When I worked at Boston Market in college, a coworker mixed sweet potatoes into her mac and cheese. At first, I thought it strange. But one day, I tried it and was blown away by the combination. The sweet and savory flavors worked so well together. I considered recreating it for a blog post, but having to cook sweet potatoes first felt like it’d be a deal breaker for most people (myself included). The concept of a mac and cheese with a touch of sweetness never left my brain, though. And then it came to me: fig and brie mac and cheese.
Frankly, I’m not sure why more people aren’t using brie for mac and cheese. It melts so beautifully, creating a perfectly velvety sauce. The flavor is mild, but that’s what the fig jam is for. It’s giving baked brie, and I’m extremely here for it.
Fig and Brie Mac and Cheese Ingredients:
This recipe uses but a few simple ingredients.
- Pasta
- Butter
- All purpose flour
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Milk
- Fig jam
- Brie
Most of them are self explanatory, and even things you might have at home. I’ll dive into anything that isn’t below.
Let’s talk pasta
I used curveballs for this recipe. Protein curveballs, to be exact. I love a protein boosted pasta because it gives my whole family (but specifically my four year old) a little extra protein without any added effort. If you’re looking to serve this as an entrée, I can’t recommend protein pasta enough. As for the shape, curveballs or shells work great for mac and cheese. They’re short and catch sauce well, so they’re well suited for it. Feel free to use whatever shape you like best, but do consider its ability to catch sauce!
How to prep the brie
Using brie for mac and cheese was honestly a brilliant move on my part. It’s soft and melty, so you can chop it into cubes instead of grating it. The one annoying thing is that you’ll need to remove the rind before cooking. I know, I know, ugh. Thankfully, it’s pretty easy! I did it with a paring knife and it only took a minute. I would just recommend that you buy a wedge of brie rather than a wheel. A wedge will have way less rind to deal with. You’re welcome.
Can I make this fig and brie mac and cheese gluten free?
Sure! To make this gluten free, just use your favorite gluten free flour (1 to 1) and pasta.
How to store
I know from experience that this fig and brie mac and cheese holds up great as leftovers. It’ll be good for a few days in an airtight container in the fridge. If you need to store it for longer than that, an airtight container in the freezer should do the trick! It’ll be good for a few months that way.
Simple Stovetop Fig and Brie Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 oz Curveball or shell pasta
- 2 tbsp Unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp All purpose flour
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Black pepper Freshly ground
- 2 cups Milk
- 3 tbsp Fig jam
- 8 oz Brie Cubed, with rinds removed
Instructions
- Cook pasta per the instructions on the box. When it's al dente, drain and set to the side.
- While the pasta cooks, melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Then add flour and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly to form a roux. (The color will darken as it cooks – it should look golden when it's done.)
- Add the salt and pepper and stir to combine. Then slowly pour in the milk, stirring as you pour. Cook until it comes to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
- Add the cheese in two batches, stirring often. After you’ve added the last of the cheese, add in the fig jam and continue to stir.
- Once all the cheese has been incorporated and the sauce is smooth and creamy, add more salt, pepper, and fig jam to taste and then mix in the cooked pasta, stirring to coat. Serve immediately.
And there you have it! This recipe is so quick and easy, and since it’s stovetop, it’s a great candidate for Thanksgiving. If you make it, I hope you love it. Let me know what you think in the comments or on Instagram. And don’t forget to tag me if you post a picture! It always makes my day when I get to hear from you or see your creations.
Looking for more tasty holiday side dishes? Try my garlicky green beans with pomegranate tahini sauce or my (ok, they’re really my grandma’s) pistachio and Ritz cracker stuffing muffins! Or if you’re looking for the perfect dessert, give my apple butter burnt basque cheesecake or my pumpkin pie with Biscoff crust and mascarpone whipped cream a go.
