Mac and Cheese 309

BAKED MAC AND CHEESE

Baked mac and cheese. It’s nearly the universal comfort food, and
there are SO many variations! In fact, I almost didn’t post this recipe,
as there are SOOOO many mac and cheese recipes available, and
most people already have their favorite way of making it.

Of course, there’s no “right” way or “wrong” way, so I’m here sharing

the way I like to make my mac and cheese (the way my family loves it
too).

Cheese sauce pouring over pasta to make homemade Mac and

cheese
HOW TO MAKE MAC AND CHEESE
If you’ve never made homemade mac and cheese before, it can seem
a bit daunting. But don’t worry, we’ll break it down and take it step by
step!

Boil the pasta, drain.

Make the cheese sauce by combining a fat (butter), and starch (flour),
then whisking in the milk products.
Cook the sauce until it’s nice and thick.
Add in shredded cheeses, stir well.
Combine cheese sauce with cooked pasta.
Transfer half of the mac and cheese to a baking dish, sprinkle with
more shredded cheese.
Top with the rest of the mac and cheese, top with more shredded
cheese.
Bake and prepare to thoroughly enjoy!
Baked mac and cheese in baking dish
COOKING TIPS FOR BAKED MAC AND CHEESE
Boiling the pasta – cook the pasta less than you normally would. I like
to boil my elbow pasta for between 4 and 5 minutes. The pasta will
continue to cook in the oven, and you don’t want it to get mushy.
Use room temp liquids – if you can… cold liquids generally take longer
to thicken than warmer ones. I usually set my milk and half and half
out while the water for the pasta is coming up to a boil.
The cheeses – use your favorites! Our personal favorites are the
cheddar and gruyere used in this recipe, but you can be very creative
with the cheese selection here. Mozzarella, gouda, smoked gouda,
swiss, monterey jack, colby jack, colby. There are plenty of reader
comments down below the recipe that talk about the cheeses they
used!
Shred your own – I know it’s a pain, and it’s SO tempting to use the
pre-shredded cheese in the bags. But those bags of cheese contain a
starchy substance that keeps the cheese from clumping… which also
prohibits it from melting as well as it should.
Bowl of creamy baked mac and cheese
VARIATIONS OF MAC AND CHEESE
Bacon – if you love bacon, feel free to add some crispy, crumbled
bacon to the topping, or even inside the mac and cheese as well!
Stovetop – if you’d prefer not to bake this mac and cheese, you don’t
have to! Make sure you boil your pasta until al dente (check the
packaging for correct times), and you’ll only need about 3 – 3 1/2 cups
of cheese total. No need to layer the pasta and cheese, just add all
the cheese to the sauce, then combine with the pasta.
Different Toppings – I’m a huge fan of the cheese layer on top, since it
gets nice and crispy, but we also love tossing 1 cup of panko with 2
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