Baked Mac and Cheese with Crispy Top

Baked Mac and Cheese with Crispy Top

This baked mac and cheese made from scratch is cheesy and heart-warming – using red cheddar cheese, French gruyere and a bit of parmesan – these are in my opinion the best cheeses for mac and cheese: the cheesy-trifecta.

Servings 8 servings

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Ingredients

For the Cheese Sauce

• 450 grams (1 lb) elbow macaroni
• 200 grams (7 oz) Red Cheddar
• 200 grams (7 oz) Gruyere
• 70 grams (2.5 oz) Parmesan
• 60 grams (7 tbsp) Butter
• 60 grams (7 tbsp) All-purpose flour
• 1 L (4.2 cups) milk 3.5% fat, cold
• 1 tsp English mustard
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground pepper or to taste
• 1/3 Nutmeg freshly grated
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Panko Topping

• 80 grams (1.5 cups) Panko breading
• 1 1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
• 1/2 tsp Paprika
• 40g (3 tbsp) butter

Instructions

Panko Topping

• Let's start by taking care of the crispy topping so that it's ready to be used when we'll need it.

  So in a bowl combine the panko, oregano and paprika.
• Heat a pan on medium-low heat then add the butter and melt it. As soon as it has melted add the breading mix and toast it by stirring it constantly. Once it gets a light golden color you can set it aside and move to the next step.

The Cheese Sauce

• Start by grating the cheese, use the big grater for the cheddar and gruyere and the small one for the parmesan. Reserve about 20% (80g/ 1/3 cup) of the cheese for topping.
• Before moving to the next step set a pot with 2L / 70 oz. water to boil for the pasta. When it starts boiling, add a generous pinch of salt and place the macaroni to boil and set a time for what the package says.

  And start preheating your oven at 200°C / 400°F.
• Let's get started on the béchamel sauce.

  It starts by making a roux, so in a heavy bottom pot, set on low-heat flame, melt the butter. As the bubbling starts to recede add the flour and stir vigorously with a metal whisk. Keel stirring until it's all combined in a paste and it smells like something resembling cooked pancakes. Don't let it cook for too long. A pale brown color is enough.
• Add the cold milk, 100ml or 1/2 cup at a time, keep whisking until it gets combined before adding more. Repeat this step until all the milk has been added.

  NOTE: the sauce only thickens after it boils so wait for that to happen before adding more or less milk based on your preference
• Season the béchamel sauce with the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, salt, pepper and the grated nutmeg. Taste for seasoning and adjust based on preference.
• Turn off the heat and add the grated cheeses, stir until it's all melted and mixed in.
• At thins point the pasta should be close to or done so strain it and then add half of it in your baking dish.

  Pour in all the sauce, stir to combine it all then add the remaining pasta ( this will make it a lot easier to stir)

  Top it with the reserved cheese and then add all the panko breading.
• Add it in the preheated oven (200°C / 400°F) for 20min
• Take it out, let it cool off for 5min before serving it. Enjoy!

Calories: 600kcal

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cheesy, comfort food, oven-baked, pasta

This homemade baked mac and cheese is great for the cold season. And since you’ll be sitting a lot more inside it’s time to look towards comfort food, and what better option is there than baked mac and cheese made from scratch, cheesy and heart-warming – the ultimate comfort food. We’ll be using red cheddar cheese, French gruyere and a bit of parmesan – these are in my opinion the best cheeses for mac and cheese: the cheesy-trifecta. They form the core of our cheese béchamel sauce, topped with crispy panko breading to complete the perfect baked mac and cheese recipe.

I’d love to hear how it turned out! Leave a comment below, or tag me with @solozaurcookin on Instagram and hashtag it #solozaurcookin.