Copycat Panera Mac and Cheese

5 from 8 votes

This homemade Copycat Panera Mac and Cheese tastes every bit as creamy and cheesy as the original, but you can have it any time you'd like!

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: panera copycat

Servings: servings

Calories: 818kcal

3 cups shredded Vermont white cheddar cheese about 1.5 (8oz each) blocks of cheese
1 lb. dried pipette pasta or medium shells (as pictured)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground mustard
1/2 - 1 tsp black pepper start with 1/2 tsp and add more per your tastes

I highly recommend shredding your cheese first and letting it sit at room temperature while you move ahead with the recipe. It will incorporate better into the sauce if the shredded cheese is closer to room temperature.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt generously, then boil pasta to al dente (according to package directions). Drain, drizzle with a little olive oil and set aside.

Heat a large dutch oven (or very deep sided skillet) over MED heat. Once hot, add butter and melt. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.

Slowly pour in the milk, whisking as you pour. Then do the same with the heavy whipping cream.
Continue whisking and cooking over MED heat for about 3-4 minutes (until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon), then add salt, ground mustard, and black pepper.

Once the sauce is bubbling, reduce the heat to LOW.
Add the shredded cheese, about a cup at a time, stirring/whisking as you add the cheese. Continue until all the cheese is added and keep stirring until the cheese is completely melted into the sauce.

Turn off the heat. Add the cooked and drained pasta to the sauce and stir well to coat. Let sit a few minutes to thicken and warm up the pasta, then serve hot (sprinkled with some extra pepper if you'd like).

I tested this recipe using Cracker Barrel and Cabot white cheddar, both with good results, but we usually use Cracker Barrel.
I've estimated this recipe will serve about 8, but as always, the amount and size of the servings are up to you.
I highly recommend shredding your own cheese as opposed to using pre-shredded bags. Shredding the cheese yourself will give you the creamiest result.
The ground mustard is a spice (a yellow powder), and can be substituted with an equal amount of Dijon mustard. This doesn't make the mac and cheese taste like mustard at all... it enhances the cheese flavor.