Recipe: Baked Mac & Cheese

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

When I was a kid I loved when that little blue box would come out. I could here the noodles shake in the box and Could totally relate to how my dog felt everyday when he heard the food coming. In that blue box was mac and cheese magic. Little elbow noodles in nuclear orange colored sauce that tasted like heaven. By the time I was ten, I could manage to make it on my own.

It wasn't until I was a teenager and staying at a friends house when his mom said she was making macaroni and cheese, but there was no blue box in sight. No jiggling sound of noodles. I was puzzled. But then I was mesmerized as she began to mix together butter, flour, milk and cheese to make this incredible cheddar sauce. She poured the creamy goodness over perfectly cooked jumbo shells and folded them together. And to my amazement, there was macaroni and cheese – made from scratch, not a little blue box. 

Baked Mac and Cheese

While I was in college, I remembered that night and decided I too would make mac and cheese from scratch. I found a cookbook with a recipe. Though I was frightened by the idea of a bechamel sauce, I would find that it was easy and would become a foundation for many cooking techniques later. So don't be afraid. Ditch the blue box and make some real homemade mac and cheese for your family, but more importantly your self! Treat yo' self!

BAKED MAC AND CHEESE RECIPE:

You will need a large casserole or baking dish, a large high-sided sauce pan for sauce, a large stock pot for pasta and wooden spoon.

Ingredients:

Bechamel Sauce:

1 Stick Butter

1/2 Cup Flour

4 Cups Whole Milk

Seasoning:

5-7 Cloves of Garlic, Finely Diced (You can add more garlic if you're into it and don't have anyone to kiss after dinner)

1 Tbsp Salt (plus more for pasta water)

1 Tbsp Ground Black Pepper

1 Tbsp Mexican Oregano (you can also use Italian Oregano)

1 Tbsp French Thyme

1/4 tsp Freshly Grated Nutmeg (Optional)
1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper (Optional)

1/2 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs - Reserved for Topping(Optional)

Cheese:
2 Cups Sharp Cheddar

1 Cup Smoked Cheddar

1 Cup Gruyere

1 Cup Pecorino Romano

(You can use all Cheddar if you want or any combination of these cheeses or other cheese such as Monterey Jack, Fontina, Pepper Jack, etc.)

Noodles:

1 Pound Box of Elbow Macaroni

(I also like to use Jumbo Elbow Macaroni, Penne and Rigatoni)

METHOD:

1. PREP

- Chop garlic

- Measure out all seasonings and put in small bowl

- Grate cheese and put into one large bowl (Set aside a 1/2 cup of cheese for topping)

- Butter the bottom and sides of your casserole or baking dish

2. Preheat oven to 400º F and put the rack in the center.

3. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil in a large stock pot. Add noodles and return to a boil and cook for about 3-4 minutes. The noodles should start to be soft, but still undercooked. Drain noodles and rinse with very cold water to stop them from cooking. Set pasta aside.

4. In large high-sided sauce pan add butter on medium-low and let melt. Once butter is melted add flour. With a wooden spoon constantly stir flour mixture and it will form into a paste. Continue to cook for about 3 minutes until it starts to turn golden-brown. This mix is called a roux and is often used to thicken sauces and soups.

5. Once your roux is golden brown, slowly add your milk about 1 cup at a time. Constantly stir the mixture as you add the milk - slowly breaking up the flour mixture. It will look clumpy and first but as you add the milk it will loosen up. Continue stirring constantly and bring to a boil. Be sure to stir gently and scrape the bottom of the saucepan as you stir. This will prevent the milk from building up and scorching at the bottom. 

6. Turn off heat and stir in garlic and seasonings. Stir until mixed through. Begin to add cheese handfuls at a time. The sauce should still be hot enough to melt the cheese itself. Stir until all cheese is melted and throughly combined. At this point taste the sauce to see if you need to add any additional salt or seasoning.

7. Gently fold your noodles into the sauce until all noodles are coated with sauce. *Note: If you don't want to bake it and eat it all hot and cheesy right off the stovetop, you can! Just cook your noodles all the way to al dente and you're good to go!

8. Pour the noodle mixture into your baking dish. Top with 1/2 cup of cheese and bread crumbs.

9. Bake uncovered in oven at 400ºF for 30-40 minutes until cheese is bubbling and top is golden brown. Remove from oven and let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

Provecho!