White truffle mac and cheese is one of my favorite stovetop pasta dishes. Made with gouda cheese, sharp cheddar chees, macaroni elbow pasta, butter, milk, flour, and white truffle oil, this easy mac and cheese recipe comes together in 15 minutes.
This creamy cheese sauce is phenomenal. It's made with homemade bechamel (milk, butter, flour) and shredded cheese. You can't go wrong with this stovetop mac and cheese, especially if you are short on time.
Another amazing mac and cheese is this baked mac and cheese with a garlic herb panko crust.
And if you are a pasta fan, check out some of my other favorite pasta recipes like Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta, Slow Cooker Meat Spaghetti Sauce, and Ricotta Sausage Baked Ziti.
Stovetop Mac and Cheese
White truffle mac and cheese is quick and delicious; it hits the spot when you need quick comfort food. This recipe takes 15 minutes, so it's great for a busy weeknight.
The mac and cheese sauce is made from scratch with shredded gouda and sharp cheddar, then topped with delicious white truffle oil. This recipe feels like something you would find at a fine-dining restaurant. Customize the recipe by adding steamed shrimp or crab, changing the cheese blend, or omitting the truffle oil.
Ingredient Notes
Macaroni elbows: I recommend macaroni elbows for that mac and cheese feel, however any pasta will work. Substitute any semolina-based dry pasta with equal weight, so you can use ziti, rigatoni, penne, spaghetti, angel hair, or even egg noodles. I use 2% milk for this recipe, however, full-fat and fat-free will work too.
Shredded sharp cheddar and shredded gouda cheese: I bought the sharp cheddar and gouda pre-shredded to save some time, but you can buy them as a block of cheese and shred them yourself. Cheddar, Dubliner, Gruyere, or Monterey Jack cheese are other cheeses for this recipe.
White truffle oil: The most important ingredient for white truffle mac and cheese! I purchased white truffle oil from my local grocery store.
How To Make Truffle Mac and Cheese
In a large stovetop pot, boil water with salt. Once it comes to a boil, add the macaroni pasta elbows. Cook the elbows for 10 to 15 minutes (or to your preferred softness) while preparing the mac and cheese sauce.
In a second stovetop pot on medium-high heat, add the butter. Once it's melted, add the flour.
Mix the flour and butter with a whisk until it clumps together.
Add the milk and continue to whisk until a bechamel sauce thickens up. Whisk continuously to avoid clumps.
Once the bechamel sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, turn the stovetop low.
Mix in the shredded cheese and some salt to taste.
Once the cheese is completely melted into the bechamel sauce, turn off the heat from the stovetop. The sauce should be thick and smooth.
Measure the white truffle oil into the mac and cheese sauce. Alternatively, add white truffle oil to serving bowls.
Drain the pasta using a strainer into the sink. Add the drained macaroni elbow pasta to the white truffle mac and cheese sauce.
Mix the macaroni elbows and truffle mac and cheese sauce all together. Serve hot.
Tips and Tricks
Depending on the truffle-to-olive oil ratio, you might want to add the truffle oil gradually. The truffle oil is more potent if mixed in at the end. For a smooth cheesy bechamel sauce, continue whisking as the sauce is thickening.
Variations and Substitutions
- Substitute any pasta for macaroni elbows. Use whatever dry pasta you have for this truffle mac and cheese sauce. Just make sure to substitute equal parts by weight.
- Substitute different types of cheeses. Use Gruyere, Monterey Jack, cheddar, or Dubliner cheese instead of sharp cheddar and Gouda.
- Shred your cheese instead of buying pre-shredded packaged cheese. Pre-shredded cheese is usually mixed with potato starch which changes the texture of the melted cheese.
- Although this recipe is for truffle mac and cheese, it tastes delicious even without the white truffle oil. Just omit the truffle oil.
- Make this lobster truffle mac and cheese by adding chopped boiled lobster tails!
- Add steamed shrimp or crab meat for protein.
FAQs
Parmesan, Gouda, Dubliner, sharp cheddar, Gruyere, and Monterey Jack all go well with truffle.
A bechamel is the same thing when you think of pasta white sauce. It's made with butter, flour, milk, and salt.
Stovetop mac and cheese is much faster than baked mac and cheese. Also, the mac and cheese sauce takes about the same time as cooking the macaroni, so the cheese sauce is perfectly warm when everything is mixed.
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📋 Recipe
Stovetop Truffle Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 12 ounces macaroni elbows
- 3 cups milk any type of cow's milk
- ¾ cup shredded Gouda
- ¾ cup shredded sharp cheddar
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 4 tablespoon of flour
- 1 tablespoon white truffle oil add more if desired, see note 3
- salt to taste
Instructions
- In a large stovetop pot, boil water with a dash of salt. Add in the macaroni elbows once the water starts to boil. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the macaroni has reached your preferred doneness. Drain the macaroni. Prepare the mac and cheese sauce while the macaroni boils.
- In a second stovetop pot, melt butter on medium-high heat. Once the butter has melted add the flour. Whisk the butter and flour together for about 30 seconds or until they clump together. Add the milk and continue to whisk until the bechamel sauce thickens and can coat the back of a wooden spoon. Turn the stovetop on low heat and add in the shredded sharp cheddar cheese and shredded gouda cheese. Add in salt to taste. Mix everything until the mac and cheese sauce is blended smoothly. Remove the sauce from the heat.
- Add in the white truffle oil to the mac and cheese sauce. Add the cooked macaroni elbows. Mix well until combined. Serve hot.
Equipment
Notes
- Substitute any combination of Gruyere, Dubliner, cheddar, and Monterey Jack for Gouda and sharp cheddar.
- Substitute any type of pasta for macaroni elbows. Pasta types that work well are penne pasta, rigatoni, ziti pasta, egg noodles, and angel hair pasta.
- Truffle oil has different potency depending on the brand. Adjust the oil to your preference.
- Storage: I do not recommend freezing this recipe. Store this mac and cheese recipe in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 or 5 days. Reheat this pasta dish in the microwave in a microwave-safe container.
Stef
Absolutely Delicious!!!
Just finished making this Dish for the first Time! Made only one small Addition to it, I salted my Water to Boil for the Macaroni's with Truffle SeaSalt and also added some of the Truffle SeaSalt to the Finished Dish to round it up!
Thank you for the Recipe, will be making this many, many Times!!!
Lily
Hi Stef, thank you SO much for the comments and addition notes! I need to try salting the water with truffle sea salt. Yummy!
Chelsie
This is the BEST quick and easy stovetop mac and cheese recipe, and the white truffle oil makes it so so so good. I really like the gruyere and white truffle oil combination. Also, the way the recipe is written is perfect for not being too overindulgent and having a food coma. If you like a lot of cheesy sauce, I recommend using only 8 ounces to 12 ounces of the dry elbow pasta. You can make the whole box but mix in only the amount you want to achieve the cheesiness you want. I say that because while the cheese was a perfect ratio for me and my family, but maybe others want more sauce.