The holidays are chaotic, that much is common knowledge. There is all the shopping to be done, last minute yard work to get through, family members coming in and out of town, and decorating to take place, So, who wants to stand behind a stove for hours if you’ve been running around all day? Yuck! Wouldn’t you much rather spend that time enjoying your family or treating yourself to a good book? I want to introduce you to a mac and cheese recipe that is easy, delicious, and a huge crowd pleaser (especially with the kiddos). I’ve been using this recipe for a couple of years now and it never disappoints.
Time to prepare: 20 mins
Time to cook: 30 mins
Yield: 12 servings
The Ingredients
4 cups cheddar cheese, shredded (by hand, do not use pre-shredded cheese as it has a coating on the cheese that makes it more difficult to use and it just doesn’t taste the same)
2 cups Gruyere cheese (can also be substituted for jack or even pepper jack cheese if you are feeling adventurous), also shredded
1½ cups panko breadcrumbs (in a pinch, you can also toast some lightly buttered and seasoned bread until crispy and crush up yourself)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 cups chilled whole milk
1/3 cups all-purpose flour
6 Tbsp unsalted butter
4 Tbsp of butter melted
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ tsp paprika
16 oz shell or tubed pasta, cooked al dente
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
How It Is Done
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a 3 or 4 quart baking dish. Put aside. Combine the two grated cheeses and put aside.
You want to start by getting the pasta ready. Boil pasta in a saucepot and remove from heat when the pasta is al dente (a little chewy) and drain. Drizzle in the olive oil and stir the pasta making sure to coat everything evenly. This will help keep the pasta from sticking together. Set pasta aside to finish cooling down.
The backbone of this recipe has to be the creamy and delicious roux. Melt the butter (6 Tbsp) in a pan that is relatively deep. Once butter is melted, whisk in the flour continuing until the mixture is a golden-brown hue, about 1-2 minutes.
Slowly pour, while whisking, the milk and the heavy cream. When you begin to see bubbles, whisk for an additional 2 minutes. The mixture will begin to be quite thick. Whisk in salt and pepper.
Add two cups of the cheddar/gruyere cheese combo to the mixture and whisk until blended. Then repeat with the addition of another 2 cups. The result should be a very thick and creamy texture.
Stir in the cooled pasta until pasta is thoroughly coated with mixture. Spoon half of the pasta into the baking dish.Add the remaining 2 cups of cheese to the baking dish. Then spoon in the remainder of the pasta/sauce combination on top.
In a small bowl, mix the melted butter, panko breadcrumbs, and paprika. Sprinkle generously over the baking dish (this is your topping).
Place the baking dish into the oven for 25 mins. As soon as the timer signals the end of the 25 mins, switch the over to broil for an additional 1 or 2 mins (until you achieve a light brown/almost burnt look on the top). Watch the dish very carefully when it is broiling, as only a few extra minutes will result in the dish burning. Remove from heat and serve immediately.
Variations
My favorite thing to do is to broil 6 strips of bacon beforehand and crumble the pieces into the mixture the same time I add the pasta to the sauce mixture. I believe everything tastes better with bacon.
You can also add grated parmesan cheese to the panko crumb mixture at the end for max cheesiness.
You can also add some chopped fresh scallions to the top of your dish right before cutting to serve to achieve a more polished, finished look.
Let us know how YOUR dish came out by posting photos to our social media sites: Facebook.com/myhumboldtlifemagazine, @humboldtlifemag.
This article appears in My Humboldt Life December 2024.