Description
Korean-inspired mac and kim-cheese blends creamy pasta with tangy kimchi, offering a bold fusion of comfort and spice. Cheese lovers will savor this zesty twist on classic macaroni, bringing Seoul’s culinary magic to your dinner table.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 8 ounces (226 grams) elbow macaroni
- 6 ounces (170 grams) goat’s milk or regular white cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 ounces (57 grams) gruyere cheese, shredded
- ½ ounce (14 grams) pecorino cheese, finely shredded
- ½ cup drained and coarsely chopped kimchi
Liquid and Binding Ingredients:
- ¾ cup (180 milliliters) milk
- 1 teaspoon sodium citrate
Topping Ingredients:
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
- Thinly sliced green onions
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water, generously salt, and set to high heat until vigorously boiling.
- Add macaroni to the boiling water, stirring occasionally, and cook until just shy of al dente, roughly 1-2 minutes less than package recommendation.
- While pasta cooks, prepare a medium saucepan by combining milk and sodium citrate over medium temperature.
- Whisk the milk mixture periodically, allowing sodium citrate to fully dissolve and creating small bubbles around the pan’s perimeter.
- Decrease heat to low, creating a gentle simmer for cheese incorporation.
- Systematically introduce cheese varieties, whisking thoroughly after each addition to ensure complete melting and smooth consistency.
- Gently fold cooked macaroni and chopped kimchi into the creamy cheese sauce, ensuring even distribution.
- For baked variation, activate oven broiler and lightly grease a 2-quart casserole dish with butter.
- Transfer mac and kimchi-cheese mixture into prepared dish, sprinkling reserved cheese and breadcrumbs across the top.
- Position dish under broiler, monitoring closely for 3-5 minutes until breadcrumbs transform into golden brown and cheese develops a bubbly, enticing surface.
Notes
- Sodium citrate is the secret ingredient that creates an ultra-smooth, creamy cheese sauce without traditional roux methods.
- Choose a high-quality kimchi with robust fermented flavor to elevate the mac and cheese with tangy, spicy complexity.
- Remove pasta slightly before fully cooked when planning to bake, preventing mushy texture during final broiling stage.
- Whisk cheese gradually into warm milk mixture to ensure complete melting and prevent grainy sauce consistency.
- Broiling adds crispy breadcrumb topping and helps develop beautiful golden-brown cheese bubbles for textural contrast.
- Store leftovers in airtight container for up to 3 days, gently reheating with splash of milk to restore creamy texture.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Korean-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 500
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated Fat: 14 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 54 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 18 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg