Spice up a classic American dish with this deliciously creamy, cheesy, and umami-packed kimchi mac and cheese recipe. When you pair kimchi and cheese together you are met with an extraordinary flavor explosion in your mouth that is too good to pass up on.
Cook the Pasta. Boil your pasta in a pot of heavily salted water. Cook your pasta until al dente. Strain the pasta. Place the pasta back in the pot and toss with 2 tablespoons of butter until melted.
Prepare the oven. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
Reduce the Kimchi and Gochujang. In a non-stick skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Add the chopped kimchi, gochujang, and doenjang and simmer for 5 minutes. Add kimchi juice and chicken stock simmer and reduce for an additional 4 minutes.
Add the flour, milk, and salt. Add in the flour and mix for 1 minute. Then slowly add the milk and stir until the mixture is lump-free. Add in the salt and stir. Heat for about 5 minutes on medium-high until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon.
Remove from heat and add cheese. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese until combined.
For an additional crunch, bake with panko breadcrumbs. Pour the sauce into the pot with the macaroni. Stir quickly then pour into an 8x8 baking dish. Sprinkle with panko bread crumbs and bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden.
Serve Immediately. Top with green onion, sesame seeds and serve immediately.
Notes
You can mix and match the cheese. You can use cheddar, parmesan, Monterey jack, etc. Just make sure that you do not pick a cheese that is overly sharp with an overly rich taste because you do not want it to compete with the Kimchi flavors.
Grate your own cheese! Grating the cheese makes a huge difference. Store-bought includes anti-caking agents that can make your sauce a bit grainy or powdery.
Make sure the cheeses are at room temperature. If you add cold cheese directly into the hot sauce, you may risk the cheese curdling. To be safe, grate the cheese when it is cold and leave it out on your workspace so that it reaches room temperature before mixing it into the sauce.
Storage Instructions. You can store this Kimchi Macaroni and Cheese in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, simply microwave until warmed. You can also make the cheese sauce ahead of time and it’ll keep for up to a week in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer. Reheat it and fold in your noodles just before serving.