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Mac and Kimcheese Dolsot Bibim-mac

Posted November 3, 2016 by Stephanie

Mac and Kimcheese Dolsot Bibimbap

Mac and cheese will forever be one of my go-to comfort food dishes. There’s just something about that creamy combination of cheese and noodles that will always be my favorite food hug. I love how you can dress mac up or down, and no matter what, it’ll always be a bowl of deliciousness.

Mike and I came up with this dish together, which is, hands down, the best way to come up with ideas. Out of the blue one day this happened:

Mike: You love crispy mac and cheese.
Me: I do!
Mike: You know what would be really crispy? Stone bowl mac and cheese.
Me (silence while my mind is blown, then): OMG. YES. With kimchi. Kimcheese dolsot bibim-mac!!!

Of course I had to make it, even though it was 10 at night and we had already eaten dinner. No worries, we said to ourselves, we’ll just have a small taste and then eat the leftovers tomorrow. Yeah, um, there were no leftovers. It was worth it though! Creamy and tangy from the kimchi, with pops of bright funkiness from the mentaiko.

Mentaiko, if you haven’t had it, is amazing. It’s cod (or pollock) roe, made spicy and red by way of marination with salt and red pepper. It’s creamy, briny, slightly spicy and salty and it tastes amazing with noodles, on rice, basically, everywhere. It added just the right amount of umami to an already amazing combination of mac and cheese and kimchi.

Mac and Kimcheese Dolsot Bibimbap

Mac and Kimcheese Dolsot Bibimbap

Mac and Kimcheese Dolsot Bibimbap

Mac and Kimcheese Dolsot Bibimbap

Mac and Kimcheese Dolsot Bibimbap

Mac and Kimcheese Dolsot Bibimbap

PS – Speaking of amazingness, this is a mac and cheese bowl to celebrate my dear friend, Cynthia of Two Red Bowls. She just gave birth to her new baby bowl, Luke! If you haven’t visited her site, please do. I love her fresh and fun combinations, which are a tasty mix of the South (where she grew up), Chinese (her heritage), and Korean (her husband’s heritage). Cynthia is the absolute sweetest and I always look forward to her sweet comments and epic thoughtful emails. I just know that baby Luke will grow up well fed and well loved. Congrats Cyn, Andy, and of course Luke! You picked a pretty awesome family!

Myself and Alana of Fix Feast Flair, rounded up some bloggers to welcome Cynthia’s new baby. The theme was bowls (courtesy of Mike, who figured out the cutest theme ever) and there are some amazing bowls out there, I hope you check them out!

Fix Feast Flair | Dishoom’s Chicken Ruby Murray
The Fauxmartha | Mom Lunches
A Cozy Kitchen | Cornbread Chicken + Dumplings
Cake Over Steak | Salted Caramel Chocolate Crackles
The Pancake Princess | Stovetop Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Snixy Kitchen | Chicken Pot Pie with Chestnut Biscuits
Lady and Pups | Egg Florentine in Pullman “Bowls”
Betty Liu | Honeynut Squash Congee
Style Sweet CA | Date Bourbon Cinnamon Rolls
Warm Vanilla Sugar | Broccoli Quinoa Bowl with Avocado Sauce
A Beautiful Plate | Coconut Cauliflower Soup
Girl Versus Dough | Tomato Grilled Cheese Soup
Fork to Belly | A HUGE Hawaiian Fruit Bowl!!!
Donny Tsang | Chawanmushi
Wit & Vinegar | Jerk Chicken Chili
Constellation Inspiration | Salted Egg Yolk Custard Mochi
twigg studios | Katsu Udon Soup wth Popcorn Chicken Croutons
Edible Perspective | Acorn Squash Bowls with Pears, Pecans, and Vanilla Bean Cream
Coco Cake Land | Asian Bowl Cut Sugar Cookies
Southern Souffle | Sorghum Apple Biscuits In A Bowl
The Bojon Gourmet | Smoky Sweet Potato & Lentil Tortilla Soup
Flourishing Foodie | Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Soup
What should I eat for breakfast today | Little Bowl with Creamy Polenta, Cheese, Onions and Mushrooms
Top with Cinnamon | Squash & Crispy Kale Bowls with Pomegranate and Miso-Ginger Dressing
the broken bread | Roasted Celeriac + Fennel Soup
Fig+Bleu | Cauliflower Harissa Soup
my name is yeh | Corn Dog In A Bowl
Crepes of Wrath | Mini Scallion Pancake Challah Buns
O&O Eats | Persimmon Cobbler
Chocolate + Marrow | Parsnip + Potato Soup with Crispy Pancetta
With Food + Love | Caramelized Golden Beet Soup with Fall Roots + Garlicky Yogurt
The Pig and Quill | Slow Cooker Pumpkin Curry Beef Stew
Hungry Girl Por Vida | Rice Cooker Oats with Brûléed Bananas

Mac and Kimcheese Dolsot Bibim-mac Recipe
serves 2


  • 1 cup macaroni
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 1/4 cups milk
  • 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • extra grated cheddar for the dolsot
  • 1/2 cup kimchi, chopped
  • 1 sac mentaiko, roe scraped out of the membrane, using a spoon, optional
  • gochugaru, optional

To scoop out the mentaiko: cut it open with a knife, then use a spoon to gently scoop out the insides. Discard the membrane.

This is a pretty sauce-heavy mac and cheese, which is needed because you’re heating it up in the dolsot. You can make this without the dolsot, just mix everything up and enjoy! Or you could try frying it up in a cast iron pan as well.

Heat up a stone bowl, lightly oiled, over medium-low heat.

Cook the macaroni according to the package instructions, drain and set aside.

In a large sauté pan or skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and stir constantly for about three minutes, until completely smooth and incorporated. Pour in half of the milk in a thin stream while whisking. It might start out lumpy, but keep whisking and it will smooth out into a thick paste. Add the rest of the milk and whisk until smooth. Keep on medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens.

Remove from the heat and add the cheese and stir until melted. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the macaroni.

Sprinkle some cheese into the dolsot then add the macaroni and cheese. Top with more cheese, the chopped kimchi, and the mentaiko, if using. Mix it all up and push the macaroni against the sides of the bowl. The cheese will form a crispy frico/socarrat. The longer you wait, the crispier it will get. Enjoy! Add some gochugaru for an extra kick!

34 Comments

  1. Thank you so much for putting this all together! Cynthia is going to love this. :-)

  2. mentaiko mac and cheeese!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So excited that I typed an extra “e” and don’t care!! I can imagine exactly the amazing flavours… I want it now. First thing tomorrow. Mentaiko hunting.

  3. Katrina says:

    Look at that creaminess!!! This looks soooo good! Thanks for putting this lovely party together!

  4. what what what?! i think everything should be cooked until crispy on the outside but still tender on the top in a stone pot, so this sounds like an amazing thing to do to mac and cheese.

  5. Cindy says:

    This looks delish! The only thing better than a crispy-edged rice bowl is a crispy-CHEESE-edged bowl of pasta. Also, kimchi is life!

    Thanks for organizing this, Steph! You guys and Cynthia are the best!!

  6. betty says:

    WOW this looks amazing stephanie!! thanks so much for bringing everyone together for this celebration. I now have to go and obtain a stone bowl!

  7. I’m screaming like a little girl right now! You took my two favorite comfort foods of all time and combined them in one cross cultural pot of awesome!

  8. EGADS this looks good. You and Mike are clever, mac-and-cheese-late-night-hungry cuties. Thanks again Steph for organizing this epic-ness!!! XO

  9. erika says:

    So basically I need to up my mac and cheese game. Gurlllll this is too good! Thanks for bringing us all together!

  10. Joyce Lee says:

    Wow! *Drool*
    I am having so much fun reading through all your posts and I am loving all your unique creations!
    Midnight snack FTW! Haha :)

  11. I love this so much. Cheese is my spirit… food? Heh. Thank you so much for organizing everythaaang!!!

  12. I just wanna say that this is such a WONDERFULLY TOUCHING & HEART-WARMING creative idea & gesture ! This is going to make the parents SO HAPPY ! It’s stuff like this that encourages me to continue blogging (even though I often feel like saying, “yeah, that’s enough, time to stop …”). Yet I soldier on. And yeah, oh how I wish-wish-wished I could have been part of this magical sharing moment too !!! Great idea & job, take care … :)

  13. Maria says:

    I always love your creative combos!! Mac and Kimchi. I can’t say I would have ever thought of it, but this looks so so good. I love when there are surprise flavors in things!!

  14. Steph, your uber cheeesy creamy creations capture my heart every time. In my most selfish dreams I hope your next cookbook is one made entirely of melty cheese things, or just all cheese things..maybe? One day? Anyway, thanks again for organizing such a fun party for Cynthia and B3! <3 <3<3

  15. Erika says:

    Steph you are an evil genius, this looks SOOOOOO GOOD!!!!!! And so perfectly worthy of Cynthia + family!!! So so yum. Thanks so much for organizing, this was such fun to be a part of!!!

  16. cynthia says:

    How did you know everything I’d ever want in mac & cheese?! KIMCHEE, crispy edges, and of course, mentaiko — oh my goodness. THANK YOU SO, SO MUCH for throwing this incredible baby shower!!!! A week later and I’m still blown away by it. Luke, Andy and I feel so overwhelmingly lucky. So much love and gratitude your way. <3

  17. lorna says:

    Hey. Looks great. Where do I get the bowl? In Vancouver somewhere? I’m flying through seoul in a couple of days, so maybe I can pick one up there…
    I’ve tried a few of your recipes…we love the mazeman around here.
    thanks

    1. Stephanie Le says:

      hi lorna! you can pick up one of the stone bowls at h mart. make sure you season it first, kind of the same as a cast iron pan, otherwise it might crack when you heat it up.

  18. Rosy says:

    I don’t like macaroni but it look so delicious! I will try it

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