Bulgogi Mac and Cheese
Savory grilled Korean bulgogi is one of the best foods of all time, and what I like to do with great foods is add them to mac and cheese. The flavors here work amazing together! The creamy mac and cheese with the salty and umami rich meat and the tart and spicy kimchi! the perfect balance of tastes!
For this mac and cheese I used a creamy mild mix of colby and muenster cheeses to create a perfect backdrop for the bold, savory and stringent flavors of bulgogi and kimchi. Go ahead and bake this in a casserole, but if you have the Korean stone pots known as Dolsot it makes for a dramatic presentation sure to make your guests mouths water.
Making the bulgogi marinade
Garlic, ginger, onion, pear, and chile flake in the food processor to make the marinade. There is also soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and a little brown sugar. This is my version, but if you are looking for an authentic bulgogi recipe, check out this one from Kimchimari.
After you mix up the marinade, pour it over the meat. I used thin sliced ribeye for this.
Cook the bulgogi
Sear the meat in batches on very high heat. I like to do batches because you need a good sear on the meat to get that nice charred and caramelized flavor. The charred flavor of the bulgogi will really come through in the mac and cheese.
Make the cheese sauce
You will always have a better mac and cheese if you grate the cheeses yourself. I wanted nice mild and creamy cheeses for this bulgogi mac and cheese so I chose colby and munster.
Start with the roux of flour and butter, then add the milk, and then the cheeses.
Look at this beautiful cheese sauce. Finally add the pasta, bulgogi, and kimchi.
It will be pretty soupy but it is going to thicken up in the oven.
Bake the bulgogi mac and cheese
I baked the bulgogi mac and cheese in these awesome Korean stone pots known as Dolsot, but it works just fine in a casserole too. This is for 8 servings so you may not have enough bowls to cook them all like this.
A little extra kimchi on top adds some freshness to the deep flavors in this recipe. I also added some sriracha
This was a really unique flavor combination! I honestly wasn’t sure it would all work together, but it came out really great!
Twists on this bulgogi mac and cheese
If you wanted to make this bulgogi mac and cheese vegetarian, I know there are a lot of great store bought vegan bulgogi options out there. I also have made this tofu one a few times and it’s great! I also used penne which might be an odd choice for mac and cheese but I was feeling it at the time. Feel free to swap out your fave! It’s also a big batch, so go ahead and cut it in half if you need to.
If you want more bulgogi inspired recipes, check out my bulgognese, or this korean lamb burger. If you want more unique twists on mac and cheese, check out my pork belly mac, or this spoonbread inspired mac and cheese!
Bulgogi Mac and Cheese
Equipment
Ingredients
meat and marinade
- 2 small pears
- 1 medium onion
- 5 cloves garlic
- 2 inches ginger
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons korean chile flake sub regular chile flake
- pinch of salt
- 1 pound thin sliced ribeye
mac and cheese
- 12 oz munster grated
- 12 oz colby grated
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 cups milk
- 1 pound penne pasta
- 1 cup diced kimchi
Instructions
- Put all the marinade ingredients into the food processor (except for the meat!) Process until smooth. Pour over the ribeye. Store in the fridge and allow to marinate a couple hours or overnight. Cook the meat at a very high heat on a grill, in a grill pan, or in a skillet, in batches to brown well. Set the meat aside to use in the mac and cheese.
- Bring pasta cooking water to a boil. Preheat the oven to 350.
- In a dutch oven or heavy bottom sauce pan, melt the butter and stir in the flour. Stir well and cook about 3 minutes until the flour lightly browns.
- Whisk in the milk and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly to avoid burning and eliminate clumps. Once it starts to simmer you will notice it has also thickened. Remove from heat.
- Drop the pasta into the boiling water and stir well. Cook until it is al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package directs. When the milk mixture has cooled for about 5 minutes, add in the cheeses and stir well until the cheese is mostly melted. Add the cooked pasta into this mixture right after you strain it. Finally add the cooked bulgogi and the chopped kimchi.
- Transfer to a baking dish or the stone pots, and bake for a half hour. Top with additional kimchi before serving.
This sounds great, please update the ingredients / amounts when you get a chance. I’d also love to see a “casserole” tag for dishes like this and your Korean baked rice. Thanks for all the innovative and delicious recipes!
The ingredients and actual recipe are listed on the linked page above. Sorry for the confusion.
This sounds fantastic. The link to the actual recipe no longer works. Can you post a new link or add the recipe to this page?