The most delicious baked mac and cheese I’ve ever tasted, with a beautiful topping of buttery breadcrumbs and a creamy white cheese sauce. Whenever Thanksgiving and Christmas roll around, people go crazy for this macaroni cheese dish!
My first cookbook, “Dinner,” included this fan-favorite dish because of the overwhelming demand for it.
Cheesy Macaroni in the Oven
Without meaning to sound depressing, this Baked Mac & Cheese could be my Last Supper. Macaroni Cheese and I would be completely outmatched in a room together. People would go crazy over the Mac & Cheese.
Even after trying every Mac & Cheese on the planet, this one remains my favorite.
Concerning this Macaroni and Cheese
If you’re looking for a Mac & Cheese dish that will blow your mind, go no further. The ideal macaroni (no bloated pasta!), a generous amount of sauce, and a crispy buttery topping make for a delicious and creamy Macaroni Cheese.
The Ingredients for Baked Macaroni and Cheese
All you need is this. Goat cheese. Sauce. Fettuccine. Covered all the necessary food categories! 😂
Elbow pasta, which is a key ingredient in baked mac and cheese, is a must-have ingredient. Actually, however, any short pasta—penne, ziti, twirls, you name it—will do.
A blend of mozzarella and Gruyere cheeses. In my opinion, Gruyere has the finest melting characteristics and the best overall flavor for creamy sauces like this. And for stretch, nothing beats a nice mozzarella when it comes to pulling the cheese!
Any kind of melty cheese—cheddar, delicious, Colby, Swiss, Pepper Jack, Emmental—works well with mac and cheese.
Missing the creme?
No way! Do not worry about it. The combination of the butter and cheese makes this sauce rich enough on its own. You won’t be able to consume more than a few of spoonfuls because of the cream. What a letdown!
The recipe is simple and begins with a butter-flour roux, which thickens milk for the cheese sauce. I hope the little movie below will reassure first-timers that they can do it!
Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
To make sure your Mac and Cheese Sauce stays smooth and lump-free, gently pour in the milk while stirring continually. If any lumps remain, just use a whisk to break them up.
Hints for the Finest Macaroni and Cheese!
Never use pre-shredded cheese; instead, use freshly grated. The use of anti-caking chemicals in the sauce may result in a gritty texture.
Macaroni should be cooled a little and gently coated with butter to avoid bloated, overdone pasta. Because heated pasta absorbs liquid quicker and butter forms a thin coating of protection, this prevents the macaroni from absorbing additional liquid when baking, leading to bloated, overdone pasta and insufficient sauce.
To maintain your sauce smooth and free of lumps, whisk continuously while gently adding the milk and continue whisking after the milk has been added. To remove any lingering lumps, you may use a whisk if needed.
Make sure there’s enough of sauce—I want my mac and cheese with a good amount of sauce, not dry and crumbly.
It seems like Mac & Cheese may be made in advance. You can make this dish ahead of time, which isn’t the case with most recipes. The ideal method is to let the pasta cool before mixing it with the sauce and topping it with breadcrumbs. Bake the day before (for baking time, see recipe Note 5). Let cool, then store or freeze.
In the fridge, how many days will macaroni and cheese keep? Unlike other macaroni and cheese recipes, this one keeps well in the fridge for three to five days. Because the pasta soaks up the sauce, leaving you with dry, sauceless pasta, most macaroni and cheese recipes don’t hold well in the fridge.
Do you mean freezing? Of course! Prepare, let cool, and then freeze. No baking required. After thawing, bake according to Note 5 in the recipe on the day of.
The additions? There are a plethora of optional additions to this dish, which is delicious on its own. Toss in some chopped chicken, some sautéed onions and bell peppers or capsicum, some bacon, some spicy sauce (for heat!), and whatever dry herbs you choose.
What to Accompany Baked Macaroni and Cheese With
Mac and cheese may stand on its own as a dish when accompanied with a simple side of vegetables or a green salad. Because macaroni cheese is already so rich, there’s no need for anything hefty.
It goes well as a side dish with almost any kind of main meal that isn’t Asian. If I were to pair Mac & Cheese with any kind of meat, whether it simple baked pork chops, steak, roast chicken, or crispy garlic chicken thighs, the only main dish that would be off-limits would be anything light and summery, like tuna tartare.
Not to mention, joyous get-togethers! On Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, you may have a magnificent roast turkey, herb and garlic butter slathered turkey breast, luscious roast pork with wonderfully crispy crackling, or prime rib that is blushing pink throughout—it’s so good, you might cry.
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