Homemade baked mac and cheese
So simple yet oh-so-delicious! It simply can’t go wrong with a creamy and rich combination of pasta, melted cheeses and tasty extras. Yes, please!
0h 20m prep
0h 50m total
easy difficulty
14 ingredients
- Elbow Macaroni
- 16 oz (cooked)
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp
- Butter
- 6 tbsp (unsalted)
- All-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup
- Milk
- 3 cups (whole)
- Heavy cream
- 1 cup
- Extra mature cheddar
- 4 cups (shredded)
- Graviera cheese
- 2 cups (or Gruyère cheese, shredded)
- Sea salt
- to taste
- Black ground pepper
- to taste
- Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 ½ cups
- Butter
- 4 tbsp (melted)
- Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup (shredded)
- Smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp (or regular paprika)
Useful tools
Method
1
Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C. Lightly grease a large 3 qt or 4 qt baking dish and set aside. Combine shredded cheeses in a large bowl and set aside.
2
3
Drizzle pasta with olive oil and stir to coat pasta. Set aside to cool while preparing cheese sauce.
4
Melt butter in a deep saucepan, dutch oven or stock pot.
5
Whisk in flour over medium heat and continue whisking for about 1 minute until bubbly and golden.
6
Gradually whisk in the milk and heavy cream until nice and smooth. Continue whisking until you see bubbles on the surface and then continue cooking and whisking for another 2 minutes. Whisk in salt and pepper.
7
Add two cups of shredded cheese and whisk until smooth. Add another two cups of shredded cheese and continue whisking until creamy and smooth. The sauce should be nice and thick.
8
Stir in the cooled pasta until combined and the pasta is fully coated with the cheese sauce.
9
Pour half of the mac and cheese into the prepared baking dish. Top with the remaining 2 cups of shredded cheese and then the remaining mac and cheese.
10
In a small bowl, combine panko crumbs, Parmesan cheese, melted butter and paprika. Sprinkle over the top and bake until bubbly and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.
