Tuesday, March 29, 2011

BEST mac n cheese

This is the BEST mac and cheese recipe. I make it slightly healthier by using whole wheat pasta, and I always use 2% milk and cheese.

Serves 6 (can easily be doubled!)
Panko bread crumbs, about 1/4-1/2 cup
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 3/4 cups milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups grated sharp cheddar
1/2 cup grated pecorino Romano
1/2 pound elbow macaroni

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 1.5-quart casserole dish with cooking spray; set aside. Warm milk in microwave. Melt  3 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.
2. Slowly pour hot milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.
3. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 2 cups cheddar, and 1/2 cup pecorino Romano. Set cheese sauce aside.
4. Fill a large saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook and drain per package instructions. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Scatter panko over the top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes; serve

Yum!

3 comments:

  1. My Mom is looking for a truly great, take to the pot-luck make people swoon mac & cheese. Is this the recipe?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I just made this for dinner tonight and it was very good, thanks for the recipe. I'll be making it again.

    ReplyDelete

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