Guinness and Irish Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese – Flavorful stovetop mac and cheese made with Guinness stout, sharp Irish cheddar, and a touch of dijon mustard. Creamy and cheesy with an optional crunchy breadcrumb topping.
St. Patrick’s Day is almost here! What will you be eating? Corned beef and cabbage? Shamrock shakes and green beer? I’m not a huge fan of any of the above (although I could take down a loaf of Irish soda bread in record time), but what I am a fan of is macaroni and cheese!
In honor of the upcoming holiday I made this delicious twist on mac and cheese by adding Guinness stout and lots of Irish cheddar cheese. And (eeeekkkk), it is SO, SO good!!! Like, can’t-put-down-my-fork-good.
This recipe is super flavorful, ultra creamy, and my new favorite mac and cheese. Guinness, Irish cheddar, and a touch of dijon mustard add a slight sharpness that cuts through the richness of this dish. It’s a grown up version of mac and cheese that is boldly flavored and worlds apart from that bland stuff that comes in a box.
I love the contrast of creamy and crunchy, so I topped this mac and cheese with a sprinkling of crunchy, garlicky breadcrumbs. Feel free to skip the topping if you’re looking to take a shortcut. It’s great either way! With or without the topping, there’s no need to turn on your oven. It’s all made on the stovetop.
Pour a pint of Guinness, throw together a salad, and you have a perfect meal! Oh, and don’t forget dessert – Guinness Brownies with Irish Cream Frosting or Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies!
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Recipe
Guinness and Irish Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
Macaroni and cheese:
- 1 pound elbow macaroni
- 2 tablespoons butter*, see note
- 2 tablespoons flour*, see note
- ⅔ cup Guinness or other stout
- 1 ½ cups 2% milk
- ½ cup half and half
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 ounces cream cheese, cut into pieces
- 3 ½ cups shredded cheddar (or another good melting cheese), divided SEE NOTE
Topping (optional):
- 1½ tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- salt/pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
Instructions
Topping (if using):
- In a medium skillet over medium-low heat, melt butter. Add garlic and breadcrumbs and cook, stirring frequently, until the breadcrumbs are lightly toasted and the mixture is fragrant. Remove from the heat, add salt and pepper to taste and minced parsley. Set aside.
Macaroni and cheese:
- Boil elbow macaroni in well salted water and cook until just al dente. Before draining the pasta, reserve a cup of the pasta water and set it aside (see note). While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheese sauce:
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together for a minute. While whisking, pour in Guinness, milk, half and half, salt, pepper, and mustard. Bring to a simmer and cook, whisking frequently, until it thickens slightly (several minutes).
- Add cream cheese and 2½ cups grated cheese and stir/whisk until completely smooth. Add drained, cooked pasta and stir to combine. Add remaining 1 cup grated cheddar and stir until melted (this will help achieve a stringy/cheese-pull texture). I like to let this mixture sit over low heat for a few minutes, stirring frequently, so that the pasta can soak up some of the cheese.
- To serve: Transfer to a serving bowl or individual bowls and sprinkle the top with the reserved toasted breadcrumbs. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Amy | The Cook Report
Love this idea! It’s so fun to try different variations of mac and cheese 🙂
Jessica Fasano Formicola
This sounds incredible! I love the flavor that the Guinness adds to things and mac and cheese is such a great idea!
Chris
Okay I think you’ve just reached macaroni cheese genius level. This. Looks. INSANE(lydelicious). I want this comfort food all up in my face!!!
Thanh | Eat, Little Bird
Sounds very interesting with the Guinness added! I love mac and cheese but never thought to add Guinness, but I can imagine that it must taste delicious!
Jessica Levinson
Looks so creamy and flavorful! What a great grown up version of mac & cheese!
Lakechik
Made it and turned out great! Very creamy and flavorful. Only changes I made was left out mustard and used heavy cream instead of half and half.
Celebrating Sweets
Great! Thanks for letting me know that you enjoyed it. 🙂
Simone
I just made this for dinner, and it was great! It distinctly differs from the mac and cheese we all grew up with in a much more sophisticated and filling way with richness of flavor. And the topping added a good contrast in texture. Thank you!
Celebrating Sweets
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for stopping by!
Anna
This recipe seems delicious can’t wait to try it. Could I ask what do you mean by half & half in your list of ingredients?
Celebrating Sweets
Half and half is a mixture of half milk and half cream. It is sold in the dairy section of the grocery store, near the milk.
Chrissy
A co-worker just married an Irishman in Ireland, and we’re throwing her an Irish-themed bridal shower at work. I’m bringing this. I made it for dinner tonight for my husband and me and he was completely beside himself with how delicious it was. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to make Alton Brown’s Stove Top Mac and Cheese recipe ever again after having made this one. Thank you!!!
Celebrating Sweets
Yay! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it. Best of luck with the bridal shower – it sounds fun! Thanks for stopping by.
Dawn
This is delicious! Made a large batch (4 lbs, of macaroni) for our annual summer party. This year’s theme is Celtics Highlands. It was a hit!
Celebrating Sweets
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for taking the time to stop by!