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spiral cavatappi coated in a smooth pale golden four-cheese sauce with a little gentle cheese stretch in an everyday bowl
Melissa Hart

Four-Cheese Stovetop Mac and Cheese

Four cheeses work best when they have different jobs: fontina melts smoothly, medium cheddar supplies the main flavor, a little mozzarella gives gentle stretch and Parmesan adds a salty finish. Keep the Parmesan finely grated and add it last with the pan off the heat, because a pile of coarse aged cheese dropped into boiling sauce can stay grainy even after the softer cheeses have melted.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 12 oz cavatappi pasta
  • 1 tbsp fine salt for pasta water
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt for sauce
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 4 oz fontina cheese grated
  • 4 oz medium cheddar cheese grated
  • 2 oz low-moisture mozzarella cheese grated
  • 2 oz Parmesan cheese very finely grated

Method
 

  1. Cook cavatappi in a large pot of water with the tablespoon salt until just tender. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water and drain.
  2. While the pasta cooks, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat and whisk in flour for 1 minute. Gradually add milk, then sauce salt and pepper.
  3. Simmer for 4 to 5 minutes until the sauce coats a spoon, then remove from the heat.
  4. Stir in fontina and cheddar by handfuls, followed by mozzarella and finally Parmesan, letting each addition melt before the next.
  5. Fold in cavatappi and loosen with reserved pasta water 1 tablespoon at a time if needed. Serve while the sauce is smooth and gently stretchy.