream sauce that is thickened with butter and flour. It can hold flavor as you want, or stay just seasoned with salt and pepper. To make it, melt butter and then add flour to form a paste. Gradually add milk, a splash at a time, and mix. The paste will thicken, then turn to a sauce, and you can thin it down with more milk, or thicken it by keeping it on the heat. The key to a creamy béchamel is to add your milk gradually, making sure that all lumps and clumps are gone before adding in the next splash of milk. Don’t rush the process, because if you have too much milk and still some clumps in your sauce, it’s a pretty hard thing to fix.
Baking this mac n’ cheese with sage garlic breadcrumbs
This mac n’ cheese bakes for only 30 minutes to keep it saucy. In the old version that meant I cooked the breadcrumbs in a pan on their own so they could crisp up before we topped the macaroni and cheese, but after a few trials, I found myself doing an old fashioned short cut, and it felt wrong not to update the macaroni and cheese recipe to reflect that!
The macaroni and cheese still bakes only for 30 minutes so that the béchamel doesn’t over-thicken, but the bread crumbs go on dry at the beginning, not cooked at the end!
Beware of over-baking any mac n’ cheese, while bubbling edges are fun it can cause the béchamel and heavy cream to congeal. And no one likes the word “congeal.”
How to make the sage and garlic breadcrumbs
I used to push this recipe to the limit and have you fry your garlic and sage, which you can still do if you love it! I just found that the recipe is just as impactful and way less work if I make the sage and garlic bread crumbs in a food processor, then let them bake for longer on the macaroni and cheese. C’mon, let’s make the oven work for you!
To make the breadcrumbs, just add dried bread to a food processor (I use frozen bread usually, since it pulses down into perfect crumbs), then add the garlic cloves and sage and pulse until everything is the same texture. Season with salt to taste and reserve on the side until the mac n’ cheese is done!
How to make this macaroni and cheese ahead of time
If you are making this for Thanksgiving, or a dinner where oven space is low, I like to prepare the entire macaroni and cheese ahead of time, but stop RIGHT before the baking step.
Combine the pasta, cheeses, béchamel and cream in a 9-inch by 13-inch baking pan, then cover and store that in the fridge. Make the breadcrumbs and put them in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Both will keep for up to 24 hours or until you’re ready to bake.
The recipe calls to reserve a cup of milk. Pour that milk right over the macaroni and cheese right before you pop it in the oven. Top with the breadcrumbs and bake as normal!
FAQ
This macaroni and cheese does keep frozen, but I suggest making it fresh for best results. If you are reheating it from a frozen state, preheat the oven to 400°F and bake for 40 minutes, or until bubbling.
Absolutely, just know that if you do change the cheeses, the results might look a little different than mine!
Not at all. Normal panko will work just fine! You can also play around with the herbs, swapping in rosemary, oregano or thyme!
And that’s it for this Four Cheese Mac n’ Cheese with Garlic Sage Breadcrumbs! If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3
Four Cheese Macaroni and Cheese with Garlic Sage Breadcrumbs
Equipment
- 1 cheese grater or rasp-style grater
- 1 medium pot
- 1 large pot
- 1 large saucepan
- 1 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish preferably ceramic
Ingredients
- 2 cups freshly grated white cheddar 170 grams / 6 ounces
- 2 cups freshly grated gouda 170 grams / 6 ounces
- 2 cups freshly grated swiss cheese 170 grams / 6 ounces
- 1 ball fresh mozzarella, torn 226 grams / 8 ounces
- 5 tablespoons salted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 70 grams / 2.5 ounces
- 1 quart whole milk
- 2 garlic cloves grated
- 2 sprigs of rosemary
- 3 sage leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 box pasta shape of choice 16 ounces
- 1 cup heavy cream
For the breadcrumbs
- 2 cups dry bread crumbs 113 grams / 4 ounces
- 10 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 10 medium sage leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. See Note if making this a day ahead.
- Add the grated cheeses to a large bowl, reserving a third of the mozzarella for later.
- Set a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the butter and let it melt, add 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, then add 1/2 cup flour and stir with a spatula into a paste.
- Reduce the head to low, then gradually pour in 3 cups of milk in 1/3 cup increments. Mix until you get a smooth paste, then continue to add the milk in splashes, mixing until a smooth sauce begins to form.
- Add the garlic, rosemary, sage, bay leaf, a teaspoon of salt, a few cracks of pepper. Taste and season with salt and pepper as preferred. After the béchamel has been cooking for about five minutes, pull out the rosemary, bay leaf and sage leaves.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water liberally and cook the pasta for 6-7 minutes or until very al dente.
- Add the béchamel to the bowl with the cheeses. Drain and add in the pasta. Then add the heavy cream. Mix all the cheese is melted, then pour into a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish. Top with dots of the remaining mozzarella and pour over the last cup of milk. (See Note if making this a day ahead).
- In a food processor, combine all the ingredients for the bread crumb topping. Pulse until it is the texture of sand. Season with a pinch of salt to taste.
- Scatter the dried bread crumbs over the macaroni and cheese and bake uncovered for 30 minutes, or until the bread crumbs are golden brown and the macaroni is bubbling at the edges.
- Serve warm!
Notes
Watch the 2023 version of the recipe here
The video may not fully represent the recipe. For best results, follow the instructions as written.
Four Cheese Mac n’ Cheese with Garlic Sage Breadcrumbs – 2023 Version
Equipment
- 1 cheese grater or rasp-style grater
- 1 medium pot
- 1 large pot
- 1 small saucepan
- 1 9"x13" baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 cup freshly grated white cheddar 3 ounces
- 1 cup freshly grated fontina 3 ounces
- 1 cup freshly grated swiss cheese 3 ounces
- 1 ball fresh mozzarella, torn 8 ounces
- 5 tablespoons salted butter
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups whole milk
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 sprigs of rosemary
- 3 sage leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 box pasta shape of choice 16 ounces
- 1 cup heavy cream
For the breadcrumbs
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 10 sage leaves
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Add the grated cheeses to a large bowl, reserving 1/3 of the mozzarella for later.
- Set a medium pot over medium heat. Add the butter and let it melt, then add the flour and stir with a spatula into a paste. Using about 1/3 cup of milk at a time, gradually pour it into the butter/flour mixture. Mix until you get a smooth paste, then continue to add the milk in splashes, mixing until a smooth sauce begins to form. Do this with up to two cups of milk, then stop.
- Add the garlic, rosemary, sage, bay leaf, a teaspoon of salt, a few cracks of pepper, nutmeg and cayenne to the sauce. Stir and continue to whisk in 1 1/2 more cups of milk, using splashes at a time. Taste and season with salt and pepper as preferred. After the béchamel has been cooking for about five minutes, pull out the rosemary, bay leaf and sage leaves.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with salt and cook the pasta for 6-7 minutes or until very al dente.
- Add the béchamel to the bowl with the cheeses. Drain and add in the pasta. Then add the heavy cream. Mix everything into a big, cheesy pile, then transfer to the 9"x 13" baking dish. Dot in the remaining mozzarella and pour in the remaining half cup of milk. Swirl with a spoon to make sure everything is combined.
- Bake the mac n' cheese in the oven for 15 minutes.
- While that is baking, make the breadcrumbs. Set a small pan over medium heat and add an inch of olive oil. Bring this up to 300-325°F, but no higher, or it will smoke. Add the sage and garlic at the same time, and swirl the pan to make sure everything fries evenly.
- When the garlic is golden, use a slotted spoon or spatula to transfer to a paper towel to drain.
- When the garlic and sage leaves are cool enough to handle, add them to a bowl with the panko breadcrumbs. Crush everything together with your fingers, then season with a pinch of salt.
- When the mac n' cheese has baked for 15 minutes, add the breadcrumbs on top. Bake for another 9-10 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are golden and the mac n' cheese is bubbling.
- Serve warm!
This sounds amazing! Do you think it would work with gluten free flour and GF panko? Thanks!
Absolutely! You can even use cornstarch instead of flour, for another gf swap!
Does this recipe work the same if I use gluten free flour for the roux?
This was amazing!!! Made it for our friendsgiving last night and it was such a hit! I think this is the best mac and cheese I’ve ever made and i’m a béchamel stan now. thank you!!!
Was it supposed to be a 1/2 cup all-purpose flour for the béchamel like it says? I did this and it became a paste, never turned into the sauce.
Yes! And it does get chunky, but the high level of milk is there to thin it out to a sauce. The key to a smooth béchamel is to add splashes of milk at a time, about 1/3 cup. The three cups of milk should thin it out to a thinner sauce.
I brought this to a friendsgiving and it was a huge hit! The nutmeg and herbs give this a hint of fall flair without overpowering the mac. Will definitely be my go to from now on!
Omg I’M HONORED and so glad you liked it!
I am dying to make this for thanksgiving! Do you think there would be a “make ahead” way of making it? I know the stove and oven will be occupied the day of! We would be able to heat it up, but I will have to have it ready.
Ty, and I love all of your content!
Aly
Absolutely! Just prep all the ingredients and store it in the fridge until you have room in the oven to bake it! You might need to extend the bake time by five minutes, but otherwise it’ll be good to go.
Hi Justine! If I make this ahead of time — once I take the combined ingredients out of the fridge, would it be fine to put it in the oven immediately? Wondering if putting the dish in the oven while the ingredients are at a cool temp would impact the cooking. Thank you!
It shouldn’t! You might need to add five minutes to the baking time though, put the breadcrumbs on once it’s bubbling!
This ended up being so good, but the flour to butter ratio given did not work at all for me. I def had to add extra butter. I made it twice (huge friendsgiving) and it needed that correction both times. Not a huge deal and it was so good and turned out so so well beyond that. Such a good flavor profile. 🙂
Ahhh it’s meant to be a *thick thick* béchamel so I see your note! Thank you for leaving a review!
Am gunna try this this year! Is it possible to double the recipe in one 9 x 13 pan?
Yes! That’ll be perfect for this!
Hi! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I am so excited to make this with Thanksgiving! I wasn’t able to find swiss or fontina, though there was an array of different cheeses (gruyère, comté, camembert, and several others). Any suggestions on suitable subs for these two?
Gruyere is a great sub, gouda is also wonderful if you can find it!
Thank you so much! I used the cheddar, mozzarella, and gruyère. It turned out nicely : )
“I don’t want the other people to hear me but your mac and cheese was the best one” – something I was told multiple times at friendsgiving! Thank you mother Justine <3
Hi! If I were to make a half portion of this, would everything just be divided straight in half? It’s just me and my partner at home this turkey day hehe 🙂
Hi! If I only want to make half the portion of the recipe, would I just need to divide the ingredients straight in half? It looks delicious, but it’s only my partner and I at home this Turkey Day hehe
That’ll work just fine! Just be sure to season to taste, and I’d cook it in an 8×8 baking dish!
Haaalp – I forgot that my dad is super sensitive to spice when I was following your recipe until I tasted the bechamel, it is currently too spicy for him (although delicious!). I’m making the sauce now but baking tomorrow, and was wondering if there was any way to downplay the spice after the fact? Or will it naturally get absorbed once it’s combined with all the cheeses and noodles, etc? Adore you and all of your recipes, and am excited to try this one!
Thanks Mother J!
HI – I am so sorry for the delay here, I hope I’m not too late! You can add more cream to the cheese/pasta/bechamel mix and that will bake up the same, but cut the spice way down!
My friend and I made this mac for thanksgiving and WOW it is phenomenal. I cannot recommend this enough
BEST. MAC N’ CHEESE. EVER!!!! Thank you so much Justine!
So SO thrilled you liked it!!
No one made mac and cheese for our Thanksgiving meal this year, so I made this the day after. SO GOOD.
My mom used to add chicken and broccoli to our mac to make it more of a meal, so I did that with this recipe—A pound of chicken thighs and a head of broccoli. I was a little nervous there wouldn’t be enough sauce for the additions but it was perfect. First recipe I’ve tried of yours, and I’ll obviously be back for more!
I’m so thrilled you liked it!! Also with the broccoli and chicken it sounds SO good. Thank you for taking the time to leave such a nice comment!
omg this was literally so good! the first time we found a repeat mac & cheese recipe that we will actually repeat for thanksgiving next year. also LOVE that it’s a garlic girl recipe <3
This was such a hit at thanksgiving! Everyone loved it. I did have to double the butter used for the roux since I couldn’t get the flour to smoothen out otherwise. The first attempt the flour stayed chunky, but the second time was perfect. Other than that I changed nothing and have no regrets.