Simple cheesy goodness...a true comfort food.
- Carbohydrate 61.6610478471487 g
- Cholesterol 88.4975 mg
- Fat 31.606755 g
- Fiber 2.72467712118228 g
- Protein 22.1720585416667 g
- Saturated Fat 19.4785970833333 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (164g)
- Sodium 463.740638885187 mg
- Sugar 58.9363707259664 g
- Trans Fat 2.24102666666667 g
- Calories 622 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.
- While macaroni is cooking, melt butter in a heavy-bottomed 3-quart saucepan over low heat.
- Whisk in flour, salt, pepper, mustard, cayenne and Worcestershire sauce.
- Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat.
- Stir in milk.
- Heat to boiling, stirring constantly.
- Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly; remove from heat.
- Stir in cheese and cook, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted.
- Drain macaroni and gently stir into cheese sauce.
- Pour into ungreased 2-quart casserole.
- Bake uncovered until bubbly, about 25 to 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.
Stove-top macaroni and cheese relies entirely on the fluid emulsion of warm milk and melted cheese, whereas the baked version introduces a structural element that transforms a sauce into a cohesive casserole. When transferred to a 350 degrees F oven, the starches in the pasta and the flour-thickened mornay base interact differently than they do in a rapid pot-bound preparation, resulting in firmer individual noodles and a deeply concentrated dairy flavor. Understanding how this dish behaves after the initial baking reveals distinct advantages for transforming next-day portions into entirely new meals.
- Grate sharp cheddar from a block rather than purchasing pre-shredded bags, since commercial anti-caking additives like cellulose prevent smooth melting and leave a grainy texture in the roux.
- Whisk the flour and butter over low heat for precisely one minute to cook out the raw starch flavor without browning the fat, ensuring the white sauce maintains a clean dairy profile.
- Allow the baked casserole to rest for five minutes after baking to let the internal temperature drop below a rolling heat, which lets the cheese proteins tighten enough for clean portioning.
- Reheat refrigerated leftovers by adding a tablespoon of milk per serving and covering the dish tightly with foil to trap steam, preventing the sharp cheddar fats from breaking and separating into an oily pool during warming.
Pairing this rich starch with bitter greens such as dressed arugula or roasted radicchio cuts through the high saturated fat content and provides necessary textural contrast. Letting the casserole cool completely before refrigeration also simplifies slicing second-day portions into neat squares for pan-frying in butter until crispy.
