We are here to talk about one thing. That one thing happens to be my favorite thing, and my favorite thing also happens to have three of my favorite things in it. Have you caught up? Yes, I’m talking about this Goldfish-Topped Three Cheese Macaroni. Because, as you know guys, I really like topping my mac ‘n cheese with goldfish. Like, above and beyond love it.
And really, you should too. Because it’s goldfish and why would you continue to top things off with boring old bread crumbs? And then when they’re PINK!?!? And then when you find out that the pink is colored with beet root!?!?! Shout out to limiting our food coloring intake.
Unless It’s blue food coloring. I’ll take it however I can get it. That stuff is magical.
Okay, let’s talk about the reason we are all really here—macaroni and cheese. Macaroni and three cheeses to be exact. Because, I’m into flavor. Here is the mix:
Cheddar.
Gruyere.
Pepper Jack.
That’s where I live. That’s where I thrive.
There are a few more things that make this mac ‘n cheese better than usual. I mean, hi! I’m going to pat myself on the back real quick because, macaroni and cheese is a lifestyle.
First things first. We remove the roux. “But whyyyyyy!?!?!” I hear all the recipes on Google screaming. It’s really simple, I don’t mind a good ole’ roux. It’s great. But, I feel like it makes the cheese sauce kind of sticky and dries out quicker than you can say “get in my belly.”
In my Goldfish-Topped Chorizo Mac & Cheese I added some cream cheese to give it that thick, creamy, dense cheese sauce that is just what is needed in a recipe like that. But, this mac ‘n cheese? We’re going for that comfort food feeling. We are trying to hit the high notes of all those boxed mac ‘n cheeses that we know are so deliciously bad for us. We’re talking flavorful, creamy, cheesy goodness.
So, we take some whole milk, thicken it with a few tablespoons of cornstarch and that’s our base. Our wonderfully thick mixture that hugs every strand of Gruyere, Pepper Jack, and cheddar.
The last thing that we do to make sure this mac ‘n cheese comes alive is we boil the elbow pasta in some chicken stock. Yes, we really do. It makes all the difference. It makes me feel like I should have been doing this my whole life. Why, oh why, have I not been doing this my whole life?
And we don’t dare bake this together. We slop the cooked mac ‘n cheese together with the creamiest cheesy sauce of all time and crush some goldfish in hand and sprinkle away. To be honest, if we’re being really bad, which we are, we mix the goldfish in some melted salty butter first. Life is short people.
Goldfish-Topped Three Cheese Macaroni
Try out this insanely tasty version of Goldfish-Topped Three Cheese Macaroni using a new method for homemade mac ‘n cheese that makes the creamiest sauce.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
4 cups elbow pasta
3 cups whole milk
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 heaping cups grated cheddar cheese
1 heaping cup grated Grueyere cheese
1 heaping cup grated Pepper Jack cheese
1 1/2 cups goldfish
Instructions
Boil the chicken stock, water, and salt together and cook the pasta in it until al dente. Drain and drizzle with a little olive oil to keep it from sticking together.
Heat milk over the stove until warm. Remove half a cup of the milk from the pot, and mix it together with the cornstarch until the cornstarch is completely dissolved. Pour the milk/corn starch mixture back into the saucepan with the salt, and continue to cook until the mixture thickens. Stir every half minute or so. Don’t over thicken.
As soon as the mixture has thickened, add all the cheeses, and stir together. Remove from heat and continue to stir until all the cheese has melted.
Mix the elbow pasta and cheese sauce together in a large bowl. Crush about half of the goldfish and leave the other half whole. Sprinkle goldfish on top of the mac ‘n cheese.
Enjoy immediately.
Keywords: macaroni and cheese, mac & cheese, cheese, pasta, comfort foods, goldfish crackers
