This Cream Of Mushroom Mac And Cheese, with a creamy mushroom sauce, is extra-indulgent and ultra-delicious. This creamy and delicious mac and cheese are made with a sauce of mushrooms, onions, and garlic. This easy, creamy mushroom mac and cheese is perfect for a quick weeknight meal. It’s just minutes to prepare, it’s packed with cheesy goodness everyone will love. Plus, it makes great leftovers too! The combination of mac and cheese and cream of mushrooms is simply delicious. It’s even better with some crispy bacon on top, but it’s equally tasty without the meat. Enjoy!
What is Cream Of Mushroom?
Cream of mushroom is a cream-based soup that contains mushrooms. The cream can be either dairy cream or cream made from vegetable oil. Cream soups are used in many recipes, including cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, cream of celery, etc. Countless recipes call for these cream soups.
A well-known dish among vegetarians is stuffed Portobello mushrooms with the stuffing consisting mainly of rice and vegetables and other ingredients, including salt, pepper, garlic powder, or other spices depending on personal taste preferences.
Origins Of Cream Of Mushroom Mac And Cheese
There’s no official history or origin of mushroom mac and cheese cream. However, since cream soups have been around for a long time, it makes sense that cream of mushroom would be used in recipes such as cream of mushroom mac and cheese. In addition, cream-based soups such as cream of chicken and mushroom can be prepared quickly by simply adding water to the soup base. This means cream soups are commonly prepared when cooking easy weeknight dinners, such as this creamy mac and cheese dish.
Serving
Cream of mushroom mac and cheese makes 6 to 8 servings. It’s an easy recipe to double or triple if you need more servings, though you may want to consider using two pans when cooking the recipe this way. Other tasty side dishes that go great with macaroni are dill pickles, green peas, baked beans, applesauce, caramel corn, crackers, spinach casserole, cream corn, cream-style corn, cream of cream celery soup, cream of asparagus soup, cream of chicken soup, and cream of mushroom.
Time
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb elbow macaroni (about 2 cups dried),
- 3 tablespoons butter,
- 1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup),
- 5 oz mushroom, sliced (I used crimini mushrooms),
- 2 cloves garlic, minced,
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour,
- 2 cups milk (I used skim milk),
- 15 oz can cream of mushroom soup (the condensed cream of chicken soup is a good alternative),
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (divided),
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Directions
- Cook the elbow macaroni in generously salted water according to package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Melt butter in a large pot or skillet over medium heat. Add onions and mushrooms, saute for about 8 - 10 minutes, occasionally stirring, until soft and fragrant.
- Lower the heat if necessary to prevent burning; stir garlic into the onion mixture during the last minute of cooking time. Add flour; stir well for about 30 seconds, or until well incorporated into the cream sauce mixture.
- Slowly pour milk into the cream sauce mixture while constantly whisking until smooth.
- Bring the cream sauce mixture to a boil or until thickened; reduce heat to medium-low and add cream of mushroom soup into the cream sauce mixture.
- Stir well, then stir in 1 cup cheddar cheese; season with salt and pepper. Add macaroni to cream sauce mixture, stirring gently to coat the pasta completely with the cream sauce; adjust seasoning according to taste.
- Pour macaroni and cheese into an oven-safe dish (I used 8 x 8). Top with remaining 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese.
- Bake at 400°F for about 15 - 20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and thoroughly heated; broil on high for another 2 - 3 minutes if necessary for more crispy cheese topping.
Tips:
The cream sauce may look a bit lumpy after adding cream of mushroom soup and 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese. Do not worry; it will become smooth and creamy after cooking the macaroni in the cream sauce mixture.
You can add diced cooked chicken into cream of mushroom mac and cheese before baking if desired. Just stir in 1 cup or more cooked, chopped chicken.
When you add the elbow pasta to the cream sauce mixture at the end of cooking time before transferring cream of mushroom mac and cheese into an oven-safe dish. Baking with chicken makes cream of mushroom mac and cheese taste even better!
Nutritional Information
- Calories: 295
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated fat: 9 g
- Cholesterol: 46 mg
- Sodium: 697 mg
- Carbohydrate: 26.2g
- Sugar: 2.7 g
- Fiber: 1.3 g
- Protein: 16.4g
Cream of chicken soup can be used in place of cream of mushroom soup for cream of mushroom mac and cheese recipe when you are short on time or ingredients. You can also stir in some cooked, diced chicken into cream of chicken soup before spooning the mixture over elbow pasta to make cream of mushroom mac & cheese with chicken - Cream
Try All Of Our Mac And Cheese Recipes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use cream of chicken soup to make cream of mushroom mac and cheese?
Yes, you can substitute cream of chicken soup for cream of mushroom soup in this recipe. Creams are interchangeable in most recipes as long as the ratios are kept about the same, but they do have different tastes and consistencies, so keep that in mind.
Would cheddar cheese be okay for the cream of mushroom mac and cheese recipe?
No, it wouldn’t because cheddar doesn’t melt well into a creamy sauce like American or Velveeta cheeses would - especially when baking with other ingredients for longer periods.
Can cream of mushroom soup be substituted for cream of chicken soup?
No, cream of mushroom soups are thicker than cream of chicken soups, so it wouldn’t blend well with the liquid ingredients if you were to substitute cream of chicken for the cream of mushroom in this cream sauce recipe.
Final Words
The cream of mushroom mac and cheese is a quick and nutritious meal for any day of the week if you have cream, elbow macaroni, cream of mushroom soup, and shredded cheddar cheese at home. It is a comforting meal that everyone can enjoy. Even people who don’t like cream can enjoy the cream of mushroom mac and cheese with its mild cream flavor! Try the cream of mushroom mac and cheese recipe to see if your family likes it; I’m sure they will ask for more, especially when they find out how easy cream sauce recipes are to make.
Checkout More Top Mac And Cheese Recipes:
Banza Mac And Cheese Recipe
Cheetos Mac And Cheese Recipe
Chipotle Mac And Cheese
Velveeta Smoked Mac And Cheese
