Homemade Mac and Cheese
This baked mac and cheese recipe is a favorite in our house - to the point that if I make it when someone isnt going to be home, I have to swear the others to secrecy!
This baked mac and cheese recipe is a favorite in our house - to the point that if I make it when someone isnt going to be home, I have to swear the others to secrecy!
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups milk
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 3/4 cup butter or margarine
- 3 cups old or extra-old cheddar (sharp or extra sharp) grated
- 2 cups mozzarella grated
- 3 cups elbow macaroni
- 3/8 cup flour
- 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs seasoned, if preferred
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese mix with breadcrumbs
- Carbohydrate 23.2302815495582 g
- Cholesterol 53.9251666803241 mg
- Fat 24.7023293760242 g
- Fiber 0.869192618960862 g
- Protein 14.5801849729225 g
- Saturated Fat 11.8002678717925 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (128g)
- Sodium 419.858784912461 mg
- Sugar 22.3610889305973 g
- Trans Fat 1.62064758877513 g
- Calories 374 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350F. Have cheese grated, and set aside in fridge.
- Cook your pasta according to package directions, to al dente.
- While cooking your pasta, melt butter in a large saucepan at medium-low heat. Whisk in flour, salt, pepper, cayenne, and Worcestershire sauce. Continue to heat and whisk until you have a nice, smooth roux. Remove from heat, stir in milk, and bring to a boil, stirring continuously. Once boiling, allow to boil for a minute - keep stirring! - then remove from heat and add all the cheddar and half the mozzarella, stirring until cheese is completely melted.
- If your pot is big enough, add your drained macaroni noodles and stir in together. If not, pour noodles into a large casserole dish (at least 13" x 9"), and pour sauce over top; stir until completely mixed. Use remaining mozzarella to top, then take mixed breadcrumbs and parmesan and sprinkle over the mozzarella. Place in oven uncovered, and bake until bubbling, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 5 - 10 minutes before serving.
- Feel free to add in extras - we've added in ham, bacon, sliced sausage, broccoli & bacon, spinach... it all comes out delicious!
- Season your breadcrumb/parmesan mix however you like, or use Italian breadcrumbs to save yourself the trouble :)
What happens when a pan of heavy cheddar sauce cools completely and the starches set into a solid, sliceable block overnight in the refrigerator? Pasta starches retrograde during chilling, meaning the liquid binds firmly to the amylose molecules and transforms the smooth sauce into a dense mass. Reheating this dish directly in a microwave often breaks the emulsion, causing the milk fats to separate from the cheese proteins and pool into an oily slick.
To restore moisture without making the elbow macaroni mushy, slice the chilled block into thick squares, whisk a single tablespoon of milk over the top, and cover tightly with foil before baking at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for twenty minutes. Alternatively, press the cold mixture into patties and fry them in a cast-iron skillet with a thin film of neutral oil until the exterior develops a golden, crunchy crust that protects the creamy interior.
Aged cheddar contains high levels of lactic acid and free fatty acids, which interact chemically with the milk proteins during the initial roux-making process to create a stable emulsion that handles these second-day transformations surprisingly well.
