Beer Cheese + Caramelized Onion Orzo Mac n Cheese
Käsespätzle-inspired beer cheese Mac + Cheese loaded with Gruyère, Swiss, caramelized onions, an Oktoberfest Märzen, and Barilla Orzo.
One of my best friends in college and I used to go on what we would call “beer walks” as soon as the first breeze of fall air hit. We would walk to a nearby grocery store, grab a local fall or Oktoberfest beer, and leisurely walk around our college town. Now in New York, I continue our tradition by hitting all the Oktoberfest celebrations around the city.
Käsespätzle is a traditional German cheesy spätzle dish caramelized onions. I used orzo in this mac to act as the spätzle, but any pasta shape will work. You just might need to adjust the sauce amount as orzo needs less sauce than larger pasta shapes.
I created this recipe in partnership with Barilla’s Mac-toberfest campaign. You can also find the video and the recipe on their Barilla US’ Instagram!
Käsespätzle-Inspired Orzo Beer Mac + Cheese
Serves 8 | Cook Time: 60 min
• 1 lb. Barilla Orzo Pasta
• 1 large or 2 small yellow onions, small dice
• 1 tbs. butter or olive oil
• 1/4 cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup (1 oz.) all-purpose flour
• 6 oz. German beer, such as a Marzen or Festbier
• 1 ½ cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup buttermilk (can substitute with more whole milk and add double the amount of Dijon mustard)
• 1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg
• ½ tbs. Dijon mustard
• 8 oz. grated Emmentaler/Swiss cheese
• 6 oz. grated gruyere cheese
• 2 oz. grated parmesan (plus more for topping)
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. black pepper
• Crispy fried onions, crushed for garnish
• Chives, finely chopped for garnish
Directions
Cook the pasta: Bring 4-6 quarts of well-salted water to a boil. Add in the orzo and cook for 7-8 minutes, until al dente. Strain and set cooked orzo aside.
Caramelize the onions: In the same pot over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of butter or oil, the diced onions, and a generous pinch of salt. Cover the pot to sweat the onions until they are translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Once translucent and softened, remove the lid and let the onions caramelize, stirring occasionally to make sure the bottom of the pot doesn’t burn. Use a splash of additional beer or water to deglaze the pot if the bottom is getting too dark before the onions caramelize. When the onions are a deep golden brown, remove them from the pot and set aside. You don’t need to clean out the pan unless the bottom is very dark.
Make the cheese sauce: Next, add the 2 ounces of butter into the pot. Once the butter is completely melted and begins to bubble, add the flour and whisk continuously until a smooth roux is formed. Cook until the paste is lightly golden and nutty-smelling. Then, add the beer, milk, and buttermilk 1/2 cup at a time, whisking until completely smooth in between each addition. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Add in the salt, pepper, Dijon mustard, grated nutmeg. Turn the heat to low and add in the cheese 1/2 cup at a time, whisking until smooth before adding more. Fold in the caramelized onions and the orzo. Be careful not to over-stir so that the orzo doesn’t break or become mushy. Taste and add more salt or pepper as desired.
Serve: Dish out the mac and cheese into individual servings, and top with more grated parmesan. Optionally, broil the mac and cheese briefly to melt the parmesan on top. Garnish with crispy onions & fresh-cut chives.
Love this!