Sunny Anderson Shows How to Make Smoked Gouda Skillet Mac & Cheese for Holiday Dinner

Sunny Anderson joins Ross Mathews in the kitchen to whip up a series of delicious holiday dishes! 

Sunny’s Smoked Gouda Skillet Mac 

Recipe courtesy Sunny Anderson, 2025 

Serves 6-8 

For the pasta and sauce 

• 1 pound cavatappi pasta, cooked al dente 1/4 cup water reserved 
• 1 pint heavy cream, room temperature 
• 1/2 white onion, grated on a rasp to make pulp 
• 2 cloves garlic, grated on a rasp 
• Pinch or a few grates of fresh nutmeg 
• 16 ounces smoked gouda, shredded 
• 8 ounces gruyere cheese, shredded 
• Kosher salt black pepper 
• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley 
• 2 tablespoons salted butter 

For the topping 

• 8 ounces gruyere cheese, shredded 
• 4 ounces pecorino romano, grated like sand 
• 8-10 thin slices prosciutto, chopped into bits when chilled 

1. Make the sauce. In a large pot on medium heat add the heavy cream, onion, garlic and nutmeg. Cook until steamy and fragrant, about 5-8 minutes. Add the gouda and gruyere, stirring to melt. Remove from the heat and stir in the reserved pasta water. Taste and season with salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Stir in the pasta and parsley. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch cast iron pan and pour the pasta and sauce into the pan. 

2. Top, bake and serve. Preheat the oven to 350° F. In a small bowl mix together the gruyere and pecorino cheese. Sprinkle this mixture over the top of the pan. Bake until bubbly and golden, about 20 minutes. Remove and turn on the broiler. Top the pan with prosciutto and place back under the broiler. Watch it as it browns and remove when there are some crispy tops, less than 4 minutes. Serve warm.  

Sunny’s Easy Slow Cooker Collard Greens 

Recipe courtesy Sunny Anderson, 2025 

Serves 4-6 

For the slow cooker 

• 1 large white onion, rough chopped 
• 6 cloves garlic 
• 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorn 
• 1 whole guajillo or ancho chile 
• 2 smoked turkey wings* 
• 4-6 cups chicken or vegetable stock, to cover 
• 2 bunches collard greens, woody stems discarded, leaves roughly chopped 

To finish 

• 2-3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, to taste 
• Hot sauce, optional 

1. Load the slow cooker. In a large slow cooker set to low, add the onion, garlic, peppercorn, chile, turkey wings, and collards. Top with a sheet of parchment larger than the slow cooker, then place the lid over the top of that. Cook for about 8-10 hours, until tender. While slow cooking, remove the lid and parchment a couple of times to stir, then cover back up. 

2. To finish. Remove the parchment, remove the wings and shred any meat off the bones. Discard the skin and bones. Add the meat back to the slow cooker. Add a couple of tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and taste. Add more if needed to balance. You shouldn’t taste the vinegar, it should just lift the flavor a bit. Serve with a shake of hot sauce, optional. 

*Smoked Turkey Neck alternative. If using smoked turkey necks, place them in a turkey baking bag and tie a knot to seal. Use a pair of scissors or a knife to poke small holes in the bag so the liquid of the slow cooker can exchange flavors with the smoked turkey neck. When done cooking, slowly lift and discard the bag or wait until it cools and remove the meat from the bones and return the meat to the pot. There’s significantly less meat on the neckbone, so I often do not care to retain any of it. The flavor as all you really need. 

Prep time: 10 minutes 

Cook time: 8-10 hours inactive