Take your mac and cheese up a notch and make this Brie Mac and Cheese! It is rich, creamy, and adult and kid friendly!
The Best Brie Mac and Cheese
There is no shortage of mac and cheese recipes here on the Cheese Knees. We love classic mac and cheese, baked mac and cheese, and everything in between.
We wanted to make a rich and creamy brie mac and cheese for all of our adult mac lovers (obviously kids will love this recipe, too). Thought brie is at every grocery store around town it seems like you are eating like a queen when you eat it.
We love this brie mac and cheese because…
- You only use one pot to prepare the whole meal.
- Brie makes the mac and cheese sauce so incredibly creamy and delicious.
- You can eat this mac and cheese by itself or it tastes great with salads, as a side, and more.
Ingredients You will Need
- Pasta- you can use a traditional elbow noodle for this mac and cheese or you can use your favorite type of pasta! Yes, you can even use gluten free noodles.
- Salted butter– the base of the brie sauce for this mac and cheese is a roux so you need butter! Use salted butter, it’s just better. 🙂
- Garlic, minced– What is better than a garlic sauce? A GARLIC BRIE cheese sauce.
- White whole wheat flour– binding butter, flour, and milk is the base of this brie mac and cheese, don’t skip this flour. You can use a gluten free 1:1 mix as a GF option.
- 2% Milk– you can use 2% milk, whole milk, or 1% milk for the cheese sauce. We do not recommend using skim milk for this recipe.
- Brie wheel– this recipe calls for 8-oz. of brie cheese with the rind cut off.
- Salt + Pepper– to balance out the creaminess and sweetness of the brie cheese don’t skip the salt and pepper!
- Fresh thyme– a little bit of fresh thyme in the cheese sauce goes a long way.
- Pasta water– set aside pasta water while preparing the noodles for this recipe to make your sauce and thicken it to perfection.
Fun add-ins
Want to add a little protein or veggies to this recipe? You can serve this brie mac and cheese with any of the add-ins below for added deliciousness.
- Cook up some chicken breast and serve it on top.
- Make a delicious beet salad and serve it along side the mac and cheese.
- Steam some broccoli and serve the mac and cheese next to or on top of the broccoli.
How to Make Brie Mac and Cheese
- Prep the noodles. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta to the pot and cook the pasta until al dente. Before straining out the water remove 1 cup of pasta water from the pot (just in case you want more than 1/4 cup). Strain pasta and set aside.
- Make the brie cheese sauce. Make a roux with the butter, flour, and milk. Then, add brie cheese and heat over medium heat until melted. Add salt and pepper.
- Combine. When the brie mac and cheese sauce is thick and creamy, add the pasta to the mac and cheese sauce and stir to combine.
Other Important Questions and Tips
Make sure to remove the rind
If there’s anything you remember about preparing the ingredients for this recipe, it is this one! You must remove the rind from the brie cheese wheel for a creamy and lump free cheese sauce!
To remove the rind from the brie cheese, use a sharp knife to carefully slice the white soft rind of the brie cheese.
Can I bake this Brie Mac and Cheese?
If you like your mac and cheese with a crunchy top, you can make the recipe for this brie mac and cheese and then pour the mac and cheese into a casserole dish.
- Preheat the oven broil.
- Mix 1 cup of Italian bread crumbs and 3 tablespoons of softened butter into a bowl and cut the two ingredients together until a crumble is formed.
- Sprinkle the crumble over the brie mac and cheese and place it in the oven for 2-4 minutes or until the crumble turns golden brown.
Make it spicy
Some of us love our mac and cheese spicy! Feel free to add 1 teaspoon of pepper flakes or 1/4 teaspoon to cayenne pepper to the cheese sauce for a spicy brie mac and cheese.
What to serve with Brie Mac and Cheese
Crispy Parmesan Chicken Nuggets- Talk about a delicious crispy chicken nugget recipe. These Parmesan Chicken Nuggets are dipped in egg and then rolled in a flavorful breadcrumb + parmesan mixture and then pan-fried (or baked!) to perfection.
Beet Goat Cheese Salad- Make a big beet goat cheese salad for an easy and veggie-packed meal! This salad is made with pears, goat cheese, walnuts, spinach, and a delicious salad dressing.
Butter Lettuce Salad- This butter lettuce salad has a combination of vegetables, fruit, nuts, cheese, and is drizzled with a simple lemon vinaigrette. Everything on a bed of tender butter lettuce makes a perfect and delicious salad.
Grilled Buffalo Chicken Salad– Grilled buffalo chicken salad is such a fun summer meal idea. It’s made with grilled marinated buffalo chicken breast, romaine lettuce, tons of veggies, and a creamy dressing.
Brie Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 16 oz. noodles
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/3 cup white whole wheat flour
- 2 cups 2% milk
- 8 oz. brie wheel rind removed and cut into cubes
- 1.5 teaspoons salt separated
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
- 1/4 cup pasta water
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Stir the pasta right away so it doesn't stick together.
- Cook the pasta until it is al dente.
- Remove 1/2 cup of pasta water from the pot and set aside for later. Strain and set aside.
- Next, add the butter to a large sauce pan over medium/high heat.
- Add garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the butter and sauté the garlic until it browns.
- Then, add the flour to the butter mixture and whisk the ingredients together until a paste is formed.
- Slowly pour the milk into the pan whisking consistently until the milk thickens (3-4 minutes).
- Turn the heat to low and then add the brie cheese to the milk mixture and stir until the brie cheese is melted and the sauce is thick.
- Add the rest of the salt, pepper, and fresh thyme to the cheese sauce and mix.
- Finally, pour the cooked pasta into the cheese sauce and fold the pasta into the sauce.
- If a thinner sauce is desired add a tablespoon or two of pasta water to the pasta.
- Serve with fresh thyme and enjoy.
