5 Secrets to Making Great Mac and Cheese & Recipe
Mac and Cheese. Photo: Sarah Fritsche
There are so many reasons to love macaroni and cheese. There’s the comfort factor -- few dishes are more homey than a piping hot bowlful of creamy, cheese-coated noodles. It’s also hearty and filling, which makes it great for feeding a crowd. For me, however, the dish’s real charm lies in its versatility.
Remember those “Choose Your Own Adventure” books from when you were a kid? I like to think of macaroni and cheese as a sort of culinary equivalent. Starting with a neutral bechamel sauce as the base, I can choose whatever kind of cheese and pasta I like. (Ditto for the addition of any flavorful mix-ins or toppings you might want to add.)
Truly, anything goes.
Made with elbow macaroni and American cheese, it could be a straightforward riff on Kraft’s kid-pleasing meal in a box. Swap out the elbow noodles and American cheese for cavatappi corkscrew pasta and a blend of sophisticated cheeses, like Gruyère, Parmesan, and Fontina, and you’ve got an elegant side dish that would fit right in on a steakhouse menu.
Where you end up with the final dish is entirely up to you and your imagination.
Five Keys to Mac and Cheese Success
Mac with sauce. Photo: Sarah Fritsche
Sauce: Whisking together butter, flour, and warm milk creates the creamy base béchamel sauce for your mac and cheese. This is the jumping-off point for your cheese sauce, also known as a Mornay sauce. When it comes to cheese, you can keep it simple and use one kind, or blend several different cheeses to achieve a more complex flavor profile.
Seasoning: In addition to salt and pepper, the sauce for this base recipe is seasoned with a classic combination of grated nutmeg and a pinch of cayenne. However, if you want to experiment, you could use a variety of seasonings. For a little heat, try whisking in some dried mustard powder or prepared horseradish. Freshly grated lemon zest would add a bright and cheery lift. For something extra decadent, whisk in some black truffle paste.
Cheese: Whatever cheese you add, you want it to be something that melts nicely. (Think cheddar, gouda, Gruyère, Parmigiano Reggiano, Brie, fontina, fresh goat cheese, and the like.) This will help to ensure a perfectly creamy sauce. More pungent cheeses should be used more sparingly as an accent flavor. A little bit of blue cheese can be a fantastic addition to your sauce, but too much will lead you straight to funky town. (However, if that’s your jam, go for it.)
Noodles: Shape-wise, short, ridged, and tubular pasta are ideal, as they give the sauce plenty of surfaces to cling to. Cavatappi (a tubular, corkscrew-style pasta) is my favorite because it has plenty of area for the sauce to cling to. Other pasta types that work well: Orecchiette, penne rigate, elbow macaroni, ditalini, conchiglie, cavatelli, and so many more. Cooking tip: If you’re going to finish the mac in the oven, to keep the noodles nice and al-dente be sure to slightly undercook the pasta, as it will continue to cook as it bakes.
Mix-ins and toppings: This recipe doesn’t include mix-ins, but this is another way to flex your culinary creativity. I’ve made countless mac and cheese variations over the years, including a Hawaiian-inspired version that incorporated caramelized Maui onions, roasted pineapple chunks, and Spam, that was topped with chopped macadamia nuts. You don’t have to be so over-the-top with your additions, but don’t be afraid to experiment!
As for toppings, breadcrumbs are a no-brainer, but anything that offers a little bit of crunch and texture. Try some chopped nuts, fried shallots, crumbled potato or tortilla chips. The sky’s the limit!
Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
Use this base recipe as a jumping-off point for future cheesy creations. Enjoy the cheesy noodles as is, or play around with whatever flavor mix-ins and toppings you like.
Macaroni and Cheese
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups warm whole milk
3 cups grated cheese, such as Gruyère, fontina, Parmigiano Reggiano, or white cheddar, (for a more complex flavor, use a blend of several cheeses)
1½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg, plus more to taste
A pinch cayenne, plus more to taste
1 pound medium pasta tubes or shells, such as cavatappi, penne, or conchiglie
The Topping
½ cup dried breadcrumbs
½ cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon olive oil
A pinch each kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Grease a 1½ to 2 quart baking dish with butter.
In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, and cook until the mixture is bubbling and takes on a golden tan color, about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the warm milk, and cook until bubbling and begins to thicken about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, and whisk in the cheese. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne, stirring until incorporated. Taste and adjust seasoning, if desired. Keep warm.
Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta according to package instructions until just al dente. Pour into a colander, rinse with cold water, and drain well.
Return the pasta to the pot, and pour the sauce over the noodles, tossing to combine. Allow the pasta and sauce to sit for 5 to 10 minutes for the noodles to absorb the sauce.
While the pasta and sauce are sitting, make the breadcrumb topping. In a bowl, toss the breadcrumbs together with the Parmesan, olive oil, and a pinch each of salt and pepper.
To finish and bake, pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the top. Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Serve hot.