Noodles & Co. Copycat Recipe: Wisconsin Mac & Cheese - Housewife Eclectic (2024)

FAQs

What kind of noodles do you use for mac and cheese? ›

By definition, classic macaroni and cheese should be made with, well, macaroni, a style broadly defined as any short, cylindrical extruded pasta. This includes tubes like ziti, penne, rigatoni and, yes, elbows, as well as corkscrew shapes like fusilli.

Noodles & Company Wisconsin Mac & Cheese, Regular (1 serving) contains 119g total carbs, 114g net carbs, 38g fat, 42g protein, and 980 calories.

You want equal amounts of butter and flour by weight. This is key. Throw in too much flour, and sure the sauce might get thick, but it also might taste floury and be lumpy. Even if you get the roux right, use too much or reduce your sauce down too far, and the macaroni and cheese will turn out dry.

Cheddar, Gruyère, Monterey Jack, mozzarella, Fontina, and Gouda cheese are good options.

Differences in Ingredients

Flour – smooth, soft, and a lighter shade, noodles may be crafted using a finer kind of flour or a variety of different flours. Pasta on the other hand uses a heavier denser kind of flour to give it that weight.

For a mac and cheese recipe, consider the combination of sharper cheddar cheeses and a flavorful Parmesan. This cheese adds a boost of fruity, nutty notes to your favorite macaroni recipes. Parmesan is also ideal for grating on top of mac and cheese before you bake it to add golden color.

Great mac n' cheese needs one or more cheeses that melt well, and one or more cheeses that bring the flavor. The best melters include monterey jack, fontina, baby swiss, asiago, provolone, mozzarella, and alpine-style. Cheeses for flavor: cheddar, havarti, smoked gouda, gorgonzola, feta and any other of your favorites.

Are mac and cheese healthy, yes or no? Unfortunately, traditional mac and cheese tends to be unhealthy because it contains high amounts of saturated fats and sodium from butter, cheese, and milk. Additionally, it is calorie-dense and not ideal for those trying to lose weight.

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Why is macaroni and cheese so high in calories? ›

Mac and cheese contains large amounts of fat and refined carbs, both of which contribute to its high calorie count. Eating more calories than you burn, regardless of which foods they come from, can lead to weight gain.

As delicious as feta is in a salad or sprinkled over soup, this dry and crumbly cheese just isn't ideal for mac and cheese. Feta has a high moisture level and doesn't melt properly, so it would clump rather than give you a smooth sauce. This also goes for cheeses like queso fresco and paneer.

Add more milk if you haven't already. More milk leads to less dry mac and cheese. If that doesn't work and you've already tried, use a different type of cheese. Velveeta works well.

1. Small shell pasta - similar in shape to elbow macaroni, it is a great substitute for a creamy pasta salad. 2. Ziti - this tube-shaped pasta works well in baked pasta dishes, as it holds onto sauces well.

Macaroni is technically any pasta made without eggs. While generally thought of as just the elbow tube shape, macaroni can be any shape, including shells, twists, ribbons, ditalini (very short tubes), mostaccioli (large, 2-inch long tubes), rigatoni (short grooved tubes), and ziti (long, thin tubes).

Overcooking the pasta

The noodles become soft and fall apart easily. Soggy pasta is exactly what you want to avoid, especially in mac and cheese — too soft, and you'll be eating cheese sludge with a spoon. Instead, for a hefty cheese sauce, you'll want your noodles cooked al dente.

Yes, you absolutely can substitute noodles for pasta, and vice versa, in a recipe. While it is up to personal preference, note that egg noodle recipes typically suggest cooking the noodles until they are soft and tender, while pasta recipes recommend cooking the pasta al dente (slightly firm).