Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Name: Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 1 lb elbow macaroni; 5 tbsp butter; 1/3 cup flour; 4 cups whole milk, warmed; 3 cups sharp cheddar, grated; 1 cup Gruyère, grated; 1/2 cup grated Parmesan; 1 tsp mustard powder; 1 cup panko breadcrumbs

Sides & Salads Casseroles Freezer Friendly

A proper béchamel base with three cheeses melted through, baked under buttered breadcrumbs until the top browns and the corners go crunchy. The pan everyone fights over.

Course: Sides & Salads
Time: 55 min
Servings: 8

Cooking Notes

Boil the pasta slightly shy of al dente because it continues cooking in the sauce during baking. Fully cooked pasta going into the oven is much more likely to become soft and bloated.
Cook the flour-and-butter roux for a couple of minutes before adding milk, then melt the cheese after the sauce has thickened. This avoids a floury taste and gives the cheese a smoother base.
Use the breadcrumb topping as a texture contrast, not a thick crust. A light layer browns evenly and leaves the center creamy instead of drying the whole pan out.

Recipe Card

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

By Gabriella

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Category: Sides & Salads
Total Time: 55 min
Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 lb elbow macaroni
5 tbsp butter
1/3 cup flour
4 cups whole milk, warmed
3 cups sharp cheddar, grated
1 cup Gruyère, grated
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 tsp mustard powder
1 cup panko breadcrumbs

Instructions

1
Boil the macaroni two minutes shy of the package time, since it will keep cooking in the oven and you do not want it mushy.
2
Melt four tablespoons of butter, whisk in the flour, and cook the roux for two full minutes before streaming in the warm milk.
3
Whisk until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon, then take it off the heat and stir in the cheddar, Gruyère, and mustard powder.
4
Fold the pasta into the sauce, season it more than seems necessary, and spread it into a buttered baking dish.
5
Toss the panko with the remaining melted butter and Parmesan, scatter it over the top, and bake at 375°F for twenty-five minutes until bubbling and brown.