Truffle mac and cheese is quickly becoming one of my favorite stovetop pasta dishes. Made with a homemade gouda and sharp cheddar cheese sauce, macaroni elbow pasta, and white truffle oil, it comes together in 20 minutes.
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.
What I Love About This Recipe
White truffle mac and cheese is quick and so delicious, it really hits the spot when you need some quick comfort food. I love that the mac and cheese sauce is made from scratch with shredded gouda and shredded sharp cheddar and then topped off with some delicious white truffle oil. This recipe feels like something you would find at a fine dining restaurant.
Ingredient Notes
- Macaroni elbows: I recommend macaroni elbows for that mac and cheese feel, however any pasta will work. Substitute any type of semolina based dry pasta with equal weight, so you can use ziti, rigatoni, penne, and spaghetti, angel hair, or even egg noodles.
- Milk: I use 2% milk for this recipe, however, full-fat and fat free will work too.
- Flour: I recommend using all-purpose white flour for the bechemal sauce.
- Butter: You can use salted or unsalted butter. Kerrygold butter is my favorite butter currently.
- Salt to taste
- 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 yourself. Other types of cheeses that work for this recipe are cheddar, Dubliner, Gruyere, or Monterey Jack cheese.
- White truffle oil: The most important ingredient for white truffle mac and cheese! I purchased white truffle oil and my local grocery store. You can also find white truffle oil on Amazon.
See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for quantities.
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 about 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 together with a whisk until it starts to clump together. Add the milk and continue to whisk until a bechamel sauce thickens up.
Once the bechamel sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, turn the stovetop to low and add 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. 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 gradually add the truffle oil.
Variations and Substitutions
- Substitute any type of 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 in lieu of sharp cheddar and Gouda.
- Shred your own cheese instead of buying pre-shredded packaged cheese. I normally prefer to shred my own cheese because pre-shredded cheese is usally mixed with potato starch, however if I have a busy week, I go the more efficient route.
- Although this recipe is for truffle mac and cheese, it tastes delicious even without the white truffle oil. Just omit the truffle oil and carry on about your business.
Equipment
- Two stovetop pots: one for boiling the macaroni elbows and a second for making the truffle mac and cheese sauce
- Large colander for straining the pasta once it's cooked
- A whisk for whisking the truffle mac and cheese sauce
- Measuring cups and measuring spoons to measure out ingredients
- A wooden spoon to test the consistency of the bechemal sauce
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.
FAQs
Parmesan, Gouda, Dubliner, sharp cheddar, Gruyere, and Monterey Jack are all cheeses that 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 together.
More Bomb Pasta Recipes
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Ingredients
- 1 lb macaroni elbows
- 3 cups of milk any type of cow's milk
- ¾ cup shredded Gouda
- ¾ cup shredded sharp cheddar
- 3 tablespoon butter about 42 grams
- 4 tablespoon of flour
- 2 tablespoon white truffle oil
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.
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.
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.