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, 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!
Jump to:
🥘 Ingredients
- 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 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!
🙋🏻 FAQ
Why bake in a dutch oven?
A 4 to 6-quart Dutch oven (affiliate link) does wonders for making large quantities of soups, chowders, and mac and cheese. The design of the Dutch oven lends itself well to not only making large quantities of food but also keeping that food warm. This is especially important if adapting this recipe for cooking over a campfire. For more information on adapting Mac and Cheese to the open air and campfire, check out Fresh Off the Grid Bacon and Blue Cheese are the secret ingredients to this Mac and Cheese dish.
Source: castironrecipes.com
Can I use pre-shredded cheese?
You certainly can for ease, however buying in blocks and shredding yourself is always preferred. Pre-shredded cheese has an anti-caking coating on it similar to flour – but it's not – and thus prevents the cheese from sticking to itself in the bag. That also means that it makes it more difficult to melt together in the pot. So if you can, shred the cheese yourself even the day before, and save in a Ziploc bag.
Pro Tip: Always make more bacon than you think you need.
Source: castironrecipes.com
How to store Mac and Cheese and can you freeze it?
Mac and Cheese can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. It can also be transferred to a tin pan, covered with tin foil, and frozen for about 2 months. Do keep in mind that from frozen and through the reheating process, the consistency may be a bit off from the cheeses as dairy has a funny way of freezing.
Source: castironrecipes.com
How to reheat Mac and Cheese from frozen
Place the frozen Mac and Cheese into the oven. Then turn on your oven to 350F. As your oven preheats, your Mac and Cheese will begin to dethaw. Leave it covered for about an hour then check the center. Once your Mac and Cheese have warmed up, remove the top covering and dust with buttered breadcrumbs or freshly shredded cheese, and bake for 10 minutes.
Source: castironrecipes.com
🎥 Video
📖 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!
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
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
Samantha @ FerraroKitchen
I have never heard of magic dust before! I love anything smoke/grill and I know this mac and cheese is fantastic! We only have a charcoal grill and will most certainly give this a try!
Addie
Total comfort food!! This was so yummy!
Anaiah
Yesssss! The ultimate comfort food! This dutch oven mac and cheese is definitely a new fave and we will be enjoying it year round.
Gabriela Herrera
Thank you for taking the time and detailing every step of the way. This is truly helpful this is the perfect mac and cheese.
Nora
Thank you so much!
Cindy Mom the Lunch Lady
I love that you use s combination of gouda and cheddar. Those are my go to cheeses for mac n cheese!
Gina Abernathy
I like to cook in my dutch oven and during the summer my gas grill gets used a lot. I have never tried corn in my mac and cheese. This is something I will have to try.
Nora
Yes, corn then gives the mac and cheese such a lovely little sweet touch. Please tell me how it turned out!
Jerika
I would definitely add this to one of my comfort foods.:) I liked how you cooked it. It's easy to follow and there are 3 types of cheese on it. Yum!
Julia
I've never heard of Magic dust before, it sounds like something out of Peter Pan 🙂 I'll have to try and track some down. I love this recipe, nothing much beats a rich flavourful macaroni cheese recipe. Good and filling for the cooler months of the year.
Nora
Hehe, you are right, it sounds like that! My hubby is using Magic Dust for most of his grilling creations, and I totally fell in love with this flavoring!
Joshua
Wow! I love mac and cheese and this is going to be my new way of making them! This recipe turned out great.
Natalie
Comfort food at its best! Lovely recipe. Adding this to my menu.
Agnieszka
I love this recipe because it’s so detailed. Your bacon cooking pro tip is 100% spot on!
Nora
Thank you so much!
Oscar
The gouda and the panko crumbs totally made this over the top for me. It was so good, I am going to make it again this weekend.
Nora
That's so great to hear that you've enjoyed it! I love this crunchy, cheese topping so much!
Megan Ellam
Oh my! How delicious does this look!
Jerika
Love it!:)
Addie
Talk about comfy cozy! The best comfort food.
Mihaela | https://theworldisanoyster.com/
I loved the mustard trick, haha! You are right; mac and cheese is the perfect comfort food. Just right for when it's already dark at 5 pm 🙂
Nora
Haha, thank you! 😀 I can't wait for the days to get shorter and colder again! The most beautiful time of the year is just around the corner!
Jeannie
mac & cheese is one recipe my mom used to make growing up. this reminded me of my childhood. Our meal bonding!
Sage
My kids love this mac and cheese. Even when I try to make extra, there are still no leftovers! The gouda and cheddar mix was too delicious in this.
Jodi Reed
Oh Yummy! Gouda in mac and cheese is the best.
Bobbie
What a different spin on Mac and cheese! I can’t wait to try this!
Arica
I love mac n' cheese! I've never put corn in mine, but I bet that adds a nice bit of sweetness to the savory! And a Dutch oven is next on my list of things to purchase for my kitchen. Thanks for sharing!
Nora
Since my little one loves corn so much, I try to incorporate it into my recipes as much as I can! And yea, I am so happy to finally have a Dutch oven at home! <3
Julia Y
Love this Mac 'n' Cheese recipe, it's always a welcome dish as the days grow shorter. You've a few different ingredients in this recipe from the one I usually make so we tried it yesterday evening. It was a revelation, so much more flavour. This is going to be our favourite from now on.
Nora
That's great to hear that you've enjoyed it! 🙂
Kayla DiMaggio
Loving this spin on mac and cheese! It is the ultimate comfort food and every bite was delicious! I'd eat this every night if I could!
Nora
I am so happy you like it! 🙂
Elizabeth Swoish
Delicious and perfect for the holidays.
Nora
Thank you, Elizabeth!
Nicole
Magic dust?!!
The sorcery! As if Mac and cheese weren't enough???🪄
Great recipe, I'm pinning this one!
Nora
Hehe, thank you! Yeah, Magic Dust is a wonderful flavoring that even takes Mac and Cheese up a notch. 🙂
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.