A go-to mac and cheese recipe is necessary to get through the cold and snowy winter. Warm, gooey, cheesy, and always the right decision.
This no-nonsense recipe uses standard cheddar cheese or any hard cheese you have in your fridge and it doesn’t have any unwieldy topping you need to worry about burning (don’t worry – we’ve all been there).
Of course, there’s no wrong way to make mac and cheese. That’s a simple fact. Annie’s boxed white cheddar mac and cheese (I always keep a few boxes in the pantry), classic southern mac and cheese, baked buffalo chicken mac and cheese. Yup, it’s all great.
But for me, this is the greatest.
This no-nonsense recipe uses standard cheddar cheese or any hard cheese you have in your fridge and it doesn’t have any unwieldy topping you need to worry about burning (don’t worry – we’ve all been there).
Even though I’m only cooking for the two of us, I love to make a giant pan of mac and cheese. It heats up well for lunch for the next few days, and can even be frozen!
A few of my favorite tips:
- Cook the pasta a few minutes less than the instructions for al dente, it will continue to cook in the oven with all the cheesy goodness.
- The cheese sauce will be quite liquidy and that’s okay! It will set up in the oven and continue to stiffen as it cools.
- Nutmeg! The warm, cozy spice adds a dynamic flavor without adding expensive cheeses.
Baked Mac and Cheese
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp. butter
- 1/4 c flour
- 3 c milk
- 10 oz pasta (I prefer small shells)
- 3 c shredded sharp hard cheese – cheddar, Monterey jack, gruyere, and Romano are all good options
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp. allspice
- 1/8 tsp. smoked paprika
Instructions
- Heat a large pot of salted water to boiling. Add pasta and cook 2 minutes less than the manufacturers’ directions for al dente. Pasta will be cooked on the outside but still hard in the middle.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large saucepan or dutch oven, add butter and heat over medium-high heat until butter is melted and bubbling. Add flour and stir for one minute until well combined.
- Slowly add milk and cook, stirring, until mixture thickens and begins to bubble. Remove from heat.
- Stir in 2 cups of cheese, salt, and spices, mixing until well combined. Stir pasta into cheese mixture and pour into 1 1/2 qt baking dish. Top with remaining cheese and bake 15-20 minutes, until browned on top.
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