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Macaroni & Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 2 cups panko (coarse Japanese bread crumbs) or 3 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs (from 6 slices firm white sandwich bread)
- 5 cups milk
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon dry mustard (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste (optional)
- 4-5 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 2-3 cups grated melty cheese (Gruyere, Cheddar, Emmenthal,Fontina) grated coarsely or cut into small pieces
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 pound short pasta (ex. macaroni or shells)
- 2 or so tablespoons olive oil
- 2 small cans diced ortega peppers (optional, but awesome)
- 2-3 tomatoes (optional)
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Directions
- Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside.
- Place breadcrumbs in a medium bowl. Toss with olive oil, parmesan cheese and cayenne. Set aside.
- Heat about 2 cups of the milk in the microwave (you don’t have to be precise) until almost boiling.
- Melt butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, whisking, about 1 minute.
- While whisking, pour in a small amount of the hot milk. Once absorbed into flour, pour in more. By the time you’re done with the hot milk you should have a very thick sauce. Slowly pour in the rest of the milk, whisking the entire time. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.
- Remove pan from heat. Stir in nutmeg, mustard, black pepper, cheddar cheese, and salt to taste (about 2 teaspoons) set cheese sauce aside.
- Cook pasta in salted water 2 to 3 minutes less than manufacturer's directions, until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Reserve about ¼ cup of the cooking water.
- Drain pasta then stir into the cheese sauce. Stir in the cans of ortega peppers. If the mixture is too thick, add ½ the reserved pasta water. It should be like a thick alfredo sauce. If it’s still too thick, stir in the rest of the pasta water.
- Pour mixture into prepared dish, layering in the melty cheese.
- Slice the tomatoes. Arrange in one layer over the macaroni.
- Sprinkle breadcrumbs evenly over top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Wait at least 5 minutes before digging in
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