Truffle Mac and Cheese ~ a luxurious baked pasta with plenty of rich creamy sauce and an earthy flavor and aroma thanks to truffled cheese, truffle oil, and a dash of truffle salt. This is macaroni and cheese like you’ve never had it before!
it’s truffle mac and cheese for dinner and I’m excited!
The other day when I was at the low point in my January ‘crud’, I made a dirty hair/slept in sweatshirt run to the grocery store because I was out of Puffs Plus Lotion (no matter what you say, toilet paper does not work.) While I was there I grabbed as many frozen dinners as I could carry, and one of them was a truffle mac and cheese that turned out to be pretty good, considering.
Feeling a little better on my next grocery run I grabbed some truffled goat cheese and some imported pasta, knowing there was white cheddar, milk, cream, truffle oil and truffle salt at home. I figured I could make a pretty good stab at recreating it and I was right.
Note: My home remedy (i.e. killing my cold with comfort food) is working! I’ll be back to healthy eating, and posting, Friday 🙂
the BEST pasta for macaroni and cheese
A decadent baked pasta like this calls for a voluptuous pasta…
Look for one that will embrace all that cheesy goodness with open arms. In other words, the pasta isn’t an afterthought in this dish, so be mindful when you choose yours. I have strong opinions about this, and I especially love imported Italian pasta. I picked up a bag of Montebello (est. 1388!!) Conchiglie for my dish today, the imported Italian pasta is large but delicate walled. There’s ample room in the fat hollow shape for lots of cheesy sauce 😉
the best cheese for truffled mac and cheese
I don’t usually use goat cheese in macaroni and cheese, but it worked great in this recipe! Good thing because it was the only truffled cheese I could find in my supermarket. I added sharp white cheddar to balance out the tang. You can really use any truffled cheese you can find in your store. You might come across truffle cheddar, pecorino, Gouda, even Brie (just be sure to remove most of the rinds, first.)
Why are truffles so expensive?
- truffles are almost impossible to cultivate and are mostly hunted in the wild. That means searching for them by hand, one by one, and they can only grow in super specific conditions.
- So assuming you aren’t in possession of any actual truffles, the best way to get truffle flavor is with good quality truffle infused cheeses, oil and salts. The flavor is surprisingly assertive.
don’t forget the crunchy topping
A little bit of crunch adds a pleasant contrast to the rich cheesy mac. I like to top mine with some breadcrumbs, seasoned with truffle salt and mixed with truffle oil, of course. They get crispy and browned and add a nice textural dimension to the creamy pasta.
Sometimes I’ll run my mac under the broiler briefly at the end of cooking just to get some nice browning. But after that I like to dig into the pasta the minute it comes out of the oven, it’s really best at that moment.
where can I find truffle oil and truffle salt?
- Look for both at your supermarket, you’ll have the best chance of finding them at larger or specialty stores. The bottles will be small, so keep your eyes peeled. The oil will be in the oil section, probably on a top shelf. The salt will be in the spice section, again, with other specialty products.
- Stores like Cost Plus/World Market stock both, and you can always order them online. Amazon has a good selection of truffle oils and truffle salts.
how do you know if your truffle oil is authentic?
- Be aware that it’s a little bit of a no man’s land when it comes to truffle oil labeling, so buyer beware.
- Read the label, it should only include oil and actual truffles. It should not include any chemicals, aromas, or truffle ‘flavoring’.
- Real truffle oil usually contains small bits of truffle that settle at the bottom, but even that isn’t a guarantee.
- The real deal is relatively pricey and there are fakes out there, if yours seems too cheap to be true, it probably is.
- Because of the negative publicity more companies are producing real truffle oil, so keep your eyes peeled.
- Remember that even if you don’t have access to authentic truffle oil, I think the more common artificially flavored one can be fine for home cooking. It’s what they most certainly use at your favorite restaurant, after all.
- I used this oil made by Urbani, and was happy with it. Is it authentic? I can’t actually tell, the label says it’s made with truffles, but the ingredient list doesn’t mention them.
“Made this tonight and it was possibly the creamiest most decadent dish I’ve ever made! I couldn’t find truffle goat cheese but I did find truffle Brie. Yum.”
JEN
Truffled Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound pasta, cooked al dente
- 2-3 cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed, and finely diced
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, or half and half
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk, this helps keep the sauce creamy
- 2 tsp truffle oil
- 3/4 tsp truffle salt, or to taste
- 8 ounces truffled soft goat cheese
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
crumb topping
- 3 Tbsp bread crumbs
- truffle oil
- truffle salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F Lightly butter a gratin or other baking dish
- In a dry saucepan sauté the chopped mushrooms, stirring almost constantly, until they lose their moisture and start to turn dark. Add the butter and flour and cook for a minute or two, but don't let it brown.
- Slowly add in the milk, cream, and evaporated milk, stirring to blend. Turn the heat up a bit and cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until it just comes to a simmer and thickens. Don't let it come to a boil.
- Take off the heat, add the truffle oil and truffle salt, and let it cool for a minute.
- Add the cheeses and stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Fold in the cooked pasta and turn into your prepared pan.
- To make the breadcrumb topping, moisten the breadcrumbs with truffle oil and add a pinch of truffle salt. I also add some fresh cracked pepper. Sprinkle the crumbs over the pasta.
- Cook the mac and cheese for about 20 minutes, or until bubbling. If you’d like a little more browning, run it under the broiler briefly, but watch it very carefully so it doesn’t burn.
- Serve the mac and cheese immediately.
Nutrition
Can you make the dish the day before, without it drying out? I will obviously leave off the topping.
I’m sorry to say that I’ve never had luck making macaroni and cheese, or any pasta, really, ahead of time. The pasta will soak up all the cheese sauce and it won’t have the right consistency. The best you could do is measure and grate everything ahead of time. You could also cook the pasta ahead.
This sounds delicious…I love truffles!
Do you think adding some Truffled Burrata would work? I’m not a goat cheese fan.
Sounds wonderful to me!
Thanks for the suggestion of Truffled Burrata! I can’t stand goat cheese.
This was pretty fab. I had plain goat cheese I wanted to use, so I added an extra drizzle of truffle oil to the mushrooms before adding milk etc.
Thanks!
I’ve got truffle salt and oil but I’m going to have to be on the lookout for the soft truffled goat cheese…it would add a huge flavor addition to the mac and cheese.
I was able to find several different types of truffled cheese, Karen, so I think you’ll have some good choices.
So indulgent, what a perfect comfort meal for January!
The truffle flavor makes it extra comfy/cozy 🙂
Made this tonight and it was possibly the creamiest most decadent dish I’ve ever made! I couldn’t find truffle goat cheese but I did find truffle Brie. Yum.
Thanks so much Jen!
Truffle oil and salt…wow I bet this mac and cheese dish tastes particularly delicious!
It’s a triple truffle threat Angie 😉