Longhorn Steakhouse Mac and Cheese is a long requested recipe from many of my viewers, and I want to show you how to prepare this wonderfully cheesy and smoky dish that you will love.
I don’t know what it is about Macaroni and Cheese it is a very popular dish, grown-ups and kids alike all love this cheesy pasta dish. What makes the Longhorn Steakhouse’s recipe so special is the 4 cheese blend, and they also top it with a little bit of crumbled bacon and some crispy panko breadcrumbs. It is hard to beat this side dish.
This recipe isn’t your everyday recipe, it certainly is something extra special. It contains four different types of cheeses. These cheeses give this dish a very special flavor.
You will need Gruyere, White Cheddar, Parmesan, and Fontina. This combination of cheeses helps to make a creamy blend that a velvet-like texture and rich flavor. For me, Fontina can be the harder cheese to find, most larger grocery stores will carry Fontina in their Deli section. I have to say that I think it is really important to use the cheeses as written in the recipe.
The smoked flavor comes from the smoked paprika. I like the flavor of smoked paprika. In fact, it is one of my favorite chili coffee rubs I like to use for barbeque. If you have never tried it, it is a sprinkle of smoky goodness that you can use on eggs, in chili, and it is wonderful in deviled eggs, so it another ingredient you will love.
This recipe is pretty easy to put together, I will say it doesn’t reheat super well, so if you can’t consume all of it in one setting you can always just serve up as much as you need. I would keep the cheese sauce in a different container than the pasta so that the pasta doesn’t soak up all of the sauce.
I hope you enjoy this recipe for the Longhorn Steakhouse Mac and cheese.
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Be sure to check out more of my easy recipes for side dishes and the best restaurant copycat recipes.
Longhorn Steakhouse Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 pound cavatappi pasta
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups half and half
- 2 ounces Gruyere cheese shredded
- 8 ounces white Cheddar shredded
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese shredded
- 4 ounces Fontina cheese shredded
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 4 pieces bacon cooked crispy and crumbled
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Prepare pasta according to the package directions. Heat together in a large saucepan 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of flour over medium heat. Cook until the roux becomes fragrant.
- Add 1/2 cup of half and half and stir until sauce thickens. Add 1/2 cup of half and half when the sauce thickens, and then add final 1 cup of half and half and stir until the sauce becomes thick. Add cheeses to sauce slowly stirring until the cheese is blended. Sprinkle in smoked paprika.
- Mix pasta and sauce, and pour into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Top macaroni and cheese with crumbled bacon and panko breadcrumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until panko breadcrumbs begins to brown.
Christine
Thanks, extremely helpful!