I love stovetop mac and cheese, but If you’re hosting a holiday meal and need a side to feed a crowd, this decadent dish is perfect for entertaining. Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese is a classic comfort food, but it can seem daunting if you’ve never made it homemade before. There’s no need to worry, we’ll walk you through it one step at a time. I suggest reading this post in its entirety or to skip to the section you’re interested in, you can use the table of contents below. Looking for more comfort food? Try my Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes, Salisbury Steak, Chicken Stroganoff, or Potato Leek Soup.
Step By Step Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Lightly grease a large 9 x 13? / 23 x 33cm dish baking dish and set aside. Oil: I use olive oil because it has a mild flavor that goes great with the garlic in the breading and the flavors in the sauce. If you need to substitute it, I recommend using melted butter instead of another type of oil. Garlic: The garlic is added to the topping for extra flavor. My family says it’s the best part of the dish, but if you’re not a fan of garlic, you can omit it. Parsely: The parsley is added to the topping to add freshness. You can also use chives or dried Italian seasoning.
Mac & Cheese
Butter: Salted butter can be used, but it will add extra salt to the recipe. If you’re concerned about salt levels, stick to unsalted butter. Flour: Use all-purpose or plain flour. Milk: Whole milk or evaporated milk will produce the creamiest sauce, but you can also use 2% or skim milk. Cheese: A mixture of sharp and mild cheddar cheese is used in this recipe. Yellow or white cheddar are both suitable choices. You could also use more of one or the other. If cheddar cheese isn’t your thing, you can substitute it with cheese that melts easily, such as Swiss, Monterey jack, Mozzarella, or Gouda. Parmesan cheese: Parmesan cheese is in the topping and the sauce. If you don’t have any, you can use Pecorino Romano. Grana Padano or Asiago cheese can also be used. Mustard Powder: This adds a subtle depth of flavor to the sauce. If you don’t have mustard powder, you can use dijon mustard. If mustard isn’t your thing, try adding a little horseradish powder or a splash of vinegar.
For The Topping
Shred the sharp and mild cheddar cheeses. Then combine them in a bowl, separate 1 cup of the mixture into another bowl, and set aside. Add the breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese to a small mixing bowl and stir to combine. Then add the olive oil, garlic, and parsley. Mix until the breadcrumbs are well-coated.
For The Mac & Cheese
Cook the pasta for 1 to 2 minutes less than the package instructions. You want it underdone at this stage as it will finish cooking in the oven. Drain and set it aside.
While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the flour and mustard powder to form a paste (also known as a roux).
Whisk the roux together until you have no lumps. Continue to stir constantly and allow to cook for 2 minutes to remove any starchy flavor.
Slowly pour in the milk, a little at a time, while constantly mixing until it’s all added is smooth and starts to thicken. You are looking for a little thicker than heavy cream.
After the mixture has thickened, add the cheese, starting with the Parmesan cheese and finishing with the cheddar. If you want to prevent graininess, reduce the heat to low and add the cheese in small batches, whisking or stirring to combine after each addition.
Mix until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
Cook the sauce until it thickens to your desired constancy.
Add the pasta and mix to coat.
To Assemble
Transfer to the prepared pan.
Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
Then top evenly with the breadcrumb mixture.
Bake for 15 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly.
Bake for 15 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly. At this point, check the pasta for doneness. If it can cook a little longer without overcooking or drying out, bake another 5 minutes to finish browning the breadcrumbs.
If the pasta is cooked to your liking, place it under the broiler to crisp the topping to avoid overcooking your pasta.
Serve immediately for best results.
As an example, when I shot the video, I thickened my sauce to a consistency of a thick cream soup, and it sat for about 15 minutes before I was able to cut into it.
My family would have preferred more sauce. So the next time I made it for the photo shoot, I made the sauce less thick and serve it immediately (as pictured above). I hope you find this helpful.
The best way to store baked mac and cheese is in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep for up to 3 days.
To Freeze: If you want to freeze your baked mac and cheese, wait until it has cooled completely before putting it in an airtight, freezer-safe container or freezer bag. It will keep for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
To Reheat: Bake in a 350°F/180°C oven until warmed through. You may need to add a little milk or water to the dish if it seems dry.
Erren’s Kitchen is written and produced for informational intentions only. We are not certified nutritionists, and the nutritional information found on this site has not been assessed or authorized by a nutritionist or the FDA. The nutritional information found in our recipes is offered as an estimate and should not be considered a guarantee or fact. The estimated data is provided as a courtesy and calculated through a third-party online nutritional calculator, spoonacular API. Although we do our best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered rough estimates. Many factors, such as brands or products purchased and the nutritional fluctuations that naturally occur in fresh produce, can alter the effectiveness of the nutritional information in any recipe. Furthermore, various online calculators provide different results depending on their particular algorithms and nutrition fact sources. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
