The easiest upgraded herbed stovetop mac and cheese. Full of rich flavor from caramelized shallots, garlic, and hearty winter herbs. Plus of course lots of white cheddar and parmesan cheese. It comes together in just 20 minutes and could not be dreamier. Perfect as a holiday side dish or a simple weeknight meal!

Welcome to the third annual WEEK OF CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAYS! It’s the best week of the year, with a new giveaway each day and plenty of new (very delicious) holiday recipes. Just what we need to get in the Christmas spirit! I’ve teamed up with some of my favorite brands whose products I use in my kitchen to make beautiful meals all year long. We’ll be giving away some very exciting gifts to you as a way of saying thank you for all of your support this year.

Kicked things off over on Instagram yesterday for the first giveaway which you’ll find here! Today, moving on to one of my most loved kitchen pieces – a Le Creuset Dutch Oven. I have a couple of sizes and use them each and every week for just about EVERYTHING (think big batches of soups, pasta sauces, braised meats, stews and curries, random one-pot dinners, etc).

And of course, it’s absolutely necessary to make this decadent herbed stovetop mac and cheese.

I’d say mac and cheese is the all-around perfect December recipe. It’s a great Christmas side dish, but also doubles as the easiest, coziest weeknight dinner for all the nights leading up to the holiday.

This herbed stovetop mac and cheese is a simple process, but the recipe packs in so much good flavor. The secret touch is letting the milk simmer with fresh sprigs of woodsy herbs as it thickens. The herbs infuse all of their warm, intoxicating flavor and really makes this a special mac and cheese.

Since it’s such a fast recipe, you’ll want to have everything prepped and ready to go before you start cooking – shallots sliced, garlic minced, cheddar shredded, etc. Trust me, it’s one of those recipes that moves quickly from step to step.

The finished result? A big pot of very creamy, very cheesy, very herby mac and cheese that’d be best served simply with some roast chicken or a steak and maybe a big salad alongside.

giveaway details

For all the details on how to enter the first giveaway, head over to Instagram. We’ll be giving away a 5½ qt Le Creuset Dutch Oven in the color of your choice to one lucky winner (for all your upcoming mac and cheese nights!). For a bonus entry, make sure to leave a comment on this blog post below!

And stay tuned for the next giveaway tomorrow!

Herbed Stovetop Mac and Cheese

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a simple herbed stovetop mac and cheese with caramelized shallots, garlic, white cheddar, parmesan, and lots of hearty herbs 

servings: 4-6

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large shallots, thinly sliced
• kosher salt
• freshly cracked black pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 qt whole milk 
• 2 sprigs fresh sage
• 2 sprigs fresh oregano
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 lb short pasta (i used “pipe rigate”)
• 1 lb white cheddar cheese, shredded
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, heat a 5 ½ qt Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the olive oil. Once hot, at the shallots. Saute for a few minutes until golden brown, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
2. Add the butter. Once melted, whisk in the flour. Whisk for 30 seconds to cook out the flour. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking continuously. Add the herb sprigs and more black pepper. Bring the milk to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 6-8 minutes until slightly thickened, stirring often. 
3. Meanwhile, drop the pasta into the boiling water, stir well, and cook for 1 minute less than the package’s instructions. 
4. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Stir well to coat. Add the cheddar and parmesan cheeses. Stir over low heat until all of the cheese has melted and the sauce is super creamy. Lastly, stir in the parsley. Taste and season with more salt if needed.
5. Serve the mac and cheese immediately and top with more freshly cracked black pepper.

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