Recipe Blog - Feature - 8 Cheese Mac & Cheese

Barbecue Baked Eight Cheese Macaroni & Cheese

By: Andrea Alden

With the weather getting a little cooler it’s time to make meals that are more cozy and filling. This Barbecue Baked Eight Cheese Macaroni & Cheese is ideal for any day of the week. This grill recipe is as easy as it is impressive … there are EIGHT different kinds of cheese in here! The barbecue flavor adds a hint of smokiness, further enhancing the richness of the cheese. You don’t have to use the drop-in roasting pan, opting instead for a baking dish or dutch oven. You can also make this insane mac and cheese in your indoor oven if you don’t want to use the barbecue. (If such a thing is possible.) Don’t forget that you can easily add or subtract your favorite cheeses in this grill recipe, adjusting to your preferences or what you have on hand.

Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
25 min
Yield
8
Difficulty
Easy

Barbecue Baked Eight Cheese Macaroni & Cheese

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Ingredients

Method

Photos

Ingredients

3 cups

uncooked macaroni, mini shells or elbows or Ditalini

¼ cup

salted butter

¼ cup

flour

2 tsp.

Dijon mustard

1 cup

whipping cream/heavy cream

1½ cups

milk, preferably 2% or whole

1 cup

shredded sharp cheddar cheese

½ cup

shredded fontina

½ cup

shredded gruyere

½ cup

shredded Monterey jack

½ cup

shredded Manchego 

½ cup

shredded Havarti 

½ cup

shredded Mozzarella

½ cup

shredded parmesan (real)

4 slices

bacon, cooked crisp, drained, and crumbled

½ cup

fried onions

½ cup

panko crumbs

2 tbsp.

melted butter

Method
  1. Cook the pasta in salted water until it is just underdone like maybe needs about a minute or two more to be perfect. Drain and set aside.
  2. In a large, BBQ safe, saucepan combine the cream and the milk. Warm the cream mixture on the barbecue using indirect heat as you preheat the grill to 350°F.  *If you are using the drop-in roasting pan, remove the cooking grids and insert the pan before turning on the grill. Light the burners that are not under the pan. Place the saucepan with the cream mixture into the drop-in pan to heat. Warm the milk mixture gently until it begins to steam.
  3. In a saucepan or dutch oven, combine the butter, flour, and mustard, whisking over low heat for about 2 minutes until the flour has cooked down a bit and begun to caramelize. 
  4. If using a dutch oven, slowly add the warm cream to the flour mixture, whisking the whole time. Or add enough of the warm milk mixture to the flour mixture to make it pourable, then combine the two - milk and liquid flour mixture to the roasting pan or a baking dish that you are using. Add all of the cheeses except parmesan to the hot cream mixture, stirring well. If the whole thing isn’t on the grill yet, place it onto the cooking grids. Add the cooked noodles. 
  5. Mix the bacon, fried onions, panko crumbs, and parmesan. Drizzle with the melted butter, stir and then top the macaroni and cheese. Close the lid of the grill and bake uncovered for about 25 minutes, or until the topping is golden and the sauce is bubbly. 
  6. Serve immediately much to the delight of everyone there.   

In the end, with so many different cheeses, you would think that this whole thing was an overpowering cheesy mess. It was not. The cheese flavor was light and subtle, you could taste nearly everything. You would go through the creaminess of the manchego and the havarti through the sweet tang of the fontina and finally the sharpness of the cheddar. It was delicious. 

I can hear you asking. Why didn’t you use smoked cheese in this Barbecue Baked Eight Cheese Macaroni & Cheese? I didn’t because I find that the scent and flavor of most smoked cheeses tend to overpower the whole mix. If smoked cheese is your thing, by all means, substitute it for one of the many many kinds of cheese in this recipe. This recipe is a seriously gourmet, over-the-top, take on my favorite comfort food. It makes a great main dish and an even better side to whip out when having a delightful holiday meal like Thanksgiving, Easter, or Christmas. What cheese do you like to add to your macaroni and cheese recipe? Do you bake yours or eat it right from the pot? Share your cheesy thoughts, comments, photos, and recipes on our social pages like Facebook and Instagram using the hashtags #NapoleonEats and #NapoleonGrills.

Happy Grilling!
 

Recipe Blog - 8 Cheese Mac & Cheese - Cheesus!

There are eight different cheeses here! EIGHT!

Recipe Blog - 8 Cheese Mac & Cheese - Shred

Shred it like you mean it.

Recipe Blog - 8 Cheese Mac & Cheese - Sauce1

Add a little steaming milk to the butter and flour

Recipe Blog - 8 Cheese Mac & Cheese - Sauce2

Add cheese to sauce

Recipe Blog - 8 Cheese Mac & Cheese - Sauce to Noods

Add the cheese sauce to the noodles

Recipe Blog - 8 Cheese Mac & Cheese - Topping

Top the cheesy noodles with the bacon and panko mix

Recipe Blog - 8 Cheese Mac & Cheese - Grill

Bake on the grill until the topping is crisp and sauce is bubbling

Recipe Blog - 8 Cheese Mac & Cheese - Serve1

Scoop that cheesy goodness

Recipe Blog - 8 Cheese Mac & Cheese - Serve2

Top with leftover bacon and chives

Recipe Blog - 8 Cheese Mac & Cheese - Serve3

Serve to many

AndreaAlden
Andrea Alden

I used to be the Sultana of Sizzle, but you can call me Andrea. I have always been passionate about food. Even though I was majoring in Art and Graphic Design, I would frequently be found cooking for my friends and family.

Read More
Recipe Blog - 8 Cheese Mac & Cheese - Cheesus!

There are eight different cheeses here! EIGHT!

Recipe Blog - 8 Cheese Mac & Cheese - Shred

Shred it like you mean it.

Recipe Blog - 8 Cheese Mac & Cheese - Sauce1

Add a little steaming milk to the butter and flour

Recipe Blog - 8 Cheese Mac & Cheese - Sauce2

Add cheese to sauce

Recipe Blog - 8 Cheese Mac & Cheese - Sauce to Noods

Add the cheese sauce to the noodles

Recipe Blog - 8 Cheese Mac & Cheese - Topping

Top the cheesy noodles with the bacon and panko mix

Recipe Blog - 8 Cheese Mac & Cheese - Grill

Bake on the grill until the topping is crisp and sauce is bubbling

Recipe Blog - 8 Cheese Mac & Cheese - Serve1

Scoop that cheesy goodness

Recipe Blog - 8 Cheese Mac & Cheese - Serve2

Top with leftover bacon and chives

Recipe Blog - 8 Cheese Mac & Cheese - Serve3

Serve to many