Achari Mac and Cheese with Rotli Crumbs
This rich and creamy baked mac and cheese is a such a favorite with delicious flavorful achari cheese sauce and crunchy Vaghareli Rotli crumbs on top. It cannot get anymore desi or Indian-ish than that.
Perfect for a comforting meal with familiar flavors that I grew up with.
Let me be honest, we are not a huge fan of Mac and Cheese. I didn’t grow up eating it. I find it very bland in flavors and too cheesy, thus feeling heavy after eating it.
But this desi version or Indian-ish version will convert you to love mac and cheese. Not all Indians celebrate Thanksgiving in traditional ways by having a turkey and all the sides. But the more I want to celebrate Thanksgiving in traditional ways, I also want to keep it real with my audience or guests with choices. There are many versions of mac and cheese using Indian spices and I am pretty sure they all taste great. I have made Thai food or other cuisines during Thanksgiving.
I have never tasted boxed mac and cheese either. I know I know.
The vaghareli rotli topping is so good if you like breadcrumbs in macaroni. I wanted to try it for such a long time. Finally put this idea to use.
Ingredients and Method
Pasta – I have used traditional elbow pasta. If you choose some other shape, the taste will differ. Choose a similar or closer shaped pasta.
Cheese – I have used a mix of cheeses, gouda, mozzarella and sharp cheddar. You can use any cheese you like but use melting cheeses. Swiss, Gruyere are also some good melty cheeses.
Sauce – It is made by making a roux cheese base with milk, cream, flour, butter and cheeses.
Achari Masala – I used store-bought to save time. But there are a lot of recipes available and can be prepared at home. Achari masala is used for making Indian pickles and its pickling spice blend. It has whole spices that are roasted and then ground to powder. Spices used are mustard, coriander, fennel, kalonji, cumin, fenugreek seeds and dried red chilies. This spice blend upgrades the mac and cheese to another level.
Vaghareli Rotli – Vaghahareli (fried/sautéed) Rotis. We have a best from waste or leftover dish called vaghareli rotli where we use leftover a day old rotis and make this quick snack/breakfast. Rotis are tore down into small pieces, and shallow fried in oil with mustard/cumin seeds, red chili powder, turmeric powder and salt. It’s one of my favorite ways to enjoy leftover rotlis. Gujarati’s call it rotli and in Hindi is rotis. It tastes as it is good but on top of mac and cheese, it provides that crunch and texture.
Boiled elbow pasta 
Roux 
Milk & Cream 
Achari cheese sauce 
FInal dish
Few Tips
- Use any type of cheeses you love, because its important you love the taste of it.
- The idea is to use melty cheeses or cheeses that melt to create that cheesy sauce. Also keep in mind the flavor of the cheese. Cheeses like gouda, mozzarella, sharp cheddar, Monterey jack, Swiss, Gruyere.
- Make sure pasta is al dente, no one likes overcooked pasta and the fact we will be baking it, it will cook further.
- This can be prepared in advance and baked just before serving.
What makes this a better Mac and Cheese?
It’s the achari masala that adds so much flavor and the vaghareli rotli on top that rounds up the dish with crunch and texture.
Do you bake it or not?
Once we cook the whole dish, you can serve it as it is. But I love the crispy top in baked mac and cheese, and it holds the sauce well with creamy middle and crunchy top. So, I prefer to bake it. You can also add rotli crumbs on top alongwith cheese before baking.
Achari Mac and Cheese with Rotli Crumbs
Ingredients
Achaari Mac and Cheese
- 1 ½ cup macaroni Elbow shape
- 1 cup Milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 3 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 shallots finely chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp Achari masala powder
- ½ tsp red chili powder
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp garam masala
- Salt to taste
- 2 cups mix shredded cheeses Gouda, Mozzarella and Mexican blend
Vaghareli Rotli Crumbs
- 1/2 cup Vaghareli Rotli Crumbs
- 2-3 rotis or rotlis cut into small pieces
- 2 curry leaves
- 2 tbsp oil
- ¼ tsp red chili powder
- 1/8 tsp turmeric powder
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
Achaari Mac and Cheese
- In a boiling pot of water add salt and pasta. Cook it according to the package instructions. Drain and let it set aside. At the same time, on another side start heating up milk and cream in a pot on medium heat.
- The milk and cream mix should only be heated up it should not be boiling.
- In a pot or pan, melt butter on medium heat. Add flour and whisk it while it keeps cooking for about 2 minutes. Add chopped shallots too. Do not rush this process, or else flour will burn, and you will have start over. Let the raw smell go away and the flour will change slightly in color too.
- Add hot mixture of cream and milk carefully while whisking the flour and cook it until it is thickened. It only takes 2-3 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, add some of the grated cheeses, salt and seasonings – achari masala, extra red chili powder, turmeric powder, garlic powder and garam masala. Add tomato paste too. Stir to mix.
- Add cooked macaroni pasta and stir it well to mix. Transfer this to lightly greased baking dish or muffin pans if you like to serve it into muffin shape.
- Bake it at 375 F for about 25 minutes in a pre-heated oven or until the cheese has melted and the top looks golden. If you want extra crispy top, bake few minutes extra. Make sure to use timer.
- Once the pasta bakes and is ready to serve, serve it with a side of rotli crumbs.
Vaghareli Rotli
- Vaghareli Rotli is optional. But this is a good time to make it while the pasta bakes. Ideally breadcrumbs are added with cheese on top layer, but I purposely left it on side as individual topping.
- Take store-bought or leftover rotis that are a day old. Tear them up into smaller pieces. Leave it aside.
- Heat up some oil in a pan. Add curry leaves, rotli pieces and tiny pinch of red chili powder, turmeric and some salt. Toss everything and let it crisp up. It will take 5-7 minutes or little longer to crisp up. Once its crispy, turn off the heat. Let it cool down. If you can, crumble it with your hands or use a food processor and depending on the thickness of the crumb you prefer, pulse it. If you like the taste of curry leaves then crush it or remove it if you do not like the flavor. I left them.
Notes
- Use any type of cheeses you love, because its important you love the taste of it.
- The idea is to use melty cheeses or cheeses that melt to create that cheesy sauce. Also keep in mind the flavor of the cheese. Cheeses like gouda, mozzarella, sharp cheddar, Monterey jack, Swiss, Gruyere.
- Make sure pasta is al dente, no one likes overcooked pasta and the fact we will be baking it, it will cook further.
- This can be prepared in advance and baked just before serving.