Recipe: Baked Mac 'n' Cheese - A Classic Comfort Food
Discover > Texas Recipes > Recipe: Baked Mac 'n' Cheese - A Classic Comfort Food
The dishes we grow up eating offer unique warmth and comfort. They’re in a true sense comfort food. Mac 'n' cheese (how long does cheese last?) is one such dish. It is the OG comfort food. A bowl of this indulgently cheese-laden, warm, and gooey mac and cheese, can transport us back to uncomplicated days of childhood. And hence, it isn’t surprising when, post a hectic workday, all we want is to cuddle up with a bowl of mac and cheese (What wine goes well with cheese?).
While the idea of a quick-fix mac and cheese does seem tempting, especially after a long day, the joys of homemade mac 'n' cheese are different. It truly is the big cheese, and nothing that comes out of a box can compare to it.
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There’s no one version of this dish that suits everyone. Every mac 'n’ cheese lover has their own just-like-mum-used-to-make favorite recipe. And this one is mine. It is uncomplicated and simple. Nothing too fancy - just bouncy, pleasantly chewy macaroni noodles, dunked in a sea of heavy cream and cheddar cheese sauce, and topped off with a generous sprinkling of panko breadcrumbs (how long do panko breadcrumbs last?), that when baked achieves a tender golden crunch which delectably complements the cheesy gooeyness of macaroni.
Cheddar cheese sauce with heavy cream might seem too indulgent for a weeknight. But with mac 'n' cheese, when you commit to the dish, you also commit to the calories. There might be healthy variants of this dish out there, but the classic mac and cheese, which is creamy and velvety smooth, needs a dash of heavy cream.
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Making Mac 'n' Cheese
Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a baking tray with butter.
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Boil Macaroni Noodles and Make Cheese Sauce
Fill a large saucepan with well-salted water and bring to a boil. Add macaroni and cook until just before al dente (as per packet instructions). Once cooked, drain the water, drizzle olive oil on top, and mix well to coat the noodles with oil.
Take milk in another saucepan and add butter. Stir and cook over medium-high heat, or until butter melts. Then add heavy cream and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well, and simmer for a minute. Then add flour (how long does flour last?), and grated cheese and stir and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, till the sauce is well combined and sticks on the spoon thick.
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Assemble Mac 'n' Cheese
Once the sauce is thick enough, take it off the heat and pour over cooked macaroni noodles. Mix gently till all noodles are well coated with cheese sauce.
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how long does pasta last?Bake
Pour mac and cheese into a silicone or greased baking tray. Sprinkle grated cheddar and paprika on top. Add a generous layer of panko bread crumbs (how long do bread crumbs last?) and cover the top of the pasta (how long does pasta last?) completely with breadcrumbs. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown. Remove and rest for 5 minutes, and then serve hot.
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Classic Baked Mac 'n' Cheese
Ingredients
- 16 oz elbow macaroni, cooked (or other tubular pasta)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 cups Gruyere cheese shredded
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 cups panko crumbs
- 4 tbsp butter melted
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese shredded
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika (or regular paprika)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a large baking dish and set aside.
- Prepare the pasta. Cook the pasta one minute less al dente according to the package instructions. Remove from heat, drain, and place in a large bowl. Coat the pasta with a drizzle of olive oil, then, set aside to cool.
- Prepare the cheese sauce. Combine shredded cheeses in a large bowl and set aside. Melt butter in a deep saucepan. Whisk in flour over medium heat. Continue whisking for about 1 minute until bubbly and golden. Gradually whisk in the milk and heavy cream until nice and smooth. Continue whisking until, bubbles are formed on the surface. Continue cooking and whisking for another 2 minutes. Whisk in salt and pepper.
- Add two cups of shredded cheese and whisk until smooth. Add another two cups of shredded cheese and continue whisking until creamy and smooth. Sauce should be nice and thick.
- Assemble the Mac'n'cheese. Stir in the pasta in the cheese sauce until fully coated. Pour half of the mac and cheese into the prepared baking dish. Top with the remaining 2 cups of shredded cheese. Combine panko crumbs, Parmesan cheese, melted butter and paprika. Sprinkle over the top.
- Bake. Bake until bubbly and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Calories
524.98Fat
38.69Sat. Fat
22.39Carbs
24.57Fiber
1.12Net carbs
23.45Sugar
4.55Protein
20.17Sodium
523.94Cholesterol
111.29
