A savory twist on traditional macaroni and cheese made with multiple cheeses for layers of cheese flavor in every bite.
Unlike many people that review recipes, I made this one just like it said and it was wonderful! I took it to a church potluck and it quickly dissapeared! The ricotta and Italian seasoning really made this a great dish- I will make this again!
Read MoreI love pasta and love cheese, so I figured this one would be excellent with my love of cheese. My husband and I thought it was very dry and bland. I was shocked, i wanted the cheese to be melting in your mouth and I found myself putting a ton of salt on it to get some taste. To bad, it looked good.
Read MoreUnlike many people that review recipes, I made this one just like it said and it was wonderful! I took it to a church potluck and it quickly dissapeared! The ricotta and Italian seasoning really made this a great dish- I will make this again!
LOVED IT!! Made it for my boyfriend and his roomate. They both had 3 helpings...needless to say they enjoyed it as well. I would have made it as is, but i wanted some cheddar in this dish in a bad way. I substituted the swiss for sharp cheddar and used dried parsley and it turned out amazing!! I also added extra cheese to the top for that extra crisp top!! TRY IT!
This was so good. My husband and I were pleasantly surprised the this version of macaroni. (I'm always struggling to find a really good mac and cheese recipe.) I used monterey jack cheese instead of provolone just cause that's what I had. Also, did not have heavy cream...instead made a roux with butter flour and milk. I combined butter and homemade bread crumbs from a regular loaf of bread and spread them on top of the dish before baking. This was so delicious! Thank you for this one.
I love pasta and love cheese, so I figured this one would be excellent with my love of cheese. My husband and I thought it was very dry and bland. I was shocked, i wanted the cheese to be melting in your mouth and I found myself putting a ton of salt on it to get some taste. To bad, it looked good.
This is an amazing base recipe. I have made variations on this several times (the original was a little bland for me). All my family and friends are mac & cheese lovers and this recipe seems to come out on top out of all the ones I have tried. I change up the cheeses and use whatever cheese appeals to me on that day/whatever is in the fridge, usually starting with a six-cheese Italian blend and a sharp cheddar. I sometimes will grate in some extra-sharp cheddar as well. Some asiago gives it some nice kick. I have used Monterey Jack as well. All in all, I try to get about 6 cups of shredded cheese in there (2 more cups than the recipe specifies) to make it super gooey and cheesy. To the ricotta mixture (the genius part of this recipe that makes it so creamy and wonderful), I throw in a little cayenne pepper, as well as extra amounts of the other seasonings to my taste. I omit the parsley and grind in a little salt and pepper. I have also substituted plain greek yogurt for the sour cream. On top, I throw some plain or Italian panko and an additional layer of cheese. Delicious!!! Oh, and I also use cavatappi or cellentani instead of the elbows, but that's pure preference :)
VERY GOOD!!! i did however wanted a little more edge so i took the prov. cheese out and put extra sharp white cheddar... very good substitution! i made it with some wings i like to make and it was a total winner!
Excellent recipe than can easily be adapted to individual taste or to compliment another dish. You can play with the cheese as long as you keep the quantity equal. It is a bit dry, so we increased the ricotta to 3/4 cup and doubled the sour cream. We used fat free half and half - also doubled - and it turns out very yummy, cheesy and it doesn't last long when served. Since we increased the liquid parts, we increased the parsley to 1 1/2 T and doubled the Italian seasoning and garlic salt. AGAIN, the best thing about this recipe is its versitility. Play with the ingredients until you find your perfect flavor. You will make it again and again.
I like the cheesiness of the recipe, I'll add more sour cream & ricotta the next time. also I used Parmesan, mozzarella & cheddar cheese. Will have to get to the grocery before the deli closes to get shredded provolone.
Yummy! It's a little dry, but I like the chewiness of the cheese. Next time I will probably add a little more cream than the recipe states. The Italian seasoning give it an interesting taste. Will definitely make again.
This recipe was pretty awesome! :) I didn't care for the Italian herbs, garlic, and parsley, so the next time I make it I'll exclude that. I also mixed some breadcrumbs in the topping which made it nice and crunchy on top. Good recipe!!
My husband thought this was absolutely fantastic!! If you do not love cheese this is not the recipe for you. Had to make a couple adjustments because of the things I had on hand. Used 1 cup each of the following cheeses: Swiss, mozzarella, parmesean, provolone, cheddar, and farmers cheese. Had to leave out the ricotta b/c my husband doesn't care for it. Also added italian bread crumbs to the top while I broiled it. This tastes exactly like cheesy breadsticks. My kids could not get enough of it! Thanks for the great recipe. I think I'm going to have to make this and bring it to my grandma's for Thanksgiving.
this is such a good recipe. i seriously modified it to cut back on fat and calories, and it was still really good - that says a lot!! my changes were: to use whole wheat rotini, low fat mozz, low fat ched, low fat mont jax, fat free parm, and low fat velveeta. instead of the ricotta and sour cream i used fat free greek yogurt, and subbed skim milk for the cream. with all of these changes, it was still creamy, rich, and very cheesy. i also changed my cooking style for this because i was bringing it to an early morning potluck. i cooked the noodles, and mixed the remaining ingredients together in my slow cooker. i refrigeratedit overnight, then the next morning put the crock pot on high for about 4 hours. it was hot and bubbbly in time for everyone to eat. and it was GONE at the end! thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!
This is a very good recipe. You have to LOVE cheese though, as this is a super cheesy recipe. Next time I migh tonly use half of the cheese called for. I only did two things differently. I used an italian shredded cheese mix and shredded swiss, still putting in as much as the recipe calls for. I also browned some keilbasa and added that in when i mixed the macaroni and cheese.
This didn't taste bad but it was on the dry side. I even added more sour cream and heavy cream than the recipe calls for. I was looking for something much creamier.
Fantastic!!! used 1 cup smoked swiss, 2 cups mozzerella, 1 cup parm-reggiano. Doubled sour cream and ricotta. Baked at 350 30 min or til bubbly at edges. One of the creamiest I have ever had.
After reading the reviews I knew I had to do some tweaking. What I did not know is that these tweaks would put this recipe out of the ballpark! First, I used more cheese than called for. Maybe 2 cups or more. I doubled the amount of sour cream. I used Barilla penne pasta. I dissolved 3 chicken bouillon cubes in about 2 tablespoons of water in the microwave and added them to the half and half/whole milk mixture (1 cup). I used about 2 TBSP each of Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper flakes. I didn't have ricotta, so used about 2 cups of cottage cheese and 1 egg, beat slightly. I also reserved about 1 cup of cheeses mixed with about 1/2 C of plain breadcrumbs. Lastly, I used ground black pepper and minced garlic. I baked it 15-20 min, then broiled for 5 min.
This is my absolute FAVORITE food in the world. I am a cheese fanatic, and boy does this hit the spot! It turns out great every time! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
My husband and I really liked this. It was a little dry but I think more sour cream and ricotta will help next time. I will be making it again next week for my family.
I fixed this recipe but made a few changes (added peppered/smoked bacon bits sauted onions and 1/2 cup sherp chedder). Man was it good. Gave the recipe to my cardiologist to try it...
Super cheesy, delicious recipe! I did double the sour cream and ricotta cheese, and was heavy-handed with the rest. My family gobbled it down!
I followed several tips from others to improve this recipe. However we still found this to be extremely lacking. My husband said he complained so much to me about it to make sure I would never make it again. A little pricey to make also and so not worth the effort. I am also absolutely amazed that anyone could ever rate this above a two.
This was an easy to make recipe. I made this recipe as written. The flavors of the different cheeses complimented each other well. The dryness of the Ricotta helped cut through the grease of the other cheeses. The ONLY thing I will be adding to it next time will be some ham cubes. That will make it a one dish meal!
This was so good. Didn't have ricotta so added all sour cream. And used light 1/2 &1/2 instead of cream. Added a little mustard. Very good. Will make again!
The first time I tried this recipe I failed horribly LOL it was hard and chunky and messy... Instead: I substituted the Swiss for Asiago, and the sour cream for the Philly Onion & Chive flavored cream chees. Then I made it more creamy by adding 2 cups of cream instead of 1/2C and also added 1/2 stick of butter. And much more of the garlic & other spices. also sprinkled some bread crumbs on top...It came out awesome!! It became more of an Italian garlic mac'n cheese/pasta dish...but its super YUMMY!!
I made this exactly as the recipe states with the exception of adding garlic bread crumbs to the top before baking. My husband and I LOVED it. We will certainly be making this again!!
Yes, yes, and yes! I made these a while back and added a 1/2 - 3/4 cup pumpkin puree that I had on hand and they came out so good! I love the combination of the seafood and cheese, and even though I only used imitation crab the meal still came out super tasty. You should definitely try this one out!
This IS NOT a Mac and cheese recipe. If you keep that in mind, you may like it. I followed recipe exactly as written. Flavor was awesome. More of a pizza kind of cheese flavor. It is not creamy, find another Mac and cheese recipe for creamy. That said, it is good, texture is Mac with stringy mozerella inside, hard to explain, but it is more of a casserole.wonderful flavor, cheesy cheesy like pizza cheese. Very good!
I read the review saying this was dry/bland & changed the ricotta mix as follows: 1c milk (I didn't have heavy cream), 1c sour cream, 3/4c ricotta. I dropped the Italian seasoning & added garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, oregano, & parsley to taste. Also swapped the provolone for sharp cheddar, as another reviewer suggested. It turned out AWESOME. Very creamy & tasty. The onion powder gave it a hint "sour cream & chives" flavor that blended very nicely with the cheeses.
This was ok. I was looking for an easier mac n cheese recipe and this one is pretty easy but I found it bland. I may try it again but I might add some hot sauce to spice it up.
This was a big hit! Made some changes- no Ricotta (per taste), just increased the cream a bit. Used penne. Used Mozzarella, Asiago, Parmesan, and Cheddar Jack. Also added boneless skinless chicken thighs, grilled and cut into bite sized pieces. Will probably continue to tweak it, but I'd recommend it to anyone. Yummy!
I made this for the '10 Thanksgiving feast. I ended up forgetting the provolone cheese at the store & when I went back, I couldn't find any at all, so I used a 4-cheese blend that had most of the other cheeses in it. I'm not sure if my change caused it or not, but it ended up coming out kind of dry. I'm going to try it one more time with the right cheeses, then I'll repost. It had a really good flavor to it, but just needed to be a little bit creamier.
i found this to be very dry. also i skipped thegarlic salt and added fresh garlic. just wasnt salty enough. i recommend adding some butter to the pasta and some more liquid to the cheese mixture and it might be a winner. still, cant tough my grans....
I love this recipe. I usually whatever shredded cheeses they have at my grocery. Because I am a quick cooking type of girl, I used a pack of ranch dressing seasoning instead of the chopped fresh parsley and dried Italian seasoning.
I give it a 5 star with some of the tweaks others reviewers recommended. I used the cheese I had in the house: swiss, parmesan, mozzarella, and cheddar. I also increased the amount of sour cream and ricotta to make it a little more creamy. The recommended seasonings are a must, in my opinion. Don't be shy adding them. I also topped the layer of cheese at the end (when you broil) with some breadcrumbs; gives it a crispy top. My husband really liked it. He rated this 4 stars.
My family loved this. More important all three kids said it was absolutely delicious. Never have all three of my childen loved the same dish. A winner in my house. Thank you.
My family loves this recipe. I do a couple of things different though. First, I add about 1-2 tablespoons of diced garlic to the sour cream/cheese mixture. I also add about 1/2 of cottage cheese to that mixture as well. The last thing I do is add a box of chopped spinach with the noodles. An absolutely tasty meal.
I too substituted 1 C sharp cheddar for the provolone and slightly increased ricotta & sour cream. I also used 1 package of rigatoni instead of elbow macaroni. Yumm!!
This was very Good & so easy to make. There were no left overs so the kids must have like it.
This was pretty good...my husband liked it alot. I thought it was good but not great. between the parmesan and ricotta cheese, it seemed a little dry and not as creamy as I had hoped for.....Maybe it needs a little more heavy cream?
Very good version of MacNchee. Didn't have provolone so used 2 cups of mozzarella.
This is my new favorite mac and cheese. It is rich and cheesy, and the broiling gives it a yummy crust. I didn't have any heavy cream, so I used a full cup of sour cream. I also added about 1/4 cup Of almond milk I also added 5 cloves of fresh garlic to the sour cream mixture. I also add some herbs de provence. I used mixed cheese from Costco. One is a Mexican blend, and the other the Italian mix. I didn't measure, but threw some in until it looked about right. It came out crispy on top and tasted fabulous. My adult daughter loved it too. When I told her I added the garlic, she said, "there is no such thing as too much garlic!" Still the garlic was not overpowering.. Thank you for sharing!
The texture of this dish was not at all the cheesy gooey I was hoping for. My husband who will eat anything didn't care for it even. Very bland.
this is truly decadent!!!! the family loved it. very rich and certainly not for someone on a diet!
great! I made it one night for a family dinner, and it was a smashing success-- definitely a keeper.
I was impressed with how well this turned out! I didn't have all the cheese on hand, so I used parmesan, skim mozzarella and skim cheddar, and skim ricotta. I didn't have heavy cream, so I used 2% milk cooked with flour & butter until it was thick. I used whole wheat pasta and sprinkled just a light bit of toasted bread crumbs on top. This was yummy and really easy to make!
This is soooo good. I made it as the recipe suggested and it was wonderful.
Nothing makes me happier than to see my son go for second helpings!!! This was great. I did not have provolone, so I used chedder. And I did not have ricotta. I also added bread crumbs to the top as reccomended by another reviewer and broiled for the last five minutes. That was key - it does taste like cheesy bread. Would make again!
So frickin awasome. I use dry parsley instead of fresh yet I keep the measurement the same. Also I sometimes use Montary jack cheese instead of provolone. It gives it more flavor. But it is a bit stronger so make sure not to use too much.
Although this recipe was awesome all by itself, I made it a 7 cheese bake by using the shredded 3 cheese blend from the super market instead of just the parm. I also used Jarlsberg Swiss which adds a delicious buttery richness!
This is the best Mac and Cheese I have ever tasted. I made it for my daughters birthday and now I'm making it again for my husband work party and then yet again for my father inlaws birthday. My mother inlaw had to have the recipe. Aren't I special:-)
With final exams coming around the corner, I needed a way to procrastinate at 2 am. I found the perfect procrastination in your macaroni and cheese bake. This is 5 stars all around and I can go to sleep happy tonight. My roommate came into the kitchen surprised that I was up cooking at 2 am. She took a look at the macaroni, and soon forgot what time it was. I'm afraid to leave the macaroni alone in the fridge for fear that it might go missing over night. To sum it up: THIS WAS AMAZING!
This was very good. I skipped the broiler part. Instead, I made a topping of 3 T of melted butter, crushed ritz mixed with Panko crumbs. I added it near the end and it browned up beautifully and gave it a slight crunch.
I made this the first time almost using the exact recipe...minus the italian seasoning and parsley and added seasoned bread crumbs on top to make it crispy...they second time I changed the cheeses a little by adding more sharp cheeses...used a sharp chedder and sharp provolone and it was awesome..
This dish is great! I added sun dried tomatoes for added flavor and put seasoned bread crumbs on top.
Even though this isn't the way we made this dish when growing up I have to say it is the best I've had in years.
This was a heart attack on a plate in the best way possible. Used what cheeses I had on hand - mozzarella, swiss, muenster, provolone and 2 kinds of parmesan. I added a tablespoon of pesto and some tabasco to the ricotta mixture instead of the dry seasonings. This added a nice punch of flavor. I think next time I will increase the ricotta mixture so that it will be creamier. Maybe not double but by half. Much quicker than traditional mac and cheese - thanks!
This was delicious. I substituted white sharp cheddar instead of provolone. Absolutely fantastic
this was a great recipe and I love how it turned out!! I used parmesan, sharp cheddar and some provolone cheese and it was fabulous. Just the recipe I was looking for!
Yummy Yummy Yummy! I added cajun sausage and some italion bread crumbs that I had mixed with melted butter for the top. Didn't have italion seasoning so I used a mixture of oregeno, tyme and basil - probably a couple tablespoons in total - didn't measure.
We all agreed this is the best homemade mac 'n cheese I've ever tried! I substituted monterey jack for provolone and added a healthy amount of black pepper. I grated everything finely and it melted together wonderfully. The most exciting thing about this recipe is that I think doubling the cream mixture and tossing in 1/2 cup of mild cheddar cheese might turn this into Jim 'n Nick's macaroni and cheese (my favorite)! I'll wait a few weeks before testing that out though, this is definitely a special occasion dish!
This is absolutely the best macaroni and cheese I've ever had. I make it about once a week, and I love it every single time!! I add about an extra 1/2 cup to a cup of cheddar cheese and extra oregano and it is perfection. I highly recommend this recipe!
Delicious. Definitely NOT heart healthy but every once in a while you have to go for it!!!!! Thanks for the recipe.
First time I made this I followed recipe exactly. It was very tasty but a little dry. And not great nutritionally. The next time I made the following changes: 1. Used Barilla Plus macaroni (made with lots of legumes but tastes like regular mac - my kids won't eat whole wheat mac); 2. Instead of the heavy cream, I used reduced fat evaporated milk. I started with 1/2 cup, but when I was mixing the cheeses with the mac, I added about 1/3 cup more to moisten. 3. Other smaller tweaks for flavor - used full teaspoon of Italian herbs, skipped the parsley, used garlic powder instead of garlic salt because the cheeses are already salty, sprinkled Panko bread crumbs on the top before the final layer of cheese. I'll never use any other recipe now!
This was fabulous! I topped it with langostinos. We used the cheeses we had on hand: parmesan, swiss, romano, and an Italian blend. The kids all loved it. Definitely going in the FAVORITES file.
Followed the advice of several others....increased the cheese to 6 cups(I did use some extra sharp cheddar) and increased the sour cream a bit. Very creamy, cheesy, and delicious! Was a big hit for our Easter dinner!
Wonderful! The family gobbled this down. I lacked a few ingredients so made several substitutions. Instead of classic swiss, I used Laughing Cow bites, a colby-monterray jack mix replaced the mozzarella and provolone, and I used milk in place of heavy cream. Overall, this was extremely satisfying.
Didn't have all the cheese's listed in recipe so came out more as a Wisconsin "Three-Cheese" Bake, but was still good with nice amount of spices/flavoring.
This is a good basic recipe to go by measurement wise, and without butter and flour, but you all with the dry dishes are clearly not Italian! Parmesan is a dry cheese, softer cheese melt better and get that gooey consistency. Sub the parm for gruyere and add more ricotta, sour cream, and maybe a tablespoon of butter. Super rich but it won't be dry.
Easy and tasty. Since a number of people complained that it was dry, I doubled the ricotta cheese (I used cottage cheese) and sour cream. The final result was delicious.
Used additional 1\2 cup of asiago cheese to add a little bite to the mix. Sprinkled a little breadcrumbs on top. It was wonderful. My guests thought it was fantastic and were very complimentary.
I made this (kind of), and we loved it! I am not a fan of spices, swiss, mozza, or provolone cheese. I subbed for 1/2 - 3/4 cup of asiago. And I didn't mix the spices in with the ricotta mixture. I also had about 1/4 cup of leftover Philly cream cheese, so I threw that in with the ricotta mixture. I also used ricotta smooth. For the cheddar, I used about 1/2 brick of old cheddar. I think next time I will do half and half old and medium, as it was a little sharp for me. When I make my normal mac n cheese recipe, I put crushes premium plus crackers on it, but I much preferred this cheese mix on broil. It gave a fantastic crust and cheesy goodness. 10/10 will make again. And I gave my recipe to all my friends and family too!
I made some minor tweaks to this: I couldn't find shredded provolone, so I used mild white cheddar; I added in a bunch of regular white onion; I chopped up some sweet red pepper to add another veggie; I used dried parsley instead of fresh. At first, I found this to be a bit bland and just "ok". But the more I ate it, the more I loved it. I didn't want to stop eating it! I cut it in half for my husband and I, and put it in an 8x8 dish. I also only broiled it for 3 minutes which turned out well (any longer and it would have started burning). We enjoyed the added crunch of the onion and red pepper (which I cooked until crisp-tender before adding it to the rest of the ingredients). I'm looking forward to making this again!
I will make this again. I did use more cheeses. I used Gouda, Extra Sharp Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Parmeson, Mozzarella, Romano, and the Ricotta cheeses. Used the rest of the items called for in the recipe and it really is amazing!
It rocked
did not become very creamy after baking...very stringy...added cream cheese and more heavy cream to become more sauce like...can omit the granulated garlic if already in italian seasoning. .also swapped out pecorino for locatelli,nicer sharper flavor.
Gourmet Mac and cheese at its best!! My fam loved it! Could taste all the different cheeses and spices was super easy and fast to make will make again and again 5 stars!!!!
My family LOVED this!! I made a few changes... I added bread crumbs to the cheese mixture and to the topping, used cottage cheese instead of ricotta cheese, used 1 cup of sour cream instead of 1/2 cup and used added 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese. It was sooooo good!!
All of the cheeses here with the exception of parmesan are sort of bland-ish. I substituted A good very sharp cheddar for one of them, and some pecorino Romano for another. A pinch of red pepper flakes and double the Italian herbs helped, too. Kept the provolone and ricotta.
This was a very tasty mac-and-cheese. I did make a few modifications based on the other reviews. Instead of the provolone, I used sharp cheddar. I added slightly more cheese than what it called for, and I also topped it with Panko bread crumbs for an extra crunch. 3 children and husband approved!
I also added very sharp cheddar cheese ( “there’s no such thing as too much cheese”). Totally awesome.
