Mac and Cheese in the Thermomix® is ready in 25 minutes, as long as the cheese sauce sets at exactly 90°C. We combine three cheeses: Parmesan for salt and depth, mountain cheese for a smooth melt, Cheddar for colour.
Mac and cheese is American comfort food. Short pasta in a creamy cheese sauce, filling and warming. The name comes from macaroni, though we prefer short tube pasta or penne because the sauce clings better.
Mac and Cheese, Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 12 ✓
- 400 g short tube pasta macaroni
- 40 g Parmesan
- 80 g mountain cheese
- 50 g Gouda
- 50 g Cheddar
- 400 g milk
- 50 g flour
- 50 g butter
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 1 pinch nutmeg freshly grated
Instructions 0 / 5
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1
Cook the macaroni.
Cook the pasta in a saucepan on the hob according to packet instructions, drain and keep warm.
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2
Grate the Parmesan.
Meanwhile, add the Parmesan to the mixing bowl and grate for 10 sec / speed 10.
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3
Grate the remaining cheese.
Cut the mountain cheese, Gouda and Cheddar into pieces, add to the bowl and grate for 6 sec / speed 6.
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4
Heat the sauce.
Add the milk, flour, butter, salt, mustard, pepper and nutmeg to the mixing bowl, stir for 10 sec / speed 4 and heat for 10 min / 90°C / speed 3.
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5
Combine and serve.
Combine the pasta with the cheese sauce and serve.
Video
Nutrition per serving
The 90°C threshold is the key
Cheese sauce splits above 90°C. The casein in the cheese denatures, and the sauce turns grainy instead of creamy. Below 80°C the flour does not bind properly and the sauce stays thin. The 10 minutes at 90°C on speed 3 from the recipe card are not a suggestion but the only temperature at which the flour thickens and the cheese melts without splitting.
Butter and flour are heated first at Varoma temperature. This is a roux, the classic French base. Stir for 10 sec / speed 4 so no lumps remain. Then add the milk slowly and bring to 90°C. The grated cheese goes in right at the end once the temperature is correct.
Three cheeses, each with a role
Parmesan delivers salt and umami. 40 g is enough; more becomes too intense. Mountain cheese melts smoothly and gives body. Cheddar brings the characteristic golden colour and a mild flavour. Gouda works just as well as mountain cheese, and so does Emmental. Mozzarella becomes too stringy and does not belong here.
Parmesan is grated on its own first, 10 sec / speed 10. It is harder than the other cheeses and needs full power. Then add the mountain cheese, Gouda and Cheddar in pieces, 6 sec / speed 6. The softer cheeses need less time; otherwise you get a paste instead of grated cheese.
Cook the pasta at the same time
The 400 g of pasta cooks in a separate saucepan according to packet instructions. This is intentional, because the cheese sauce in the Thermomix® must hold exactly at 90°C. If we cooked the pasta directly in the mixing bowl, it would reach a boiling 100°C and the sauce would split. The one-pot recipe below takes a different approach, using vegetable stock instead of pure milk and a lower temperature.
Drain the pasta and mix it with the cheese sauce straight away. Do not wait, or the sauce will stick to the pan. Dijon mustard, pepper and nutmeg add depth to the sauce without being overpowering. ½ tsp of salt is enough because the Parmesan is already salty.
One-pot variation for less washing up
The second recipe cooks everything in the Thermomix®. Instead of pure milk, we use 400 g of milk plus 400 g of vegetable stock. This thins the sauce and allows 10 minutes at 90°C with reverse direction / speed 1 without the pasta catching on the bottom. We use Emmental instead of mountain cheese because it is milder and does not overpower the stock base.
Garlic is sweated with butter, then flour is added for the roux. 2 min / Varoma / speed 1 lightly toasts the flour, giving a nutty flavour. Pour the milk and stock slowly through the lid opening while the mixing bowl runs at 4 min / 100°C / speed 2. Then add the pasta directly, 10 min / 90°C / reverse direction / speed 1.
Reverse direction is essential, otherwise the pasta breaks apart. After 10 minutes add the cheese, mix in for 5 sec / reverse direction / speed 4. Serve immediately with spring onions and pepper. If you wait too long, the sauce thickens and becomes stodgy.
Freeze in individual portions
Mac and cheese keeps for 3 months in the freezer. Freeze in individual portions and thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat in the Thermomix® using reverse direction / gentle stir setting, otherwise the pasta falls apart. Or bake in the oven at 180°C for 15 minutes covered, then 5 minutes uncovered for a crust.
Mac and cheese also works as a bake. Place the drained pasta in an ovenproof dish, pour the cheese sauce over the top and bake at 200°C top and bottom heat for 20 minutes until golden. Broccoli salad with the Thermomix® or a potato soup go very well alongside.
What other recipes do differently
Most Thermomix® mac and cheese recipes use a single cheese, usually a sharp Cheddar or Gouda. We combine Parmesan, mountain cheese and Cheddar because that brings together savouriness, meltability and a salty note. Many recipes cook the pasta separately in a pot; we use reverse direction at 90°C in the mixing bowl and skip the second colander. A bechamel base with a proper roux is non-negotiable for us; processed cheese shortcuts used in many quick Cookidoo versions taste flat. What we do not include is a panko topping from the oven or a bacon or broccoli variation. Both can be added when using the bake method.
More Thermomix® recipes: pizza dough, oven chicken with squash, orange Tiramisu.
