Gruyere Mac & Cheese #sidedishes

Mac & Cheese is on the most well-received side dish list every day of the week! But it can get a little blah for anyone not sitting at the kiddie table. So why not liven it up with – first of all, homemade cheese sauce. Second, play with some different cheese – like this delicious Gruyere Mac & Cheese.

Gruyere cheese is similar to Swiss cheese in that it has a mild, nutty flavor that melts well. Making it perfect for a deliciously decadent cheese sauce over a simple pasta. Making a cheese sauce is really simple once you have the roux down – butter and flour need to be cooked just right to perfectly thicken the sauce without tasting like butter or flour. It’s a balance that, once mastered, can be used to create any flavored sauce you want.

I like to include the crispy bacon on top, but its just an extra. You could totally leave it out if you are vegetarian or looking for a #meatlessmonday dish. When it comes to pasta selection I just like to think about the aesthetic of the dish. I always stick with short or long depending what the recipe calls for. Basically, almost all pasta has the same taste, but it’s about how the pasta holds the sauce and how it stands up to the protein (if there is any).

When I made this, I served it up with my Oven Fried Chicken and it was such a good pairing. The great thing about my chicken is that you marinate it all day in a delicious combination of Greek yogurt and Dijon mustard. You really won’t believe that this chicken is not deep fried but just cooked in the oven for a bit!

Now Let’s Get Cookin’!

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Gruyere Mac & Cheese

Mac & Cheese for grown-ups!!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword cheese, gruyere, gruyere mac & cheese, mac & cheese, pasta dishes, pasta side dish, Side Dish, side dish ideas

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• ½ lb Bacon cut into ½-inch pieces
• 1½ lb Short Pasta rotini, shells, penne, etc.
• 4 tbsp Butter
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 4 tbsp Flour
• 1½ cup Chicken Stock
• ½ cup Heavy Cream
• 1 lb Gruyere Cheese cut into small cubes
• ½ cup Parmasean Cheese shredded
• 1 tsp Parsley for ganish

Instructions

• Prepare all of the ingredients. Start water boiling for pasta.
• In a frying pan over medium-high heat, add bacon. Cook until crispy and remove to a paper towel covered plate.
• Add pasta to boiling water. Cook as directed on package. Drain in colander and rinse with cool water. Return to pot, away from heat.
• In a sauce pan over medium heat, add butter and garlic powder. Once melted, whisk in flour. Let cook for 3 minutes, then whisk in chicken broth. Let cook for 3 minutes then whisk in heavy cream. Cook for 3 minutes then add cheese, one handful at a time until fully melted.
• Pour cheese sauce over pasta and stir to combine. Serve with garnished with bacon and parsely.