Baked Brie Mac and Cheese Recipe
Did you know you can use Brie to make mac and cheese? This recipe for Brie Mac & Cheese makes a creamy delightful mac and cheese that has a classic brie flavor. You can make it right on the stovetop with no roux, top it with a layer of breadcrumbs and bake for a comfort food side dish that’s great for a weeknight meal or served at a holiday table.
💗Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It has less than 10 ingredients.
- You don’t have to make a roux to make this cheese sauce.
- The rind can be used right in the sauce (or not).
- Can easily be made with gluten free pasta.
- Perfect to make as a comforting side dish for the holidays.
- You can make this recipe with Low Carb Pasta.
🧀Ingredients You’ll Need
Elbow Macaroni or Shells Pasta: The big debate is what pasta makes the best mac and cheese. I go back and forth on this one but I used elbow pasta for this recipe. Feel free to use what you enjoy best!
Brie Cheese: You’ll need a small wheel of brie to make this mac and cheese. They can be found in the cheese or deli section of most grocery stores. You’ll see them more often around holiday time as they are one of the best cheeses to put on a Simple Cheese Plate.
Butter: This helps make the cheese sauce creamy and buttery.
Heavy Cream: A small amount of this will turn your cheese and butter into a rich sauce that will coat the pasta well.
Dijon Mustard: A small touch of this will give your mac and cheese a depth of flavor that is absolutely essential.
Bread Crumbs & Butter: This is used to make the crunchy topping when it’s baked. If you are making a low carb mac and cheese, feel free to use butter and crushed pork rind crumbs.
📖How To Make Baked Brie Mac And Cheese
1️⃣ Cook The Pasta: Cook and drain 8oz of your favorite pasta according to package directions and set aside.
2️⃣ Make The Cheese Sauce: In a medium sized skillet, turn heat up to medium high and melt butter. Whisk in heavy cream, mustard, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Then add in chopped brie and continue to stir until brie is fully melted and becomes a sauce. Immediately add cooked pasta and stir until everything is fully coated.
3️⃣ Make the Topping: Melt butter and stir it into bread crumbs until the breadcrumbs are coated in butter and set aside.
4️⃣ Preheat The Oven: Turn your oven onto it’s broil setting.
5️⃣ Bake Brie Mac and Cheese In the Oven: Add brie mac and cheese to a greased casserole dish and spread bread crumb and butter mixture evenly on top. Broil for 1-2 minutes or until the top becomes golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
🔀Flavor Variations
Feel free to stir in some of these foods before baking to elevate this creamy side dish:
- Bacon
- Shredded White Cheddar
- Crab Meat
- Pancetta
- Shredded Gouda
- Figs
- Mushrooms
- Lobster
- Swiss Cheese
- Truffles
- Dollops of Cranberry Sauce.
- Fresh Herbs
- Shredded Gruyere Cheese
👩🏻🍳Chef’s Tips & FAQ
Do I keep the Brie rind in? This is 100% personal preference. Some people despise the rind but I love it! It is completely edible and I think it adds a helpful texture and flavor. It’s also much less work to remove the rind on brie but feel free to leave it out if you don’t like it.
How long will it last? Because of the nature of this cheese I must warn you that it does NOT reheat well. That’s why only 8oz of pasta is used in this recipe as it’s best served and finished immediately after cooking as brie can get dry and rubbery after it is melted.
Can I freeze Brie? Brie is not meant to be frozen as it will completely change the texture of the cheese which will make it not enjoyable anymore.
Can I make this Keto or Low Carb? Yes! You can use a low carb pasta for this dish or even some cooked spaghetti squash. In place of the bread crumbs used crushed pork rinds instead to make a delicious low carb comfort food side dish.
Is Brie better hot or cold? Brie is a cheese that is meant to be enjoyed warm or at least at room temperature. This is why you’ll see many baked brie recipes during the holidays.
How To Serve Brie Mac & Cheese?
- Keto Southern Squash Casserole
- Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole
- Air Fryer Turkey Breast
- Gluten Free Stuffing
- Instant Pot Sugar Free Cranberry Sauce
- Sous Vide Mashed Potatoes
Baked Brie Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 oz Elbow or Shell Macaroni
- 8 oz Wheel of Brie Cheese cut into small cubes
- 2 tbsp Butter
- ⅓ cup Heavy Cream
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- ½ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper
FOR TOPPING
- ½ cup Breadcrumbs or Crushed Pork Rinds
- 2 tbsp Butter melted
Instructions
- Cook The Pasta: Cook and drain 8oz of your favorite pasta according to package directions and set aside.
- Make The Cheese Sauce: In a medium sized skillet, turn heat up to medium high and melt butter. Whisk in heavy cream, mustard, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Then add in chopped brie and continue to stir until brie is fully melted and becomes a sauce. Immediately add cooked pasta and stir until everything is fully coated.
- Make the Topping: Melt butter and stir it into bread crumbs until the breadcrumbs are coated in butter and set aside.
- Preheat The Oven: Turn your oven onto it’s broil setting.
- Bake Brie Mac and Cheese In the Oven: Add brie mac and cheese to a greased casserole dish and spread bread crumb and butter mixture evenly on top. Broil for 1-2 minutes or until the top becomes golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
I made this with part Brie and part Jarlsberg. I topped it with crushed pork rinds in the Topping recipe. It was the best – very creamy and delicious. Thanks for this very good recipe!