Baked Mac & Cheese
Creamy béchamel, sharp cheddar and golden crumb top.
Maui's an app that plans a whole week of dinners like this one. See how it works ↓
Grate your own cheese from a block. The anti-caking powder on pre-shredded bags makes the sauce grainy - biggest single upgrade you can make to mac & cheese.
Ingredients
Everything below makes 4 servings.
- 1 lbelbow macaroni
- 4 tbspunsalted butter
- ¼ cupall-purpose flour
- 3 cupswhole milkwarmed
- 3 cupssharp cheddar blockfreshly grated
- 1 cupgruyère or mozzarellafreshly grated
- 1 tspDijon mustard
- ½ tspsmoked paprika
- ¾ cuppanko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cupgrated parmesan
- 1½ tspkosher salt
- ½ tspblack pepper
In the app these rescale to however many people you're feeding.
Nutrition
Per serving, as written.
- 963calories
- 41gprotein
- 109gcarbs
- 40gfat
Swaps move these numbers. A different protein or base changes them.
Instructions
Knife work first, then the stove. Nothing below asks you to chop while something burns.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter the 9x13 baking dish.
- Grate the cheddar and gruyère from blocks - pre-shredded won't melt as smoothly.
- Warm the milk in the microwave 60 sec - cold milk takes much longer in the roux.
Cook pasta
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the macaroni 2 min less than package directions (it'll finish in the oven). Drain - don't rinse.
8 min · hands onMake roux
Melt butter in the saucepan over medium. Whisk in flour and cook 90 sec until smooth and lightly toasted (don't brown).
2 min · hands onBuild sauce
Slowly pour in warm milk, whisking constantly. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook 4-5 min, whisking, until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Off heat, stir in Dijon, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.
5 min · hands onMelt cheese in
Add cheddar and all the gruyère to the sauce, stirring until fully melted and glossy. Fold in the drained pasta until evenly coated.
2 min · hands onTop and bake
Pour mac into buttered baking dish. Toss panko with the remaining cheddar, parmesan, and salt. Sprinkle evenly over top. Bake at 375°F for 20-25 min until bubbling and the crumb is deep golden.
25 min · hands offRest
Let rest 5 min before serving - the sauce needs to set up or it'll run.
5 min · hands offMake it yours
Every swap here is one Maui already knows how to make, including what it does to the timing.
Cook 6 strips bacon in a skillet, crumble, fold half into the sauce and sprinkle the rest on top before baking. Adds about 8 minutes.
Toss greens and vinaigrette while mac bakes. Adds about 5 minutes.
What keeps
Best fresh out of the oven, but reheats well covered at 325°F with a splash of milk to revive creaminess. Avoid microwaving - the sauce breaks.
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