Macaroni Cheese (Printable)
Creamy baked pasta with cheddar and Gruyère cheese sauce, topped with golden crispy breadcrumbs.
# What You'll Need:
→ Pasta
01 - 3 cups (about 10 oz) elbow macaroni
→ Cheese Sauce
02 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
03 - 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
04 - 2 cups whole milk
05 - 1 1/2 cups mature sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
06 - 1/2 cup Gruyère cheese, freshly grated
07 - 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
08 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
→ Topping
09 - 1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
10 - 1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
11 - 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted (optional)
# How-To Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly butter a medium baking dish and set aside.
02 - Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil. Add the macaroni and cook according to package directions until just al dente. Drain through a colander and set aside.
03 - In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk constantly for 1 to 2 minutes until the mixture is smooth and lightly golden, forming a proper roux.
04 - Slowly pour in the milk while whisking vigorously to prevent any lumps from forming. Continue cooking and stirring over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
05 - Remove the saucepan from heat. Add the grated cheddar, Gruyère, and Dijon mustard, stirring gently until all the cheese has melted into a smooth, velvety sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
06 - Add the drained macaroni to the cheese sauce and fold together until every piece of pasta is evenly coated. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish, spreading it out in an even layer.
07 - In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs with the remaining grated cheddar. Drizzle in the melted butter if using, and toss until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Sprinkle the topping uniformly over the macaroni.
08 - Place in the center of the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the topping is deeply golden brown and the sauce is bubbling around the edges.
09 - Remove from the oven and let the dish rest for 5 minutes to allow the sauce to set slightly before serving.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The combination of mature cheddar and Gruyere creates a sauce so velvety you will catch yourself eating it straight from the pan before the pasta even goes in.
- It reheats beautifully the next day, which means you get two meals worth of comfort from a single batch.
02 -
- Add the cheese off the heat, because boiling cheese causes the proteins to separate and you will end up with a sauce that looks broken and oily instead of smooth.
- Undercook the pasta by about one minute, since it absorbs more liquid while baking and nobody wants macaroni that has turned to paste.
03 -
- Grate your cheese while it is still cold from the fridge, because warm cheese clumps and shreds unevenly, making it harder to melt smoothly into the sauce.
- Taste the cheese sauce before you mix in the pasta, because this is your last chance to adjust the seasoning and a little extra pepper at this stage goes a long way.