Mac and cheese (baked macaroni with cheddar)
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200 °C (400 °F). Cook the macaroni in a large pan of boiling salted water for 2 minutes less than the packet time, then drain.
- In a pan, melt the butter, add the flour and stir for 1 minute. Pour in the milk gradually while whisking and let it thicken for 5 minutes over low heat.
- Off the heat, add the mustard, paprika, nutmeg, salt and pepper, then the cheddar and Gruyère, and stir until the sauce is smooth and stretchy.
- Mix the macaroni with the sauce and pour into a buttered 20 x 30 cm (8 x 12-inch) baking dish.
- Mix the panko, melted butter and Parmesan, and scatter over the pasta.
- Bake for 20 minutes, until the top is golden and the sauce is bubbling at the edges. Leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Tender pasta in a creamy cheese sauce, a golden crust that crackles under the spoon and cheese that stretches: mac and cheese is America’s favourite comfort food. Here is our classic mac and cheese recipe, an easy mac and cheese recipe for real homemade mac and cheese, a world away from the boxed versions.
The original American mac and cheese: a little history
Baked pasta with cheese already existed in 18th-century England, in the cookbooks of the time. But it was Thomas Jefferson who made original American mac and cheese popular. Back from Europe with a pasta machine, he had a macaroni pie served at the White House in 1802. His chef, James Hemings, an enslaved man trained as a cook in France, knew the recipe well. The dish then spread across the country and became a staple in the 1930s with the boxed versions. Today it is served in family kitchens and barbecue joints alike.
Which cheese for mac and cheese?
Knowing which cheese for mac and cheese is essential. The American base is cheddar, preferably sharp or mature for its strong taste and lovely orange colour. Mix it with a cheese that melts and stretches well: Gruyère, Emmental, mozzarella or Comté. Parmesan is perfect on top for the crust. Always grate the cheese yourself: bagged grated cheese is coated in starch and makes the sauce grainy.
Mac and cheese sauce: a Mornay sauce
The best mac and cheese sauce is a Mornay sauce, a white sauce enriched with cheese. First you make a roux with butter and flour, then you pour in the milk gradually while whisking to avoid lumps. The cheese goes in off the heat: if it gets too hot, it turns grainy and the sauce becomes oily. A spoonful of mustard, a hint of paprika and a pinch of nutmeg lift the flavour of the cheese without standing out.
Crispy baked mac and cheese
Crispy baked mac and cheese owes its crust to a mix of panko, melted butter and Parmesan. Panko, Japanese breadcrumbs in large flakes, stays crunchier than ordinary breadcrumbs. Use a wide, shallow dish for more crust, and bake at 200 °C (400 °F) so the top browns quickly without drying the pasta. For extra crunch, put the dish under the grill for 2 minutes at the end.
Stovetop mac and cheese
Stovetop mac and cheese, made without the oven, is even creamier. Make the sauce as in the recipe, cook the pasta fully, then stir it straight into the pan of sauce and serve at once. Add a splash of milk if the sauce gets too thick. To keep a crunchy contrast, toast the panko in butter in a frying pan and scatter it over just before serving.
Mac and cheese with bacon
Mac and cheese with bacon is one of the most popular variations. Fry 150 g of smoked bacon lardons or chopped bacon in a dry pan until very crisp, then drain on kitchen paper. Stir half into the pasta and scatter the rest over the crust before baking. You can also add a sliced onion browned in the bacon fat.
Thermomix mac and cheese
Thermomix mac and cheese is easy to make. Grate the cheddar and Gruyère in pieces for 10 seconds on speed 7 and set aside. Put the butter, flour, milk, mustard, spices, salt and pepper in the bowl and cook for 8 minutes at 90 °C, speed 4. Add the cheeses and mix for 30 seconds on speed 3. Toss the sauce with the cooked pasta, scatter with panko and bake as in the recipe.
Pressure cooker mac and cheese (Cookeo or Instant Pot)
Pressure cooker mac and cheese, in a Cookeo or an Instant Pot, is made in a single pot. Add 250 g of uncooked macaroni, 500 ml of milk, 250 ml of water, the salt and mustard, then pressure cook for 4 minutes. After releasing the pressure, add 200 g of grated cheese on the browning setting and stir until it melts. The result is very creamy, with no crust: pour it into a dish and put it under the grill with the panko if you want it crunchy.
Vegan mac and cheese
For vegan mac and cheese, the sauce is made with vegetables. Boil 300 g of potatoes and 1 carrot in pieces, then blend them with 80 g of soaked cashews, 300 ml of oat milk, 4 tablespoons of nutritional yeast, a spoonful of mustard, a garlic clove, salt and paprika. The carrot gives the orange colour and the nutritional yeast the cheesy taste. Mix with the pasta and bake with panko tossed in olive oil.
How to store mac and cheese
To store mac and cheese, keep it for 3 days in the fridge in an airtight container. To reheat, add a splash of milk, cover with foil and put it in the oven at 180 °C (350 °F) for 20 minutes: it becomes creamy again. You can also freeze it for up to 2 months, in portions, before or after baking. The sauce will be slightly less smooth after thawing.
Mac and cheese calories
For mac and cheese calories, count about 710 kcal per serving, for 6 people, with 31 g of protein. The pasta, cheese and butter provide most of them. To lighten it, use semi-skimmed milk, cut the cheddar to 180 g while keeping a very flavourful one, and serve a smaller portion with a big green salad.
What to serve with mac and cheese?
In the United States, mac and cheese is often a side dish: it comes with barbecue, such as our pulled pork, or with fried chicken. If you love pasta with cheese, try our Roman cacio e pepe with pecorino and pepper. And for another great melted cheese classic, try our Welsh rarebit from Wales. Our spice guide will give you more ideas to season the sauce.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my cheese sauce grainy?
The cheese got too hot or contained starch. Always add the cheese off the heat, grate it yourself and stir gently. If the sauce splits, add a spoonful of cold milk and whisk hard.
Can I make mac and cheese ahead?
Yes. Prepare the dish up to the breadcrumb step, cover and keep it in the fridge for 24 hours. Add the panko at the last minute and allow 10 extra minutes of baking, since the dish comes straight from the fridge.
