This creamy baked mac and cheese is just what your carb loving soul needs. Drown macaroni in a rich, creamy cheese sauce, top with breadcrumbs and bake to perfection. Yes, please!
In this recipe
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Best pasta to use
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Best cheese to use
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Skip the Roux!
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3 easy cheese sauce steps
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A shortcut
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Save and warm up
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Advance and Freeze
BE PICTURED IN; CHARACTERIZED IN:
Mac and cheese is comfort food at its finest. Loaded with carbs, ooey, gooey, creamy cheese sauce and crunchy topping – it’s practically begging you to put on some yoga pants and stay the night!
Video: How to make baked mac and cheese
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Creamy baked mac and cheese
What’s the best pasta for mac and cheese?
You want something that’s sturdy and will hold the sauce in the pasta. Shapes with pleats or tubes are better than loops or straight noodles.
My two best options are:
- Elbow Macaroni
- Cavatappi (also known as Cellentani)
- campanelle
- Clams (a second choice just because they are delicate and can disintegrate)
What is the best cheese for mac and cheese?
I prefer to grate my own cheese for two reasons. Firstly I can buy higher quality cheese and secondly I get a smoother texture if I shred it myself.
From what I’ve read, pre-shredded cheese is less smooth due to the added release agents. Does pre-shredded cheese work? Absolutely! If you’re in a hurry, grab it. But if you have a few minutes to grate the cheese yourself, the dish gets even better!
Pick two or three:
- Cheddar
- Smoked cheeses like Gouda or Mozzarella
- Monterey Jack
- Fontina – a lovely mild cheese that melts beautifully
- Gruyere – a Swiss cheese. (Swiss, like cheddar, can vary in flavor intensity, so ask for a sample to find the brand you like best.)
- Plain mozzarella
- cream cheese
Skip the Roux!
Traditionally, macaroni and cheese starts with a roux and béchamel sauce. Béchamel – in the simplest modern sense – is a combination of butter, flour and milk. Adding cheese to the sauce turns it into mornay.
I realize it’s sacrilegious not to use a basic sauce like this when making mac and cheese, but I did it for a number of reasons.
First, Noodles are already starchy. I didn’t really need more starch in the form of flour.
Second, if I can skip a step and still make delicious mac and cheese on a weekday, I will. I value my time, and so should you.
Three steps for an easy cheese sauce
- Mix cream cheese and some milk. Smooth out the cream cheese to break it up.
- Whisk so that it is homogeneous.
- Stir in the remaining milk and add the cheddar handful until fully incorporated
Little time?
Skip the baking step! Pour the pasta into the cheese sauce, stir to combine and serve as is.
If you still want that crispy top on your stovetop mac and cheese, mix together the ingredients for the topping and toast in a skillet over medium-high heat. Scatter over the bowl and serve.
Storing and reheating mac and cheese
There’s no easy way to tell you this: These special baked macaroni and cheese won’t reheat to their former glory. Which doesn’t mean it’s not good; it’s just different.
You can reheat it in the oven to crisp up the breadcrumbs again, but the macaroni and cheese portion won’t be as creamy as it was to begin with.
Store macaroni and cheese, covered, in your refrigerator and microwave leftovers for up to a week.
How to advance and freeze
You can freeze this unbaked casserole and bake it later, but the mac and cheese won’t be quite as creamy as if you baked it straight away. However, I don’t mind trading in a little creaminess if I know I have a meal waiting for me from the freezer.
To freeze, make the recipe to the point where you combine the sauce and pasta, but do not bake. Instead, let the mac and cheese cool in the pan on the counter.
Cover with a layer of aluminum foil. Then plastic wrap. Then freeze. It keeps for a month in the freezer.
Bake from frozen for an hour. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and place under the grill for 15 minutes or until the crumbs are golden brown.
CONTINUE READING:
Can’t get enough mac and cheese?!
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- Green Goddess Mac and Cheese
Creamy baked mac and cheese
Serving a crowd? Feel free to double this recipe and bake it in a 9×13 pan.
ingredients
For covering:
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2 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
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2/3 Cup regular panko breadcrumbs
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1/4 Cup grated parmesan
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1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
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1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
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prize cayenne pepper
For the macaroni:
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10 ounces Elbow Macaroni pasta or cavatappi
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1 tablespoon kosher salt
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1 tablespoon unsalted butter
For the sauce:
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4 ounces cream cheese
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1 (10 ounces) brick Cheddar cheeseshredded (about 3 cups thick shredded cheddar cheese)
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2 1/2 cups whole milk
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1/2 teaspoon White pepper
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1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
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1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
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1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
Garnish:
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Chopped Parsely or chives, optional
method
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Preheat the oven and prepare the pan:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter an 8 x 8 pan and set aside.
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Make the topping:
In a small bowl, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add panko, parmesan, salt, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper. Put aside.
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Cook pasta:
Bring a pot of water to a boil over medium heat. Add the macaroni and salt. Cook until pasta is soft or al dente. This usually takes about a minute or two less than the recommended cooking time on the package.
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Drain and butter pasta:
Drain noodles in a colander. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the same saucepan you cooked the pasta in. Return the drained pasta to the pan and stir to coat. Remove from stove. You will come back to this later.
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Make the sauce:
In a large, high-sided skillet over medium-high heat, add the cream cheese, 1 cup milk, and any spices. Break up the cream cheese and use a spatula to mash it up when it starts to soften and melt. Once the cream cheese is in chunks the size of a nickel or smaller, beat the mixture until homogeneous and thickened, about 4 to 5 minutes.
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Add the remaining milk and cheddar cheese:
Stir the remaining 1 1/2 cups of milk into the sauce. Add the cheddar cheese in batches, stirring constantly. Make sure each cup is incorporated before adding the next.
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Add the pasta to the sauce:
Once the sauce is thick like whipped cream and homogeneous, add the pasta. Stir to coat. It will look soupy. That’s what you want. Transfer the mixture to the buttered 8×8 pan. Flatten the top.
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Top with the panko and bake:
Sprinkle the panko mixture over the macaroni and cheese. Place in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the cheese sauce is bubbling around the edges. Cool briefly before serving.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 457 | calories |
| 25g | Fat |
| 39g | carbohydrates |
| 18g | protein |
