What is more comforting than a bowl of warm mac & cheese! NOTHING.
This recipe is perfect for a weeknight meal because of how simple it is to make, and also, it can easily be doubled for any holiday like Thanksgiving or just a family dinner.
Before jumping straight to the recipe, let's breakdown the important qualities to the perfect mac & cheese.
Pasta - Look for a pasta with a lot of nooks and crannies. I love to use cavatappi, but other popular shapes are elbow pasta, shells, or pipette.
At least 2 Cheeses - When it comes to choosing your cheese, remember to use at least 2 in your recipe, 1 sharp, and 1 creamy. Using at least two will give your mac and cheese creaminess while the other will give a flavor punch. My favorite cheeses to use are Gruyere and Cheddar! But any mix of sharp and creamy cheese will do like these:
Sharp Cheese - Parmesan, Pecorino, aged Asiago,
Creamy Cheese - Gouda, Monterey Jack, and Fontina, cream cheese
Grate your cheese! - Picking up pre-shredded bag and cheese is tempting; however, I urge you to think twice! The pre-shredded cheese bags have stabilizers and anti-caking agents, lessen the flavor of the cheese, and it won't melt properly. BUT, if you are tight on time, I advise you to pick only one pre-shredded cheese!
Spices - this recipe has mustard powder and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Adding a pinch of spice really makes all the difference! The mustard goes really well with the cheese, and the pepper just adds that extra kick.
Ingredients
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for baking dish
¾ cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
¼ cup Parmesan, finely grated
2 teaspoons fresh sage leaves
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided, plus more
8 oz. cavatappi
2 ½ cups whole milk
2 shallot, grated
1 garlic clove, finely grated
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 oz. Gruyère, grated
8 oz. mild white cheddar, grated
½ teaspoon English mustard powder
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Recipe
Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 2 qt. Baking dish.
Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add panko and cook, stirring, until crumbs are golden brown, 6–8 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and toss with Parmesan, thyme leaves, and ¼ tsp. salt.
Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente (the noodles will continue to cook in the cheese sauce, so take them out a minute or two before you think they’re actually done). Drain pasta; let cool while you make the sauce.
Bring milk to a bare simmer in a small saucepan; keep warm. Melt remaining 2 Tbsp. butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until onions are fragrant and beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle flour over and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture starts to stick to bottom of saucepan, about 1 minute. Add warm milk in a few additions, whisking to combine after each addition.
Bring béchamel sauce to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring, until sauce is thickened and doesn’t feel grainy when a little bit is rubbed between your fingers, 6–8 minutes. Add the grated cheese, mustard powder, cayenne, and ¾ tsp. salt and stir until cheeses are melted and sauce is smooth. Remove from heat and mix in pasta; transfer to the buttered baking dish.
Bake 10 minutes. Top with Parmesan breadcrumbs and bake until sauce is bubbling around the edges, 8–10 minutes longer. Let cool in pan 15 minutes before serving.
Adapted from Bon Appetit