Baked Mac and Cheese
Number of Servings: 8
Prep Time:
Cooking Time:
A great Mac and Cheese recipe featuring three types of cheese. The picky husband, who doesn’t care for Mac and Cheese, approves of this recipe and would choose this over the Keto Mac and Cheese every time.
This is great for those holiday meals, when you’re in the mood for comfort food, or as a side for an all-American barbeque.
ingredients
- 16Ounces —elbow macaron, cooked (or other tubular pasta)
- 1Tablespoon —extra virgin olive oil
- 6Tablespoons —unsalted butter
- 1/3Cup —all purpose flour
- 3Cups —whole milk
- 1Cup —heavy whipping cream
- 4Cups —sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2Cups —gruyere cheese, shredded
- 1 1/2Cups —panko breadcrumbs
- 4Tablespoons —butter, melted
- 1/2Cup —shredded parmesan cheese
- 1/4Teaspoon —smoked paprika
- salt and pepper to taste
instructions
Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a large 3 qt or 4 qt baking dish and set aside. Combine shredded cheeses in a large bowl and set aside.
Cook the pasta one minute shy of al dente according to the package instructions. Remove from heat, drain, and place in a large bowl. Drizzle pasta with olive oil and stir to coat. Set aside to cool while preparing the cheese sauce.
Melt butter in a deep saucepan, dutch oven, or stock pot.
Whisk in flour over medium heat and continue whisking for about 1 minute until bubbly and golden.
Gradually whisk in the milk and heavy cream until smooth. Continue whisking until bubbles appear on the surface, and then continue cooking and whisking for another 2 minutes. Whisk in salt and pepper.
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.
Stir in the cooled pasta until combined, and the pasta is fully coated with the cheese sauce.
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.
Combine panko crumbs, Parmesan cheese, melted butter, and paprika in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the top and bake until bubbly and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.
