Homemade Baked Macaroni and Cheese is a delicious, super rich, five cheese baked macaroni and cheese. This copycat steakhouse macaroni and cheese is fancy enough to serve to guests for holidays, but so delicious, you'll want to make this mac and cheese recipe every day!
In a large pot of salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve another 1/2 cup of pasta water to thin the sauce. Drain but leave a little water on the pasta to keep it moist. Return to the cooking pot and cover to keep warm.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and saute the onions for about 1 minute or until tender. Add the cream and bring to a simmer.
1 1/2 teaspoons melted butter, 1/4 cup yellow onion, 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
Stir in the sharp cheddar, cream cheese, Parmesan & Swiss cheeses and cook, stirring, until the cheeses melt and are fully incorporated into the cream.
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, 3/4 cup Swiss cheese, 4 oz. cream cheese, 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese
Let the sauce reach a simmer and stir in the chili paste. You will have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce.
1/2 Tablespoon chili paste
Remove from the heat and use an immersion blender or hand-held electric mixer (or whisk), to beat for about 45 seconds until the cheeses and onion are completely blended. The sauce will be thick; thin it with the reserved 1/2 cup of pasta water and mix well. Season to taste with salt.
Ladle the sauce over the pasta and mix well with a rubber spatula.
Transfer to a 3-quart baking dish and spread the pasta and cheese evenly. Sprinkle the coarsely shredded cheese over the casserole and sprinkle with the bread crumbs.