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    Home » Recipes » Mac and Cheese

    Mushroom Garlic Mac and Cheese

    Published: Nov 10, 2019 · Last Updated: Aug 24, 2022

    Jump to Recipe

    This quick and easy mushroom garlic mac and cheese has plenty of gruyere and goat cheese for an elegant macaroni and cheese that comes together in under an hour.

    This post contains affiliate links: if you buy something we'll earn a small commission at no cost to you.

    Black spoon stirring mushroom macaroni and cheese in a silver pot. this recipe

    Let's just go ahead and file this homemade mushroom macaroni and cheese under "NEXT. LEVEL."

    Because this pasta? Ohhhhhh, you're going to want to be a part of this pasta.

    Black spoon stirring mushrooms and cheeses into a creamy sauce.

    What you need for this mushroom garlic mac and cheese recipe:

    • Pasta! (Cavatappi = probably our favorite mac and cheese pasta shape of all time)
    • Fresh minced garlic (we'll also be awarding bonus points if you swap it out for roasted garlic, because YUM)
    • Plenty of baby portobello mushrooms
    • Gruyere
    • Goat cheese
    • The usual mac and cheese suspects: butter, flour, and milk (although we 10/10 recommend swapping the milk + flour for a few scoops of our Magic Cauliflower Cream Sauce if you want to keep things on the lighter side!)

    The result? A cozy, creamy garlic mac and cheese that feels ultra-fancy without much work at all. (Prep the sauce ingredients while the pasta cooks and you can have this meal on the table in 30 minutes flat!)

    A quick mac and cheese primer

    There are two main styles of macaroni and cheese: The French-leaning version builds a creamy sauce using a basic stovetop béchamel sauce (a flour-and-butter base - called a roux - with lots of milk). Southern mac and cheese is typically baked and sometimes features eggs or evaporated milk in addition to a blend of cheeses and seasonings.

    The "right" way to make mac and cheese is different for everyone. Our mac and cheese recipes have plenty of riffs and mix-ins, and they lean towards the French style: excellent right off the stovetop or baked with breadcrumbs or extra cheese on top.

    Sautéed mushrooms and garlic in a silver saucepan on a white counter.

    How to bake this macaroni and cheese:

    This recipe makes a quick stovetop garlic mushroom macaroni and cheese, but you can also top it with breadcrumbs and pop it in the oven for a baked version!

    If you decide to bake this mac and cheese, we recommend undercooking the pasta by a minute or two and adding an extra ¼ cup of milk to your sauce, then toasting a cup of panko breadcrumbs in a saucepan with a Tablespoon or two of butter for the topping. See a full walkthrough of our favorite baked macaroni and cheese techniques here!

    Cavatappi pasta being stirred into mushroom sauce by a black spoon.

    Serve this mac and cheese as is or add chicken, sausage, or extra veggies (we love adding broccoli, peas, or roasted brussels sprouts!)

    You can also mix things up by adding baby spinach for a spinach mushroom mac and cheese riff, or swapping the gruyere in this mac and cheese recipe for parmesan (or whatever cheese you have on hand!)

    Mushroom macaroni and cheese on a black plate next to a yellow napkin.
    Print
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    Macaroni and cheese with mushrooms in a silver pot on a black background.

    Mushroom Garlic Mac and Cheese

    ★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
    • Author: Jessie
    • Prep Time: 15 minutes
    • Cook Time: 30 minutes
    • Total Time: 45 minutes
    • Yield: Serves 4-6 1x
    • Category: Pasta
    • Cuisine: American
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    Description

    This quick and easy mushroom garlic mac and cheese has plenty of gruyere and goat cheese for an elegant macaroni and cheese that's ready in under an hour.


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • ¾ pound pasta (we used cavatappi)
    • 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter (½ stick), divided
    • 4 cloves garlic, minced
    • 16 ounces baby portobello mushrooms (about 4 cups), sliced
    • salt and pepper to taste
    • 2 Tablespoons flour
    • 2 cups milk
    • 1 ½ cups shredded gruyere cheese
    • 2 ounces goat cheese (about ¼ cup)

    Instructions

    1. Cook pasta in very salty water until al dente. Drain and set aside. 
    2. Melt half of the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. (We like to use the same pot we just cooked the pasta in!)
    3. Add garlic and mushrooms to butter. Sauté until mushrooms have softened and reduced in size, about 8 minutes.
    4. Add salt and pepper and stir to combine.
    5. Add remaining butter to mushroom mixture and stir until melted.
    6. Add flour to saucepan and stir to combine. Let cook for a minute or so until flour has soaked up all the butter and smells slightly nutty.
    7. Add milk a little at a time, stirring well between each addition to remove any lumps. Stir until all milk is incorporated.
    8. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-8 minutes until sauce has thickened and just barely begun to simmer.
    9. Remove sauce from heat. Add gruyere and goat cheese. Stir until cheese has melted.
    10. Add cooked pasta to sauce and toss to combine. Taste your mac and cheese and add salt and pepper if necessary. Serve immediately.

     


    Notes

    Additions. Add broccoli, peas, spinach, kale, arugula, or roasted brussels sprouts for some extra veggies. Add sausage or chicken (grilled, baked, or shredded) for extra protein. Add a few drops of truffle oil to the sauce if you like!

    Substitutions. Use white cheddar, parmesan, havarti, or fontina in place of some or all of the gruyere and goat cheese in this recipe. Use our Magic Cauliflower Cream Sauce in place of the flour and milk for a lightened-up version. Use roasted garlic instead of fresh garlic for a sweeter, deeper flavor (you may want to use an extra 2-4 cloves if you swap roasted garlic in for fresh!) 1%, 2%, whole, or skim milk all work fine here. Substitute chicken or vegetable stock, half and half, or heavy cream for part of the milk if you like (though if you use cream or half and half, know that it will make the sauce VERY rich - you definitely don't need it, but if you're out of milk and in a pinch they'll work!)

    Taste and season as needed! Salt is always important in cooking, but it's especially important here, when we're working with so few ingredients. Taste your mac and cheese before serving and, if it still doesn't quite "pop," add seasoning as necessary. And don't forget to salt your pasta water!

    For a baked version of this mac and cheese, undercook the pasta by 1-2 minutes and add an extra ¼ cup of milk to the sauce. Top with toasted panko breadcrumbs (full directions here!) and bake at 375 degrees F for 20-30 minutes until sauce is bubbling and breadcrumbs are browned. For a full tutorial on baked mac and cheese, check out Mac and Cheese 101!

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size:
    • Calories: 496
    • Sugar: 7.7 g
    • Sodium: 712.6 mg
    • Fat: 21.6 g
    • Carbohydrates: 52.1 g
    • Protein: 23.8 g
    • Cholesterol: 62.6 mg

    Keywords: vegetarian, portobello, winter

    Tag @lifeasastrawberry on Instagram to show us what you're cooking! Nutrition information is calculated per serving; it is approximate and will vary based on many factors.

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    More Mac and Cheese Recipes

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    • Spicy Mac and Cheese
    • Spinach Havarti Mac and Cheese
    • Hard Apple Cider Mac and Cheese with Crispy Bacon

    I'm Jessie, and I like to talk about food. Tag your recipes #LifeAsAStrawberry on social media to share your creations! Learn about our team!

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    1. Jessie @ Life As A Strawberry

      December 23, 2022 at 5:39 pm

      We first shared this recipe a few years ago, and it's still one of my favorites. Made it again this week and just love this simple, earthy sauce.

      ★★★★★

      Reply

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