The holiday season is just around the corner, which means a lot of dinner parties filled with the most delicious and decadent foods. If you’re wondering what to bring to thiese gatherings, then try my miso & brie mac & cheese. It’s a twist from your traditional mac & cheese and it’s a great way to wow your guests and party-goers! It’s super decadent, cheesy and umami, perfect pairing with that roast turkey.

Ingredients & Tips!

1. The cheeses: i used a combination of brie cheese, chaddar and red colby jack cheese. For the brie, you can cut off the rind if you want a smoother texture for your cheese sauce – i couldn’t be bothered with mine so i left mine on!
2. Miso: miso is a Japanese fermented soy bean paste – it tastes a lot better than it sounds and it has incredible flavours. It’s super common in miso soups, miso salmon etc, and it’s a super trendy ingredient in recent days. You can find in Asian grocery stores but most big supermarkets these days do stock it! There are many types of different miso so try your best to find white miso if you can – otherwise, any miso will do for this recipe.
3. Pasta: i went for the classic elbow shaped pasta but feel free to venture out and try different pasta shapes! Ideally you want a pasta shape that can carry the thick cheese sauce so keep this in mind you explore your pasta options.
4. Spices: the spice blend for this recipe includes smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and chilli flakes. Please don’t skim out on the spices, they do add heaps of flavour to your mac & cheese!
5. Flour: when it’s time to add in the flour, make sure you stir well and really cook out the flour. If you don’t cook out the flour enough, it’s have a floury taste to your mac & cheese which you definitely do not want! So patient and stir away
6. Milk: when it’s time to add in your milk, make sure to use a whisk and mix it in a little bit at a time so avoid lumps! But honestly, even if you do end up with a few lumps, it’s not the end of the world and it will still taste amazing.
7. Mustard: i promise you won’t taste the mustard but it will help in cutting through the richness of the dairy! Don’t skip through this step!
8. Storage/ Cook in advance: best to consume within a day but if you can’t, you can place it in a container and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days. If you would like to prepare this in advance, you definitely can! I suggest you make the mac & cheese up to broiling step! So make the mac & cheese, transfer to a baking dish and store it in the fridge, and when you’re ready to cook, take it out of the fridge, top with cheese and then place it in the oven.

Ingredients

300g (2/3 lb) pasta (i used the classic elbow shaped pasta)
3 tbsp butter
2-3 tbsp miso paste
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tbsp onion powder
chilli flakes, to taste
3 tbsp plain flour
3 cups milk, adjust to get desired texture
1 tsp mustard
250g (1/2 lb) brie cheese, remove rind
250g (1/2 lb) cheddar
250g (1/2 lb) colby jack or mozzarella

Method

1. Cook and drain your pasta according to packet instructions and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
3. In a pot over medium heat, melt your butter. Add in the miso paste and melt it into the butter, let it get a little toasty and fragrant, around 1-2 minutes. Add in your spices and toast for another 1-2 minutes.
4. Add in the plain flour and cook out the floury taste for 1-2 minutes. While whisking, slowly add in your milk – stir constantly to avoid lumps. You can add more or less milk to get to your desired texture. Add your brie cheese and 2/3rd of your cheddar and colby jack/mozzarella. Stir to melt the cheese and add in your mustard. Season if needed but the cheeses are already salty!
5. Add the drained pasta into your cheese sauce and stir well to combine. Transfer to a baking dish, top with the remaining cheese and bake for 20 minutes and then broil for 5 mins or until the cheese is melted and golden brown.