This might be the easiest "fancy" mac and cheese you'll make. One pack of Boursin takes the whole thing up a notch with almost no extra work. I grabbed the Costco 3-pack without overthinking it, and since I'd already made my usual mac and cheese base before, I figured this would work too.
I threw it together on a random afternoon after school, and the kids were into it right away. It's not their top dinner request, but as a quick snack or easy side, this one goes fast.
If you like cooking with Boursin, my Boursin pasta recipe is worth trying too.
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If you want something with more going on than cheese sauce, my creamy kielbasa pasta uses smoky sausage in a tomato cream sauce and takes about the same 30 minutes.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Wait, What Is Boursin, Anyway?
- What You'll Need
- Substitution and Additions
- How to Make Boursin Macaroni and Cheese
- Variations
- What to Serve With It
- How to Store Leftovers (If You Have Any)
- Rose's Tips for the Best Boursin Mac
- Recipe FAQs
- More Pasta and Noodle Recipes
- Did you try this recipe?
- Boursin Macaroni and Cheese
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Genuinely easy for how good it tastes. One package of Boursin does most of the flavor work, no complicated technique required.
- Fast enough for a weeknight. About 30 minutes start to finish.
- Flexible. Bake it for a crispy top, or skip that step and serve it straight from the pot.
- Feeds a crowd or scales down easily. Works as a main, a side, or a quick after-school snack.
- Freshly shredded cheese and a real roux make a real difference. This isn't a shortcut mac, it's a properly made one that just happens to be easy.
Wait, What Is Boursin, Anyway?
Boursin is a soft, spreadable cheese from France, similar in texture to a whipped cream cheese, but built around herbs, garlic, and a lot more flavor. The Garlic & Fine Herbs version is the classic, though it also comes in Shallot & Chive, Black Pepper, and a few others.
It's high in fat, which is exactly why it melts so well into a sauce like this one, smooth and glossy instead of grainy, with the garlic-herb flavor built in from the start instead of something you have to season in yourself.
What You'll Need
- Macaroni: Standard elbow works, but cavatappi or medium shells hold onto the sauce even better thanks to the ridges and curves.
- Boursin (Garlic & Fine Herbs): One package is the star here. Don't swap this out.
- Butter and flour: For the roux that thickens the sauce. Equal parts by tablespoon.
- Heavy cream and milk: The richer the dairy, the silkier the sauce. Whole milk works, 2% is fine too, just a slightly thinner result.
- Shredded mozzarella and cheddar: Adds structure and stretch. Shred your own if you can, pre-bagged cheese has an anti-caking coating that can make the sauce grainy. Sharp cheddar brings more flavor than mild.
- Breadcrumbs: For the crunchy top. Toast them first in a dry skillet or with a little butter for better color and crunch. Panko gives a lighter, airier crumb than standard breadcrumbs.
- Salt, pepper, garlic powder: And a small pinch of sugar, which balances the sharpness of the cheese. Optional, but worth keeping.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitution and Additions
- Different Boursin flavors: Black Pepper Boursin makes a spicier, bolder version. Shallot & Chive gives you a milder herb note. All work with the same quantities.
- Cheese upgrades: One reader tried extra sharp cheddar, Gouda, and Parmesan in place of the mozzarella-cheddar blend, and it was a clear upgrade. Gouda adds smokiness, extra sharp cheddar deepens the flavor. Gruyère works well too if you want more nuttiness.
- Different pasta: Penne, fusilli, or cavatappi all work. Anything with ridges or curves holds the sauce better than smooth tubes.
- Add-ins: Cooked crumbled bacon stirred in before baking, sautéed mushrooms, or wilted spinach. All work well without changing the base recipe.
- Higher protein: Blend a cup of cottage cheese into the sauce along with the dairy. It disappears completely once smooth, and adds a real protein boost without changing the flavor.
- Make it fancier: Fold in chunks of cooked lobster or shrimp right before baking for a special-occasion version.
- No-roux stovetop version: If you want the fastest possible result, skip the roux entirely. Warm heavy cream and Boursin over medium-low heat until the cheese melts, stir in cooked pasta, add shredded cheddar and stir until melted. Done in about 15 minutes total. Thinner than the roux version, but still very good.
How to Make Boursin Macaroni and Cheese
- Cook Pasta: Boil macaroni according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- Make Roux: Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk until smooth, cooking about a minute more so it loses its raw, floury taste.
- Add Dairy: Gradually whisk in heavy cream and milk. Cook until the mixture thickens.
- Add Cheese: Stir in the shredded cheeses and Boursin until melted and smooth. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and the pinch of sugar, then taste and adjust.
- Combine Pasta and Sauce: Add the cooked macaroni to the cheese sauce and mix well.
- Assemble: Transfer to a baking dish and sprinkle toasted breadcrumbs on top.
- Bake: Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake for 5 minutes, until the breadcrumbs turn golden and crisp. Sprinkle with fresh parsley before serving.
Variations
- Bacon Boursin Mac: Stir in crumbled bacon before baking, and use some of the rendered fat in place of butter for the roux.
- Lobster Boursin Mac: Fold in chunks of cooked lobster or shrimp right before assembling, for a version special enough to serve as a main.
- Stovetop-Only Mac: Skip the bake entirely, this is fully cooked and ready to eat after Step 5. Skip the breadcrumbs and serve straight from the pot.
- Veggie-Loaded Mac: Stir in sautéed mushrooms or wilted spinach along with the pasta for a heartier, more filling version.
- Higher-Protein Mac: Blend a cup of cottage cheese into the sauce for extra protein without changing the flavor.
- Swap the cheese entirely. Boursin is soft, garlicky, and stovetop-friendly. If you want smoky and sharp instead, my smoked gouda mac and cheese uses a béchamel base with cheddar and bakes under a panko crust. Different technique, different dish.
What to Serve With It
- Garlic noodles: If you want something even more carb-forward alongside the mac.
- Stir-fried garlic green beans: Crunch and contrast against the richness of the sauce.
- A simple green salad: Something crisp and cold cuts through the richness. My simple green salad is an easy no-fuss option.
- Grilled or baked protein: Chicken, pork chop, or Italian sausage rounds it out if you're serving this as a main.
- Crumbled bacon: Stirred in right before serving, the most common add-on for good reason.
How to Store Leftovers (If You Have Any)
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The sauce thickens as it cools, that's normal.
To reheat, add a small splash of milk before microwaving and stir halfway through, this brings the creaminess back. The oven at 325°F for 10-15 minutes also works, especially if you want to re-crisp the breadcrumbs.
Rose's Tips for the Best Boursin Mac
- Pull the pasta early. Undercooked pasta that finishes in the oven is the difference between springy, sauce-coated mac and mushy, overcooked noodles. One to two minutes before al dente is enough.
- Cook the roux until it smells nutty. One extra minute of whisking before the dairy goes in removes the raw, floury taste that shows up when the roux is underdeveloped. It should look smooth and smell nutty before anything else gets added.
- Shred your own cheese. Pre-shredded bags contain anti-caking agents that keep the sauce from melting smooth. Block cheddar or mozzarella, freshly grated, makes a noticeably creamier result.
- Toast the breadcrumbs first. In a dry pan, or tossed in melted butter. Pre-toasted breadcrumbs crisp up faster in the oven and don't soak up as much moisture from the sauce.
- Save some pasta water. Reserve a cup before draining. It's the easiest way to loosen the sauce if it's thickened too much by the time you add the pasta.
- Don't rinse the pasta. The starch left on the noodles actually helps the sauce cling better. Only rinse if you're making a cold pasta salad.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. It's one of the better additions you can make to a homemade mac sauce. The high fat content melts cleanly without breaking, and the garlic-herb flavor builds into every bite rather than getting lost the way some milder cheeses do.
It does. Boursin's soft, high-fat texture melts smoothly into a sauce without the graininess you sometimes get from harder cheeses. It works best added after your other cheeses, over low heat, with a gentle stir.
Extra sharp cheddar is the most common pairing and the most flavorful. Gouda (smoked or plain) adds depth. Gruyère adds nuttiness. Parmesan adds a salty, savory note on top. One reader tested extra sharp cheddar, Gouda, and Parmesan with the Boursin base and called it a solid upgrade.
Yes. The sauce is fully cooked and ready after Step 5. The bake step is only there to crisp the breadcrumbs. If you skip the breadcrumbs, you can serve this straight from the pot as a stovetop mac.
The roux version (this recipe) produces a thicker, more stable sauce that holds up well for baking and reheating. The no-roux version - just cream, Boursin, and cheddar stirred together, is faster and silkier but slightly thinner and better eaten immediately.
No. The starch left on the noodles helps the sauce stick to them instead of sliding off. Only rinse pasta if you're making a cold salad.
Yes. Blend a cup of cottage cheese into the sauce along with the dairy. It disappears completely once smooth and adds protein without changing the flavor.
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Boursin Macaroni and Cheese
Equipment
- Big pot (for cooking pasta)
- skillet (for cooking sauce)
Ingredients
- 8 oz macaroni
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 5.2 ounce Boursin cheese Garlic & Fine Herbs
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- Fresh parsley for garnish
- salt and pepper
- ½ teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Cook Pasta: Boil macaroni as per package instructions. Drain and set aside.8 oz macaroni
- Prepare Roux: In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour, whisking continuously for 1-2 minutes.2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Add Dairy: Gradually pour in heavy cream and milk, whisking until the mixture thickens.1 cup heavy cream, 1 cup milk
- Incorporate Cheeses: Stir in the shredded cheeses and Boursin until melted and smooth. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and the pinch of sugar, then taste and adjust.5.2 ounce Boursin cheese, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese, salt and pepper, ½ teaspoon sugar
- Combine Pasta and Sauce: Add the cooked macaroni to the cheese sauce, mixing thoroughly.
- Assemble: Transfer the mixture to a greased baking dish.
- Top with Breadcrumbs: Sprinkle breadcrumbs evenly over the top.1 cup breadcrumbs
- Bake: Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake for 5 minutes until breadcrumbs are golden and crisp.
- Garnish and Serve: Sprinkle with fresh parsley before serving.Fresh parsley for garnish
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Notes
- Pull the pasta 1-2 minutes before al dente. It finishes cooking in the oven, and starting undercooked keeps it from turning mushy.
- Cook the roux until it smells nutty, about a minute after the flour goes in. This gets rid of the raw, floury taste.
- Shred your own cheese if you can. Pre-shredded bags have anti-caking agents that can make the sauce grainy instead of smooth.
- Don't rinse the pasta. The starch helps the sauce stick.
- If the sauce thickens too much before you add the pasta, loosen it with a splash of the reserved pasta water.
- The sauce will thicken further as it cools. A splash of milk when reheating brings the creaminess right back.
- Toast the breadcrumbs before topping, they crisp up faster in the oven and hold up better against the moisture from the sauce.
Shannon says
This was really good! My 8 year old even asked for me to make it again! I had a collection of cheeses at home so I did use some extra sharp cheddar, Gouda and Parmesan to make the cup of added cheese. I also through in about 2 cups of cooked chicken to add more protein
Rose Sioson says
That makes me so happy to hear, especially the 8-year-old seal of approval 😄 Love your cheese combo too. Extra sharp cheddar, Gouda, and Parmesan is a solid upgrade. And adding chicken for extra protein is such a smart move. Thanks so much for sharing what worked for you!