Caroline Choe Makes the Best Mac and Cheese

The author of Banchan shares her recipe—and some great cookbooks for kids

Are you caught up on The Dinner Plan? Now’s a great time to catch my conversations with cookbook authors Julia Turshen or Justine Doiron or Emily Weinstein of The New York Times. Make sure to hit “follow” so you don’t miss future episodes!

My podcast guest this week, Caroline Choe, has more than a few ideas for what to do with the cabbage kimchi in your fridge. You could, of course, serve it alongside any of the fermented or marinated dishes from her new book, Banchan: 60 Korean American Recipes for Delicious, Shareable Sides. But Caroline’s book also offers classic stews and crispy kimchi pancakes, plus her own recipes for things like creamy kimchi bacon dip, kimchi potato salad, sweet-and-savory grilled cheese, and her signature kimchi mac and cheese. (Scroll down to see the full recipe for that one.)

I talked to Caroline about the sometimes challenging, sometimes hilarious process of gathering recipes from her parents for publication. She also shared her favorite cookbooks for both kids and adults, and the ultimate way to revive leftover chicken—or holiday turkey or ham. (Hint: it involves gochujang gravy.)

Considering buying cookbooks as a gift for someone you love? I’ve gathered the book recommendations from The Dinner Plan’s guests here on Bookshop. (And here’s a handy list of all the books written by those guests.)

Want to win a copy of Banchan? Make sure you’re subscribed to this newsletter, then go leave a comment over here.

A few recipe links

Honey-Roasted Chicken With Garlic, Lavender, and Roasted Vegetables
Caroline also does a riff on Molly Yeh’s tater tot hotdish

Books Caroline loves

Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes by Mollie Katzen
KidsCooking, A Very Slightly Messy Manual by the editors of Klutz Press
The Little Paris Kitchen by Rachel Khoo
Anything by Ina Garten
The Chinese Way by Betty Liu (plus don’t miss Betty’s episode of The Dinner Plan!)
The Korean Vegan Cookbook by Joanne Lee Molinaro
Korean American by Eric Kim
Make It Japanese by Rie McClenny
The Food of Taiwan by Cathy Erway
Latin-ish by Marisel Salazar

And coming soon: Umma by Sarah Ahn and Soju Party by Irene Yoo

Photo: Ghazalle Badiozamani

Caroline Choe’s Kimchi Mac & Cheese

Reprinted from Banchan: 60 Korean American Recipes for Delicious, Shareable Sides. Copyright © 2024 Caroline Choe. Excerpted with permission from Chronicle Books, all rights reserved.

I thought there was no dish more crowd-pleasing than mac and cheese, until I served this kimchi mac at an event and it emptied faster than I could ever fill it back up. Whenever I bring this to family, friend, and client events, everyone is always excited to see it—which, of course, is the happiest reaction a chef could ever receive.

I find that the trick is sautéing the kimchi in butter. Since kimchi is acidic from the pickling with lots of liquid from the Napa cabbage, sautéing it will help reduce the water content and concentrate the natural flavors and oils. It also creates an incredible mornay sauce that won’t separate itself from the milk solids. Best of all, kimchi packs such an incredible punch of flavor, it’s guaranteed to enhance your already delicious mac.

Yields 6 to 8 servings

1 lb [455 g] cavatappi pasta or any preferred tube pasta
6 Tbsp [170 g] unsalted butter
4 oz. [115g] spicy napa cabbage kimchi, chopped into 1-inch pieces (a beginner’s portion of kimchi! Feel free to add more to your liking!)
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups [480 ml] whole milk
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp white pepper
¼ tsp mustard powder
¼ tsp smoked paprika
1 lb [455 g] extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated
8 oz. [230 g] gruyere cheese, grated
¼ cup [20 g] grated pecorino cheese
¼ cup [60 ml] 2% Greek yogurt, crumbled bacon & chopped scallions (optional)
Crumbled cooked bacon, for garnish (optional)
Chopped green onions, for garnish (optional)

1. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions until al dente. Before straining the pasta, carefully measure and reserve 5 Tbsp [75 ml] of the pasta water. Drain the pasta completely and set aside.

2. In a 5-qt. [4.7 L] pot over medium-high heat, melt the butter, tilting the pot to coat the bottom. Let it heat for about 1 minute. Add the chopped kimchi and saute’ for about 5 to 7 minutes, or until the cabbage has softened and the liquid has reduced by about half.

3. Add in the flour, and whisking it with the kimchi until completely combined to create a roux.

4. Gradually add in the milk, whisking constantly. Turn the heat to low and continue whisking, occasionally gently scraping up the sticky bits at the bottom of the pot with the whisk.

5. Add the salt, white pepper, mustard powder, and smoked paprika, and continue whisking for about 3 minutes or until the sauce thickens.

6. Gradually add the cheddar, gruyere, and pecorino cheeses and stir with a wooden spoon until they all have melted into the sauce, and the sauce texture is smooth.

7. Gradually fold the cooked pasta into the sauce until combined. Add the reserved pasta water to ensure the pasta bonds with the kimchi sauce, and to thin out the sauce’s consistency. Turn off the heat.

8. Remove from the heat and mix in the yogurt (if using; it adds a bit of tanginess). Garnish with bacon crumbles (if using) and green onions (if using).

9. Serve hot. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To reheat in the microwave, place the kimchi mac in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high for 1 minute. To reheat on the stove, place the kimchi mac in a pot or skillet with a generous splash of milk over medium-low heat, breaking it up and stirring with a wooden spoon. It tastes even better the next day!