Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Those of you that have been following A Chica Bakes for a while know I have quite a few food obsessions – cookies, ice cream, coconut, coconut, coconut. One that has not made an appearance here is cheese. I have seriously NEVER met a cheese I didn’t enjoy and I could not think of a better way to highlight my cheese love affair than with this delectable mac ‘n cheese.
Who doesn’t love a good mac with a crusty top and creamy, gooey inside? I simply can’t resist it. So I couldn’t help but share this recipe (an original by yours truly) with you all on A Chica Bakes, despite the fact that it’s not sweet and only half baked. When you make this for yourself, you won’t be able to resist it either.
I’m a purist when it comes to cheese. And in a recipe like this where it is a star, only the best will work. You don’t have to necessarily go premium (but by all means do so if you want as I did). Most supermarkets carry some delicious blocks of Vermont Cheddars that would work perfectly in this mac. And yes, get the blocks and not the stuff that is pre-shredded…it makes a difference…trust me. If you want to mix a few cheeses, go for it! Be adventurous. I’m sure some jack would go great with this as well. And yes, use panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) instead of regular breadcrumbs. They get crispier than the regular kind and help this mac achieve the perfect crunchy top/gooey inside ratio. Does that sound good enough for ya?
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients:
1/2 pound elbow pasta
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium shallot, finely minced
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons ground mustard
1 pound grated cheddar
1/4 cup panko bread crumbsDirections:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Add a half pound (half box) of elbow pasta to a big pot of boiling, salted water and cook to al dente.
Meanwhile, in a separate large sauce pan on medium heat, melt the butter. Add shallot and cook until translucent. Then whisk in flour and cook through while stirring out any lumps for about 5 minutes. Stir in milk, salt, pepper and mustard and simmer on low heat for 7-10 minutes as mixture thickens. Stir in 3/4 of grated cheese and continue to cook until cheese has melted and is evenly distributed.
Fold in macaroni and pour the entire mixture into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top the mixture with remaining grated cheese followed by panko bread crumbs.
Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes (if you can wait that long) before digging in.
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Laurie Jones — August 18, 2010 @ 3:37 pm
Yummy, thank you for adding this recipe. You rock!
sugen — August 18, 2010 @ 3:42 pm
Sounds so yummy. If only I could bake…
B2 — August 18, 2010 @ 3:55 pm
Yum! Yum! i looooooooooooove baked mac and cheese in the winter. I like to toss in some fresh jalapenos into the cheese while the cheese is melting.
shelly (cookies and cups) — August 18, 2010 @ 4:16 pm
Awesome recipe!
I love baked mac and cheese and I bet the panko is so great!
Love the new look too, very cute!
Kerstin — August 18, 2010 @ 11:15 pm
I’m the same way and always buy the best cheese I can – it makes such a big difference! I wish I had a big bowl of this right now because it looks perfect!
Leslie Cannon Stewart — August 18, 2010 @ 11:43 pm
Truly AMAZING!!! I made it tonight as I was craving some good comfort food – or shall I say, the baby growing inside me was craving it! It was actually a joint affair in our kitchen tonight as my husband, 2 1/2 year old daughter – Lily, and I enjoyed whipping up this yummy recipe. Thanks Eli! We truly appreciate the recipe. Much love from your Vancouver family. xo
Joanne — August 19, 2010 @ 8:38 am
You speak to my soul. The food blogger fifteen is going to have to wait until I have this mac and cheese. Too good to pass up.
Yoly - YNR Live — August 19, 2010 @ 10:09 am
That looks so yummy! We love cheese in this household.
Amy (Sing For Your Supper) — August 19, 2010 @ 12:02 pm
Love your new look!! Aaaaaand now I’m totally craving mac-n-cheese….*sigh*
Lindsay @ Pinch of Yum — August 19, 2010 @ 12:20 pm
Oooh, I love the way your recipe comes out pink on the page! I am going to look into that. Was it hard to do?
Tracy — August 19, 2010 @ 8:32 pm
I looooove homemade mac and cheese. This looks like pure comfort food!
Velva — August 19, 2010 @ 9:36 pm
Baked Macaroni and Cheese, the ultimate American comfort food. Yours looks divine. Like you, I have never met a cheese that I did not enjoy.
Beth — August 20, 2010 @ 12:23 am
Recipe looks wonderful. I love using panko. Thanks for sharing.
Plan B
Shandy — August 20, 2010 @ 12:41 am
Awesome recipe! Mac n’ cheese is one of my serious weaknesses; Love it!
Patricia — August 20, 2010 @ 1:17 am
This looks divine. I have a big cheese weakness as well (along with chocolate, coconut, and sweets in general). I’ll be trying this sometime (I may have to invite some friends over though so I don’t eat it all myself). Thanks for the recipe!
Flourchild — August 20, 2010 @ 11:46 am
yum that looks so good and the recipe is the bomb! I love homemade mac and cheese.
Jennifurla — August 20, 2010 @ 12:30 pm
I am too hungry to be looking at that picture, I am making mac&cheee for a friend tommorow…this looks quite tasty
Nadia — August 20, 2010 @ 12:48 pm
mmmm, who doesn’t love an ooey gooey mac and cheese. love the panko crust too, great contrast of texture and flavor!
Pam — August 20, 2010 @ 2:09 pm
Oh, this looks fabulous! I’ve never used panko with mac and cheese but will now. This is comfort food to the max and you did it perfectly. I’m new here and really enjoyed reading your post below! I’ll be back!
Amanda — August 20, 2010 @ 2:24 pm
Beautiful! Your photography is always perfection. And the recipe…well, I must try it!
5 Star Foodie — August 20, 2010 @ 3:44 pm
The mac & cheese sounds so good! Yummy!
Julie — August 20, 2010 @ 10:24 pm
I love homemade mac and cheese! This looks delicious.
Gloria — August 22, 2010 @ 12:48 pm
OMG…this looks amazing. Even though it’s breakfast time right now for me, I’d love to be eating this mac n cheese right now! Yum.
Barbara — August 22, 2010 @ 3:34 pm
Oh, yeah. I’m with you Eliana, when it comes to cheeses. And your mac and cheese is making my mouth water right now! I could go for a big scoop of that.
Barbara Bakes — August 22, 2010 @ 11:59 pm
This looks like a perfect mac and cheese. I’m wishing I could have a spoonful right now.
Scootabaker — August 23, 2010 @ 4:39 pm
there are mac and cheese aficionados here in LA. A new favorite shop of mine is http://www.macandcheeza.com/
I LOVE baked mac and cheese. seriously.
Kimberly — August 23, 2010 @ 9:02 pm
That looks very, very good! At the restaurant where I work, our amazing and talented chef makes a sublime mac-and-cheese that we then freeze and sell out of our deli case. Everyone in town loves the stuff, including me, of course. So I looked up the recipe Chef uses and it didn’t seem all that difficult to emulate, but then I thought, “well, why make it myself when I can buy it instead?”
Still, as fall and winter approach, I want to find a good mac-and-cheese recipe to master. The addition of panko, a shallot and dried musturd I bet makes yours a stand-out mac and cheese. Will try it soon. : )
The Duo Dishes — August 31, 2010 @ 1:36 am
If it were possible to live on mac and cheese alone, many of us would probably choose that existence. Doesn’t matter if it’s the purist version or one a bit more adventurous. It’s still good!