Four-Cheese Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- pasta, hollow - preferably elbow macaroni or shells: 8 oz/ 1/2 lb
- dry bread crumbs: 3/4 C
- butter: 6 Tbsp
- paprika: 1/2 tsp
- thyme: 3 sprigs
- shallots, minced: 2
- bay leaf: 1
- flour: 1/4 cup
- cayanne pepper: 1/8 tsp
- milk: 3 cups
- cheddar cheese, sharp and white grated: 10 oz
- Gruyère cheese, grated: 10 oz
- Velveeta cut into 1/2 inch cubes: 6 oz
- bleu cheese: 1 oz
- salt and pepper to taste:
Directions
1. Heat oven to 375°. Bring a 4-qt. saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked halfway through, about 3 minutes for elbow macaroni. Drain pasta; set pasta aside. Tear bread into small pieces and transfer to the bowl of a food processor. Process until finely ground; set aside. Return pan to medium heat and melt 3 tbsp. butter. Add bread crumbs and stir to combine. Transfer bread crumb mixture to a plate and set aside.
2. Wipe out pan and set over medium heat. Melt the remaining butter and add the paprika, thyme, shallots, and bay leaf; cook, stirring often, until shallots are soft, about 5 minutes. Add flour and cayenne and stir until mixture thickens, 1 minute. Whisk in milk and cook, continuing to whisk often, until sauce has thickened and coats the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Discard thyme and bay leaf and remove pan from heat.

3. Stir in cheddar, half the Gruyère, the Velveeta, and the blue cheese; continue stirring until smooth. Stir in pasta and season sauce with salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to an 8" x 8" baking dish. Sprinkle remaining Gruyère over top of pasta and then top with bread crumbs.
4. Transfer baking dish to an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet and bake until macaroni and cheese is golden brown and bubbly, 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.