Garlic Herb Three Cheese Mac and Cheese
This Garlic Herb Three Cheese Mac and Cheese recipe takes just 30 minutes to prepare on the stove! There’s a rich and creamy three cheese sauce, tender macaroni noodles, and a crispy breadcrumb topping flavored with brown butter and sage.
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The Easiest, Cheesiest Stovetop Mac and Cheese EVER
This mac and cheese recipe tastes incredibly decadent thanks to the silky smooth cheese sauce made with three kinds of cheese, roasted garlic, and fresh sage — yet it’s made on the stove in 30 minutes or less.
This is the ultimate mac and cheese recipe! Here’s why you should make it:
✔ Quick and Easy: The cheese sauce, macaroni noodles, and crispy breadcrumb topping can all be cooked and assembled in half an hour, if that!
✔ Simple Stovetop Recipe: This is a great alternative to baked mac and cheese on baking-heavy holidays where the oven is in high demand, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas.
✔ Garlic Herb Flavor: I added half a head of jammy roasted garlic and some fresh sage to make my favorite three cheese mac and cheese recipe even better.
Enjoy!
-Katie
Ingredients for the Cheese Sauce and Breadcrumbs
A full list of ingredients with their measurements can be found in the recipe card below, but let’s go over the key items you’ll need to prepare this easy mac and cheese with three cheeses.
- Elbow Macaroni — The classic pasta shape for making macaroni and cheese. You may replace it with another short and sturdy pasta, such as cavatappi, penne, shells, etc.
- Butter + Flour — When flour is whisked into melted butter and cooked, it creates what’s called a roux. This helps thicken the cheese sauce and prevents it from splitting.
- Whole Milk + Heavy Cream — Using just one or the other will result in either a runny cheese sauce, or one that’s far too thick. Use both for a perfectly rich and creamy mac and cheese.
- Dijon Mustard — You won’t taste the mustard, don’t worry! It adds acidity to balance out all of the dairy, and it also helps emulsify the sauce.
- Cheeses — I used a blend of sharp white cheddar, Gruyere, and fontina because they all melt exceptionally well, have buttery textures, and are richly flavored.
- Roasted Garlic — Here’s how I like to roast garlic. It lasts up to 1 week in the fridge, so consider roasting it in advance to save time.
- Fresh Sage — This is one recipe where you really have to use fresh herbs. Dried sage is much more pungent in flavor and won’t give the garlicky mac and cheese or breadcrumb topping the flavor we’re looking for.
- Panko Breadcrumbs — This type of Japanese breadcrumb is ultra light and crispy. It adds great texture to the mac and cheese without making it taste heavier.
Katie’s Tip: Shred Your Own Cheese!
Pre-shredded, bagged cheeses are coated in an anti-caking agent (typically some sort of starch or cellulose) to prevent them from clumping together. This coating makes the cheeses resistant to melting and can create a grainy or split cheese sauce.
For best results, buy blocks of white cheddar, Gruyere, and fontina and grate them yourself with a box grater for the smoothest, creamiest cheese sauce.
How to Make Three Cheese Mac and Cheese
- Make the breadcrumb topping. Fresh sage is fried in a little butter until crispy, then mixed with panko breadcrumbs and roasted garlic before being toasted altogether until golden brown.
- Cook the macaroni noodles. You want to cook them just shy of al dente, keeping in mind that they’ll soften further in the gooey cheese sauce.
- Make the three cheese sauce. Garlic and sage are cooked in melted butter until fragrant, then a sprinkle of flour is added to create the roux. From there, the cream, milk, and Dijon get stirred in, and the cheeses are added last to prevent curdling.
- Bring it all together. For easier serving, turn the mac and cheese into a serving dish and sprinkle with the crispy breadcrumb topping.
The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.
Make-Ahead Tips
- Breadcrumb Topping: Can be prepared up to 2 days in advance. Store in an airtight container at room temperature and re-crisp in a skillet before serving.
- Cheese: You can grate the cheeses up to 3 days in advance and refrigerate in a zip-top bag. Or, shred and freeze the cheeses for up to 3 months in a freezer bag.
- Cheese Sauce: Is best made fresh, but if you need to reheat it I suggest warming it gently over low heat and adding a splash of milk or cream to loosen.
Need to keep your mac and cheese warm? Place a casserole dish in the oven at 325ºF while you prepare the recipe. Then, when you transfer the cooked mac and cheese to the hot casserole dish it will keep it warm longer while on the table.
What to Serve with Your Mac and Cheese
Whether this three cheese stovetop mac and cheese is part of your Thanksgiving menu, Christmas dinner, or Easter spread, here are a few serving suggestions to make this a meal.
- Entrees — Smoked Turkey Breast, Slow Cooker Glazed Ham, Citrus Herb Roast Chicken, Smoked Baby Back Ribs
- Sides — Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes, Honey Balsamic Roasted Carrots, Crispy Prosciutto Salad, Sliced Sweet Potato Casserole
- Drinks — Creamy Chai Cocktail, Cranberry Margaritas, Pumpkin Martini, Pomegranate Apple Cider (non-alcoholic)
More Easy Mac and Cheese Recipes
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Three Cheese Mac and Cheese Recipe
This garlic herb three cheese mac and cheese recipe takes just 30 minutes to prepare on the stove!
Ingredients
Pasta and Cheese Sauce
- 1 pound elbow macaroni
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (plus more for pasta water)
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 6 ounces sharp white cheddar, grated
- 4 ounces gruyère, grated
- 6 ounces fontina, grated
- ½ roasted garlic head
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh finely chopped sage
Brown Butter Sage Breadcrumb Topping
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 8 fresh sage leaves
- ½ roasted garlic head (from above)
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- Pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
- Here's how to do it. Once cool enough to handle, squeeze out the cloves. Divide in half: one half for the topping and the other half for the sauce.
- In a skillet, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat until it turns golden brown and smells nutty, 3–4 minutes. Add the sage leaves and fry until crisp, about 1 minute. Remove and set aside.
- In a mini food processor, combine the panko, fried sage, and half of the roasted garlic cloves. Pulse until finely chopped and evenly mixed.
- Add the mixture back to the browned butter pan. Toast, stirring often, until golden and fragrant, about 3–4 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt.
Transfer to a bowl and set aside. - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until just shy of al dente (it will finish in the sauce). Drain well.
- In the same pot, melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the finely chopped roasted garlic and 1 ½ teaspoons chopped sage. Cook for 1–2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Sprinkle in the flour and whisk constantly for 1–2 minutes.
- Slowly whisk in the milk and heavy cream, a little at a time, to avoid lumps. Keep whisking until smooth and slightly thickened, 3–5 minutes.
- Stir in Dijon mustard, salt, and black pepper.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the cheddar, gruyère, and fontina, stirring until melted and creamy.
- Add the drained pasta and fold gently to coat.
- Transfer the mac and cheese to a serving dish or shallow casserole. Spoon the toasted breadcrumb topping evenly over the surface. Serve right away while hot, gooey, and comforting.
Roast the Garlic
Make the Breadcrumb Topping
Cook the Pasta
Make the Cheese Sauce
Assemble and Serve
Notes
See blog post above to make-ahead tips and how to keep the mac and cheese warm as it sits on the table.
Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Freeze (without topping) for up to 2 months.
Reheating leftovers (fridge):
Stovetop: Warm gently over low heat with a splash of milk or cream, stirring until creamy. Add extra cheese if needed.
Microwave: Cover and reheat at 50% power in short bursts, stirring in a little milk or cream to loosen.
If freezing: Cook the pasta 1–2 minutes shy of al dente before combining with the sauce. This prevents mushiness when reheated.
Reheating after freezing: Thaw overnight in the fridge for best results.
Oven: Transfer to a baking dish, stir in ~¼ cup milk per quart, cover with foil, and bake at 350°F until hot (30–45 minutes). Uncover, add fresh or re-crisped topping, and bake uncovered for 5–10 minutes.
Stovetop: Reheat smaller portions with a splash of milk or cream, stirring often.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 607Total Fat: 42gSaturated Fat: 25gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 128mgSodium: 642mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 2gSugar: 6gProtein: 23g
GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy. This provided information is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.
Try Making Mac and Cheese with 3 Cheeses!
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