Mac and cheese is my favorite comfort food for the whole family at our house! Especially when the days are getting shorter and colder, we enjoy this delicacy with three types of cheese.
You know, my hubby is a big gas grill fan, and he wished for his last birthday a Dutch Oven. So now, we can prepare the most diverse delicacies on the grill to treat ourselves.
Be it with Mac and Cheese, duchess potatoes, Sourdough bread, or delicious baked goods. And the nice thing for us, he can grill, and I can write, photograph and film.
So win-win! Something we can both enjoy together! Yey!
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🎥 Video
🥘 Ingredients
Do you like my tableware? Snag it from Villeroy & Boch, too!
- 14.12 oz (400 g) Macaroni
- 11.29 oz (320 g) Heavy Cream
- 12.18 fl oz (360 ml) Milk
- 12.18 fl oz (360 ml) Water
- 2,5 teaspoon Mustard
- 2,5 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 2,5 teaspoon Magic Dust
- 7.06 oz (200 g) Frozen Corn Kernels
- 4.24 oz (120 g) Cheddar Cheese
- 7.06 oz (200 g) Gouda
- 2.83 oz (80 g) Panko Bread Crumbs
- 2.12 oz (60 g) Parmesan
- Half a bunch of Parsley
What is Panko?
Panko have been used in Asian cuisine for years, but are now becoming more mainstream in Western cooking. Panko are made from a crustless white bread that is processed into flakes and then dried. These breadcrumbs have a dryer and flakier consistency than regular breadcrumbs, and as a result they absorb less oil. Panko produces lighter and crunchier tasting fried food. They're traditionally used in Japanese cooking to make Tonkatsu and Chicken Katsu. In recent years panko is becoming more popular as a casserole topping for Mac&Cheese, Chicken Parmesan and as a crispy coating for Baked Veggie Fries.
Source: allrecipes.com
What is Magic Dust?
Magic Dust is a seasoning blend invented by Mike Mills, who was an award-winning pitmaster and owner of 17th Street Barbecue in Illinois. He passed away in December of 2020, but his famous barbecue spice mix lives on, seasoning everything from popcorn to smoked whole turkey.
Source: thespruceeats.com
Can I use something else for flavoring?
Of course! You can use any seasoning that you usually use for your Mac & Cheese!
🍽 Equipment
- Gas Grill - if you don't have a gas grill, you can easily make it in the oven too.
- Cast Iron Dutch Oven
- We are using the Petromax Dutch Oven flat base with lid ft6-t (5,5-6 L)
- Lid Lifter
- Whisk
- Mixing Bowls
- Wooden Spoon
- Grater
- Cutting Board
- Kitchen Knife
What's a Dutch Oven?
A Dutch oven (not to be confused with masonry oven) is a thick-walled cooking pot with a tight-fitting lid. Dutch ovens are usually made of seasoned cast iron; however, some Dutch ovens are instead made of cast aluminum or ceramic. Some metal varieties are enameled rather than being seasoned, and these are sometimes called French ovens. Dutch ovens have been used as cooking vessels for hundreds of years. They are called casserole dishes in English-speaking countries other than the United States (casserole means "pan" in French), and cocottes in French. They are similar to both the Japanese tetsunabe and the sač, a traditional Balkan cast-iron oven, and are related to the South African potjiekos, the Australian Bedourie oven, and Spanish cazuela.
Source: wikipedia.com
🔪 Instructions
Preliminary Steps
Take a medium-sized mixing bowl and mix cream, water, milk, mustard, salt, and magic dust with a whisk.
If you didn't opt for a pre-shredded cheese, grate the Gouda and Cheddar into a bowl and set it aside. Grate the Parmesan cheese into a separate bowl and mix it with Panko, and set aside as well.
Mince the parsley and put it in the fridge - you will need it for garnishing at the time of serving.
Cooking the Mac & Cheese
Pour the prepared liquid mixture into your cast iron Dutch Oven and place the Dutch Oven in the center of your gas grill (to prevent the mac and cheese from burning on the bottom) and bring it to a boil.
After bringing the liquid to a boil, operate only the burners to the left and right of the Dutch Oven. This way, it will heat up indirectly and give the heat evenly to the mac & cheese.
Once the liquid boils, add the macaroni and the frozen corn kernels, stir once, cover the pot with the lid, and cook for about 8 minutes.
Close the gas grill to get the desired top-bottom heat effect.
After the 8 minutes:
- Add the grated Cheddar and Gouda, stir well.
- Afterward, sprinkle your Mac & Cheese with the Panko bread crumbs / Parmesan mixture. This Panko mixture will create a perfect crunchy topping.
- Make sure you coat it evenly.
- Put the lid back on your cast iron Dutch Oven and close the gas grill.
After about 10 minutes, your mac and cheese will be ready to serve. Sprinkle them with the chopped parsley and enjoy! Yum!
Dutch Oven Mac & Cheese on the Campfire
This recipe is also fantastic when you are on a camping trip. Here you make your mac & cheese on the campfire and not with the gas grill. To do this, light a pile of wood and let it burn down. The resulting charcoal is ideal to use to heat the Dutch Oven. Enjoy!
To cook, first, place the Dutch Oven on the smoldering wood. After adding the Panko/Parmesan mixture, cover it with ember pieces of wood to add heat from above.
Fancy delicious Christmas dinner recipes? Check out the following recipes: Caesar Salad with homemade dressing, Homemade Mini-Cheeseburger, or Tafelspitz - Austrian Prime Boiled Beef. Or snag your copy of my Christmas Dinner Cookbook!
📖 Recipe
Dutch Oven Mac and Cheese (on the Gas Grill)
Ingredients
- 400 g Macaroni
- 320 g Heavy Cream
- 360 g Milk
- 360 g Water
- 2.5 teaspoon Mustard
- 2.5 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 2.5 teaspoon Magic Dust
- 200 g Frozen Corn Kernels
- 120 g Cheddar Cheese
- 200 g Gouda
- 80 g Panko Bread Crumbs
- 60 g Parmesan
- ½ bunch Parsley
Instructions
Preliminary Steps
- Whisk together cream, water, milk, mustard, salt, and magic dust in a mixing bowl.
- Grate the Gouda and Cheddar into a bowl and set it aside.
- Grate the Parmesan cheese into a separate bowl and mix it with Panko. Set aside as well.
- Mince the parsley and put it in the fridge.
Cooking the Mac & Cheese
- Pour the prepared liquid mixture into your cast iron Dutch Oven and place it in the center of your gas grill and bring it to a boil.
- Once the liquid boils, add macaroni and frozen corn kernels, stir once, cover the pot with the lid, close the grill, and cook it for about 8 minutes.
- Add the grated Cheddar and Gouda, stir well and then sprinkle your Mac & Cheese with the Panko bread crumbs / Parmesan mixture. Make sure you coat it evenly.
- Put the lid back on your cast iron Dutch Oven and close the gas grill.
- After about 10 minutes, your mac and cheese will be ready to serve. Sprinkle them with the chopped parsley and enjoy!
Please note that all my recipes are developed and tested in metric grams. I recommend using digital scales for more accurate results. I provided a conversion to US customary in the recipe, but please note that I haven't tested it using this method.
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
⛑️ Food Safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Addison
Loved this total comfort food! So warm and cozy!
Nora
Thank you, Addison!
Julia
Mac and cheese with breadcrumbs ... this was awesome. As you say comfort food at its best. Creamy, flavourful and perfect as the cooler days start to kick in. Thank you for this.
Sue
Fantastic comfort food!
Natalie
I love added panko crumbs. I have to give this recipe a try. My family will love it!
Becca
Hi there, excited to try this. Wondering if using conventional oven do I start with the Dutch oven on the stovetop to bring to a boil and then finish in oven?
Recommendations?
Nora
Hi Becca and happy holidays!
That's exactly how you can do it. Using the Dutch Oven, first bring to a boil on the stove and then finish cooking in the oven.
Optionally, you can also make the sauce separately in a sauce pan. But with this version, you should also pre-cook the macaroni separately (not aldente, because the macaroni will still cook in the oven). Then everything goes in order into the Dutch Oven. (Do not forget the delicious Panko layer in the end!) Finish baking in the oven.
Happy cooking!