Explore hundreds of top quick, delicious and easy recipes at ninerecipes.com

The Creamiest Baked Mac and Cheese

If I am an aficionado of anything, it is probably macaroni and cheese. The baked variety, not the boxed. (Though I wonโ€™t turn my nose up at a homemade stovetop version either.) I am generally partial to a baked mac with a bit of a sharper bite and a very crunchy top, but sometimes you need to shake things up a bit. Sometimes you need a mac and cheese thatโ€™s a little more mild, thatโ€™s smoooooth, thatโ€™s creamy as all get out. And thatโ€™s just what I have here โ€” the Creamiest Baked Mac and Cheese Iโ€™ve ever laid eyes onโ€ฆ or set my fork to. Itโ€™s a crowd-pleaser of a mac and cheese โ€” it goes with anything and pleases any palate โ€” so itโ€™s a perfect reliable fit for your recipe box.

This starts the way youโ€™re probably used to making most mac and cheese, with a roux. In a saucepan, you melt butter and then whisk in flour, cooking it just long enough to cook out the raw flour taste. Usuallly, you would just whisk in milk next but for this very creamy mac and cheese, youโ€™ll be whisking in both milk and half and half. It makes things a little more velvety. You want to cook that until itโ€™s thickened up, and that can take some patience. It usually gets to the right level just as it starts to bubble, but it will thicken a little further in the oven so you donโ€™t need to stress over it too much.

 

INGREDIENTS
  • 1 lb dried elbow macaroni pasta
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 2 cups half and half
  • 4 cups medium cheddar cheese, grated and divided
  • 2 cups Gruyere cheese, grated and divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
PREPARATION
  1. Preheat oven to 325ยฐF and grease a 9ร—13-inch baking dish.
  2. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the macaroni 1 minute less than package directions indicate. Drain and toss with a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking.
  3. While pasta cooks, melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute, whisking frequently. Gradually whisk in milk and half and half, whisking constantly, and cook until thickened.
  4. Remove from heat and stir in 3 cups of the cheddar cheese and 1 cup of the Gruyere until melted. Stir in ground mustard, nutmeg, and salt and pepper, and adjust seasoning as needed.
  5. Add cooked pasta and stir to combine. Transfer to baking dish and top with remaining cheeses. Bake until bubbly and lightly golden, 20-30 minutes. Enjoy!

Source : Food.ma

author-sign