lisa.w.hsieh Perfect winter comfort food that will satisfy all your cravings! ♡ This kimchi mac & cheese is so simple and yummy, it’ll become a weeknight staple this winter!
I had a fairly long and painful commute home when I was in high school, but the best part was having a transfer in Toronto’s Koreatown North. Needing to pass through Finch station every weekday meant that I had easy access to some of the best Korean food in the city. One of the best ways to beat rush hour traffic was to make a quick pit stop at once of the numerous Korean restaurants for a snack or pop into one of the grocery stores for a quick shop. This was the start of my life long affair with Korean food.
Now as an adult, I always find ways to incorporate some Korean flavours into my favourite dishes. And as the weather gets cold, I crave nothing more than a big bowl of pasta or noodles. If it’s slathered in cheese, even better! My go-to winter meal lately has been this super easy kimchi mac & cheese, it brings together all of my favourite things. Pasta. Cheese. Kimchi.
I always have these ingredients on hand, so it’s the perfect weeknight dinner if you’re looking for something fast, easy and delicious!
What Pasta to use?
When it comes to mac & cheese, macaroni is the classic shape but my absolute fave pasta shape to use is gomiti elbow pasta which looks sorta like a snail shell. It’s about 2-3x bigger than traditional macaroni, just look at the size of those holes! It’s the perfect size for more yummy cheese sauce to coat the inside of each noodle. Also, one side is open while the other is pinched closed, which means the cheese says inside! And the ridges on the outside makes sure that the cheesy sauce really coats outside. This all leads to the perfect pasta to cheese ratio! If you want to nerd out on macaroni nomenclature and history, here’s a great blog post about it! (it’s also a great blog for past lovers in general :))
What cheese to use?
My favourite cheese to use is a nice sharp cheddar cheese. I’m pretty lazy so I like to use shredded old cheddar since it means time saved and I also hate washing the grater! Some recipes don’t recommend pre-shredded cheese because it’s coated in cornstarch to prevent clumping in the packaging. This can lead to uneven melting which leads to clumpy or grainy sauce. I find that you can still get a silky smooth sauce with pre-shredded cheese as long as you mix it in small batches in a pan removed from the heat. Or feel free to shred your own cheddar for a more fool proof silk sauce! Cheddar is my fave cheese so I always have it in the fridge and only use that in my recipe. I also think the sharp, salty flavour balances well with the spicy, sour kimchi. But if you want, you can add in some gouda or gruyere for a creamier and nuttier flavour!
So…What’s kimchi? What’s gochujang???
Kimchi and gochujang are staples to Korean cuisine and can usually be easily found in the refrigerated section of any asian grocery store or the international section of large grocery stores. They’re great to have on hand since they can be stored in your fridge for awhile. Kimchi comes in lots of forms of spicy fermented veggies but I usually buy the traditional napa cabbage one. Since kimchi is just fermented cabbage, it’ll just continuing fermenting in your fridge. However, the longer you have it, the more sour it gets, so I recommend finishing it in 3-6 months. Gochujang is a red chili pepper paste that’s savoury, sweet and spicy! Sweetness dominates the flavour with just a hint of spice so it compliments and balances out the flavour of kimchi really well. It’s also made with fermented ingredients so it can be kept in your fridge for over a year. But once you’ve tasted it, I’m sure you’ll use it much faster than that. It’s great in any noodle or fried rice dish and especially in this mac & cheese! Hope you guys enjoy!
Kimchi Mac & Cheese
Equipment
- skillet
- grated
Ingredients
- 2 cups macaroni pasta
- 2 1/4 cup sharp cheddar, shredded
- 3/4 cup kimchi, chopped and drained
- 1 cup milk, cold
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1/3 cup panko crumbs
- 1/4 cup parmesan, grated
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp gochujang optional, adds a bit of an extra kick so leave out if you don't want it too spicy
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente. Rinse under cold water, drain and set aside. Reserve some pasta water to mix into the sauce.
- In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Once all the butter has melted, slowly whisk in flour until you have a paste with all lumps gone and you have a light golden colour.
- Turn heat down to low and gradually whisk in cold milk until you get a smooth mixture, add garlic powder and continue whisking until bubbles just start to surface. (do not stop whisking or the sauce might burn or clump)
- Remove sauce from heat and mix in 2 cups of shredded cheddar until all the cheese has melted and you have a creamy, smooth sauce.
- Stir in chopped kimchi and gochujang. Taste the sauce and add salt & pepper to your liking.
- Add pasta to the skillet and mix until pasta is well coated. Add a tbsp of reserve pasta water at a time until you get the consistency you like. Spread pasta into an even layer, it shouldn't be more than 2-3 shells deep.
- Mix 1/4 cup shredded cheddar, parmesan and panko crumbs and sprinkle on top. Pop into the oven and broil for 3-4 minutes. You want the panko crumbs to be nice and golden right before they start to burn.
- Serve immediately so the sauce is nice and gooey. I like to garnish with some sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
Notes
- I like to use traditional napa cabbage Kimchi. This can usually be found in the refrigerated section of any asian grocery store
- Types of cheese – I’m a huge fan of sharp cheddar so I always have that on hand and and I prefer only that! If you want a creamier, nuttier sauce, you can mix in some gruyere and gouda
- Pre-shredded or shred your own? Most recipes tell you to avoid pre-shredded cheese because those are typically coated with cornstarch to prevent the cheese from clumping so it makes it harder to get a silky sauce. I’ve used both and if I’m running short on time, I find the pre-shredded cheese melts just fine as long as you stir it in small batches at a time
