Baked Mac & Cheese
Mac and cheese is one of those recipes you cling on tight to! You only need one and you’re set for life. When I make it, I want a creamy sauce, browned top, and a ratio of cheese-to-milk that I can count on.
I also like being able to have a repeatable and predictable outcome with any holiday dish because stressing over a family meal is the LAST thing I wanna do when I’m trying to relax. (I mean, there’s already enough pans in the sink…)
That’s what I’m going for with this baked mac & cheese! A holiday recipe you can get comfortable with and keep coming back to. Four cheeses, a little patience with the roux, and some free game below so you know why everything’s in there. My friends, I hope this holiday favorite is one you hold on to forever 🧡
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Cleaning Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
1 lb. small shells pasta, can be replaced with elbows or cavatappi
12 oz. (3 cups) sharp cheddar, grated
8 oz. (2 cups) Colby jack, grated
8 oz. (2 cups) gruyere, grated
4 oz. (1 cup) white American cheese, cubed
Cheeses: will need 16 oz. (4 cups) for the cheese sauce
Cheeses: will need 16 oz. (4 cups) for topping
1/4 cup salted butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups (12 oz.) half-and-half, can substitute whole milk
Dash of worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. Chicken Bouillon
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. Garlic powder
½ tsp. Ground mustard
¼ tsp. Smoked paprika
Directions:
Begin by preheating your oven to 350ºF. Grab a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil. I like to pull my noodles about 2 minutes earlier than the box directions to let them finish cooking in the sauce later. At this stage, place the par-boiled noodles in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil to keep from sticking before setting aside for future use
As the noodles cook, go ahead and shred your cheeses and divide them into two piles. About 3-4 cups for the cheese sauce, and another 3-4 cups for layering into the final baking dish. Set aside for assembly.
Next, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add in the flour and whisk often to combine until the roux begins to darken to a blonde color and take on the consistency of wet sand – about 2-3 minutes. Slowly pour in the evaporated milk about ½ cup at a time, whisking regularly after each addition. Repeat this process with the half and half until all liquids are added and the mixture is smooth.
Remove your sauce from the heat. 1 handful at a time, begin adding 4 cups of your shredded cheeses to the dairy mixture, stirring consistently and allowing the cheeses to melt completely with each addition.
Lastly, add the drained noodles directly into the cheese sauce followed by the spice mixture. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to evenly distribute and mix thoroughly.
Scoop half of the mac into a 9x13 baking dish, followed by 1-2 cups of cheese, followed by the remaining mac mixture, and top with the remaining cheese
Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted over the noodles and is bubbling slightly. If you choose, finish under your broiler setting for 1-2 minutes for a crispy brown exterior!
Notes & Free Game:
Any combination of dairy will do for the liquids. Evaporated milk helps with the creminess a bit. But it’s really my personal favorite for things like this because of its price, storage, and convenient measurements!
The white American cheese in this recipe may seem trivial, but it’s here for two reasons. First, the sodium citrate used in this variety increases the threshold for coagulation to occur. In other words, its keeps your cheese sauce from “breaking” and becoming oily as the mac cooks in the oven