Beer Macaroni & Cheese
Creamy with a hint of beer, this cheesy mac is one of our favorites for a big family dinner. —Lauren Petersen, Marysville, Washington
Ingredients
- 1 package (16 ounces) elbow macaroni
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2-1/2 cups 2% milk
- 3/4 cup amber beer
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 2 cups shredded fontina cheese
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 2 tablespoons minced chives
- 5 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
Reviews
My family LOVED this recipe. I will be making it again and again. IMO the people who complained about grainy texture did not cook the flour as per directions. I followed the directions as written other than substituting Gouda cheese for fontina one time and mozzarella another time. Simply because I am not familiar with fontina. Sooo yummy.
This sounds like one of the best mac and cheese I will ever eat so I'm giving it a 10. I am aiming some barbs at reviewers since some of them apparently can only open a box or can. as far as the ;recipe, it's now in my recipe program. But, why do people use 2% milk then turn around and add heavy cream? For goodness sake use whole milk to begin with!Someone had a problem with the butter/flour ratio...that is the correct ratio for a b?chamel sauce which is the simple white sauce (in possibly different forms) to use in anything requiring; a "white sauce". Equal parts butter and flour stirred/cooked together to form a roux, which is pasty then stir in your milk slowly as you constantly stir to form a nice smooth sauce. I'm a bit leery of cooking the garlic with the roux because of burning it which will be bitter. Once you have your b?chamel done add whatever you want and keep on simmering slowly.If you don't like beer leave it out! Some of you sound like my sister who wont eat anything that is not "my recipe".If you think it needs kicking up a bit sub some of the cheddar cheese with pepper jack. Saut?ed jalapenos sounds good too.There are as many mac and cheeses as there are cooks. I really think this is a good one!
I didn't care for the flavor of this one.
I really enjoyed this. I used pale ale instead and I added a bit more heavy cream and cheese. To wicked u may have not allowed the flour to mix properly. U have to consistently wish it. Also try adding two more tablespoons of butter. Loved this recipe made it for thanksgiving
I think this macaroni had really good flavors. I do think it got a bit grainy like someone else mentioned; I ended up with chunks of powder throughout it that did not dissolve and I believe this is because the recipe calls for too much flour. I think it would have been perfect with half or a third the amount of flour listed. I also think melting the butter on medium high was too hot. In spite of this, it turned out pretty well and I would make it again.
I did follow the recipe to the letter. My teenage daughters really liked this dish. I think because they liked the the thought of beer in it. I found it too dry and prefer my mac and cheese creamier. It also seemed like it was missing something. My husband was not satisfied with the dish either.
We loved it - bacon, beer & cheese, how could it not be great. I would make extra sauce next time for on the side and for leftovers.
I highly enjoyed this but recommend trying it with sauteed chopped jalapeños to balence out the beer flavor.
This was just OK. I like my regular Mac and cheese recipe better.
I made this twice, once for a crowd for a birthday party and again just for dinner. Everyone raved about it. I, myself, thought it was too thick but still enjoyed it. Next time i will use less flour to thicken. Maybe almost omit it altogether. There isn't much beer in it but I felt it was a little strong. I'm not a beer drinker so that could be why I felt it was strong. The taste in general reminded me of lobster mac and cheese and I will try it that way next time.