Blue Cheese Mac and Cheese
Blue Cheese Mac and Cheese is a decidedly grown-up take on a classic mac and cheese with a trio of cheeses, roasted garlic and a crunchy breadcrumb topping. It’s a copycat Disney World recipe that you can no longer find at the parks – so making it yourself is the only way to enjoy this bold and decadent mac and cheese.
Blue Cheese Mac and Cheese Recipe
One of my favorite things about visiting the Disney parks is enjoying all of the amazing food. They have an amazing recipe development team that has come out with hundreds of cult favorites, from Carnation Cafe’s Apple Granola Pancakes to the Famous Gray Stuff inspired by Beauty and the Beast.
(I have my list of favorite Disneyland foods here – I still need to make one for Disney World.)
However, they constantly need to reimagine their menus to keep things interesting, which unfortunately means that sometimes you return to the parks to find that one of your favorite meals or snacks is no longer available.
That was the case with this blue cheese mac and cheese which was served as a side dish at Cinderella’s Royal Table alongside a mouthwatering steak with roasted garlic and shallot compound butter. It’s currently not on the menu but luckily the Disney chefs were gracious enough to share the actual recipe with us so that we can still enjoy it at home.
The blue cheese mac and cheese incorporates the shallots and roasted garlic featured in the steak’s compound butter into a creamy, luscious sauce consisting of a blend of SIX cheeses (Italian cheese blend, blue cheese and cheddar cheese) coating tender macaroni noodles. The whole thing is then topped with a toasted breadcrumb topping before being baked to perfection.
The blue cheese is not overpowering but brings a bold salty, funky and earthy flavor element to the dish. It’s decidedly gourmet but ready in only 20 minutes.
Blue Cheese Mac and Cheese Variations:
- use broth instead of water to boil the pasta noodles
- add favorite seasonings, like Italian seasoning or ranch seasoning
- add protein – I’d recommend steak or chicken
- add steamed veggies like broccoli
- swap out the combination of cheeses, keeping the blue cheese
- swap out the crunchy topping of toasted breadcrumbs with fried onions
- add bacon for a smoky, savoury flavor addition
- add a few drops of liquid smoke
Store this blue cheese mac and cheese in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Can you freeze mac and cheese? You can freeze the cheese sauce on it’s own, but freezing with the pasta will result in a soggy, grainy mac and cheese. Freeze in an airtight freezer container and allow to thaw at room temperature before reheating and mixing with freshly cooked pasta. (This set of freezer containers is a crazy bargain.)
Since this recipe makes a ton of pasta, you may end up with leftovers. Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. If the cheese sauce seems somewhat dry, add a few tablespoons of milk to add some moisture back in to the recipe.
Err on the side of under boiling and under baking the pasta. You want some crunchy golden spots on the cheese topping, but over-baking the pasta will start to make the cheese sauce clumpy and less creamy. Over boiling the pasta beyond el dente will result in a mushy mac and cheese after the final baking.
Blue Cheese Mac and Cheese Ingredients
- Butter
- Minced Shallots
- Roasted Garlic
- All-Purpose Flour
- Milk
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Blue Cheese, crumbled
- Shredded Italian Cheese blend
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
- Elbow Noodles, uncooked
- Panko Bread Crumbs
Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.
Tip: As always, I highly recommend tasting your recipe throughout the preparation process so you can correct over- or under-seasoning.
Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful
- Heavy stockpot or Dutch Oven <– highly recommended for even cooking and seamlessly transferring this recipe from the stove to the oven
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Saucepan
- Whisk
- Wooden Spoon or Spatula <– I like these spatulas because they are one solid piece and don’t have removable heads for bacteria to get trapped underneath. Plus they are heat-resistant and have a lifetime warranty.
- Sharp Kitchen Knife
- Cutting Board
How to Make Blue Cheese Mac and Cheese
Place a dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat and add the butter.
Once the butter is completely melted, add the shallots and stir occasionally until clear.
Add the roasted garlic and milk, and increase heat to medium-high until milk comes to a simmer.
Meanwhile, cook your pasta according to package directions.
Reduce heat to medium and stir in flour.
Add the 1 1/2 cups of the cheddar cheese, all of the blue cheese and Italian cheese, salt and pepper.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain and add to the cheese mixture, stirring to combine well.
Top with the remaining cheddar cheese and then the breadcrumbs.
Preheat oven to 400F.
Place mac and cheese in oven and bake until cheese is melted, about 8 minutes.
Grab your free printable recipe card for our Disney blue cheese mac and cheese recipe:
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Blue Cheese Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons Butter
- 4oz Minced Shallots (approximate 2 small)
- 8 Cloves Roasted Garlic, or more to taste
- 3 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
- 4 1/2 cups Milk
- 2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 125g/4oz Blue Cheese, crumbled
- 2 cups Shredded Italian Cheese blend
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
- 5 1/2 cups Elbow Noodles, uncooked
- 1/2 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
Instructions
- Place a dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat and add the butter.
- Once the butter is completely melted, add the shallots and stir occasionally until clear.
- Add the roasted garlic and milk, and increase heat to medium-high until milk comes to a simmer.
- Meanwhile, cook your pasta according to package directions.
- Reduce heat to medium and stir in flour.
- Add the 1 1/2 cups of the cheddar cheese, all of the blue cheese and Italian cheese, salt and pepper.
- Once the pasta is cooked, drain and add to the cheese mixture, stirring to combine well.
- Top with the remaining cheddar cheese and then the breadcrumbs.
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Place mac and cheese in oven and bake until cheese is melted, about 8 minutes.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 466Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 508mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 3gSugar: 8gProtein: 23g
Sugar, Spice and Glitter uses an auto-generate nutrition calculator. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate unless analyzed in a scientific lab, so these should be considered more of a guideline than medical information.
I hope you love this easy blue cheese mac and cheese recipe and find it to be a perfect copycat to the Disney parks’ original recipe.
For more Disney-inspired treats, check out our full Disney recipe collection here:
For more perfect pastas, check out our full pasta recipe collection here:
For more scrumptious side dishes, check out our full side dish recipe collection here:
