Sourdough Mac And Cheese Recipe [The Ultimate Sourdough Comfort Food]

Hands up if you love mac and cheese? Ok now keep your hand up if you love adding sourdough discard to anything and everything? Well you're in luck, because now you can combine the two! Sourdough mac and cheese!

Yep, you heard right - use your sourdough discard to thicken your mac and cheese sauce! How cool is that? You can even use sourdough bread crumbs on the top for even more sourdough flavor!

If you love comfort food, be sure to check out this collection of sourdough comfort food recipes. They are sure to warm your heart ... and fill your hungry tummy.

Why You'll Love This Recipe!

Twist on a Classic - sourdough mac and cheese is such a unique way to use your sourdough starter (a bit like using it to make sourdough pasta)! It's a little sourdough twist on a classic recipe. I hope you love it as much as my family does. You might even like to serve it as a side dish at this year's Thanksgiving dinner.

Use Your Sourdough Starter for Dinner - while making sourdough bread is amazing, adding sourdough starter to your actual dinner is next level! This is a fun way to start adding sourdough starter to any recipe. And if you want to see how I add sourdough starter to all our meals, check out this post for a week of dinner ideas using sourdough starter.

Baked for Extra Goodness - this sourdough mac and cheese is a baked version of mac and cheese so you not only get that cheesy sauce you love, but also a crunchy golden top to enjoy, just like this sourdough hash brown casserole.

Can You Use More Than 100g of Sourdough Starter?

Absolutely, if you want to add a bit more, you certainly can. The sourdough starter or sourdough discard is used to thicken the cheese sauce, rather than just adding flour alone. The sourdough starter of course contains flour that has been fermented. This is similar to making sourdough béchamel sauce.

I've added up to 200g of sourdough starter to my mac and cheese with no issues, except it is a bit thicker. It's a great one to experiment with though!

If you're new to sourdough and you're looking for some guidance to help you on your sourdough journey, check out these sourdough resources:

• How to Strengthen Your Sourdough Starter
• How do you Know When Your Sourdough Starter is ready to use?
• Most Common Sourdough Starter Questions ... and all the answers!

How To Make Sourdough Mac & Cheese (It's So Easy)

Sourdough mac and cheese is a breeze to make, especially if you've made mac and cheese before. You are basically using your sourdough starter to thicken the cheese sauce, rather than just adding flour to the mixture. Clever, right?

Here's the ingredients you'll need to make sourdough mac and cheese:

So let's get cooking!

First cook the macaroni to the instructions on the packet. Once the macaroni is cooked, drain it (don't rinse it). Place into a bowl with 15g of butter and toss though to stop it from sticking together. Cover and set aside.

Now in a saucepan add 60g of butter, 100g of sourdough starter and dash of the milk and stir over very low heat to form a roux. As it comes together and starts to cook, add a little more milk and start whisking. Get those arms moving!

Continue whisking over a medium heat as you add more of the milk, a little at a time, until all of the milk has been added. Continue whisking for around 5 minutes and you'll see the white sauce begin the thicken.

Once the sauce is thick and coats the back of a spatula, remove from the heat and add the shredded cheeses, mustard powder and garlic powder (if you're using them). Continue whisking until all of the cheese has melted through (it really doesn't take long).

Add the pasta on top of the cheese sauce and stir to coat all of the macaroni.

Now pour the macaroni cheese into an oven safe baking dish and top with the bread crumbs. Add dollops of butter (30g) all over the bread crumbs and bake in a 180C (350F) oven for around 30 minutes or until the bread crumb topping is golden and the sourdough macaroni cheese is bubbling underneath.

If you'd prefer to have your sourdough mac and cheese without the crumb topping, then you don't have to bake it, just serve it once you've tossed the macaroni through the cheese sauce.

Once the sourdough mac and cheese is done, remove from the oven and allow it to sit for around 20 minutes before serving. This just allows it to cool slightly (so you don't burn your mouth), but also lets the sauce thicken up - believe me it's worth the wait!

Ingredient Notes & Swaps

Butter - I've used salted butter for all of the butter in this recipe because I just love salt but if you prefer things less salty, use unsalted butter. If you use unsalted butter, don't skip adding the salt, if you use salted butter, add salt to your own taste.

Sourdough Starter - you can use sourdough discard or active sourdough starter with no issue in this recipe. The only thing I will add is that if your discard is old and sour it will overpower the flavor of this dish, so use with caution. I prefer using discard that's only a few days old or active starter for a better flavor.

Cheese - you can use whatever cheese you like to use in mac and cheese. I love using up bits and pieces from the fridge, but mostly use cheddar and mozzarella. Get creative! Some other cheeses that work really well in this recipe include homemade ricotta, monterey jack, gruyere, parmesan or even some blue cheese if you like it.

Bread Crumbs - you can use store bought bread crumbs (no shame here) or you can use breadcrumbs made from a sourdough loaf. If you want to take your sourdough mac and cheese next level, chop up a loaf of classic sourdough bread, toss in olive oil and then top your mac and cheese with that before placing it in the oven ... it's oh so good!

What Else To Add To Your Sourdough Mac & Cheese?

I love the simplicity of classic sourdough mac and cheese, but like any good classic, there are always things you can add to make it taste a little different, or just use up something you already have in the fridge. Here are a few ideas of other ingredients you can add to your sourdough mac and cheese:

• Vegetables - veggies like broccoli, peas, spinach and cauliflower work really well.
  
• Proteins - any kind of meats like bacon, sausage, chicken, tuna, salmon are delicious when added to your sourdough mac and cheese.
  
• Herbs & Spices - think parsley, dill, chives, basil, thyme - dried or fresh - are a lovely addition.

I love serving this sourdough mac and cheese alongside these sourdough sausage balls or this sourdough grilled cheese sandwich.

How To Store + Freeze

You can make this sourdough mac and cheese up to 3 days before you want to eat it. Once baked, it lasts in the fridge, covered tightly in aluminum foil for around 3 days. You can reheat it gently in a moderate oven.

If you want to freeze your sourdough mac and cheese, portion it out into smaller portions and seal in plastic take away containers before placing in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw at room temp and then reheat in the microwave.

Share the sourdough love!