Equipment
Ingredients
Pasta
- 400 g macaroni, dry
- 15 g salt
Cheese Sauce
- 60 g unsalted butter
- 60 g all-purpose flour
- 750 ml whole milk, warmed slightly
- 10 g dijon mustard
- 3 g garlic powder
- 5 g salt
- 2 g black pepper, freshly ground
- 300 g sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
- 150 g gruyere cheese, freshly grated
Topping
- 80 g panko breadcrumbs
- 40 g unsalted butter, melted
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 840 kcal
- Protein
- 36 g
- Carbohydrates
- 75 g
- Fat
- 44 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 7 g
- Sodium
- 1989 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 26 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 8 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 76 mg
- Potassium
- 473 mg
- Calcium
- 809 mg
- Iron
- 4.0 mg
- Magnesium
- 75 mg
- Phosphorus
- 616 mg
- Zinc
- 4.1 mg
- Vitamin A
- 377 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 1.8 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.6 mg
- Vitamin K
- 4 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.2 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 1.0 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.91 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.70 mg
- Niacin
- 6.0 mg
- Folate
- 212 mcg
- Water
- 130 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat oven to 175 degrees C (350 degrees F). Lightly grease your baking dish.
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. Add the macaroni and cook for 1 minute less than the package directions until just shy of al dente.
Drain the cooked macaroni thoroughly in a colander and set aside.
In a large saucepan, melt 60g of unsalted butter over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture smells nutty and turns a pale blonde color.
Gradually whisk the warm milk into the butter and flour mixture, pouring in a slow, steady stream to ensure no lumps form.
Continue to cook the sauce over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Whisk in the Dijon mustard, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.
Gradually add the grated sharp cheddar and gruyere cheeses, a handful at a time, folding gently until fully melted and perfectly smooth.
Add the drained macaroni to the cheese sauce. Gently mix until every piece of pasta is thoroughly coated.
Transfer the macaroni and cheese mixture into the prepared baking dish, spreading it into an even layer.
In a small bowl, mix the panko breadcrumbs with 40g of melted butter until the crumbs are evenly moistened.
Sprinkle the buttered breadcrumb mixture evenly over the top of the macaroni in the baking dish.
Bake in the preheated oven at 175 degrees C (350 degrees F) for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly around the edges and the breadcrumb topping is golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let the dish rest for 10 minutes before serving to allow the sauce to set properly.
Chef's Notes
- Always grate your own cheese from a solid block. Pre-packaged shredded cheeses are coated in cellulose and starch to prevent clumping, which actively prevents a smooth melt and causes grainy sauces.
- Warming your milk before adding it to the roux helps prevent lumps from forming and drastically speeds up the thickening process of your bechamel.
- Do not skip resting the dish after pulling it from the oven. Resting allows the starches in the pasta and flour to stabilize, keeping the sauce thick and clinging to the noodles rather than pooling in the dish.
- For an extra layer of flavor, consider rubbing the inside of your baking dish with a halved clove of raw garlic before buttering it.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Cover tightly with foil or store in an airtight container.
Freezer: 2 months — Can be frozen before or after baking. If freezing before baking, omit breadcrumbs until ready to bake.
Reheating: Bake covered at 175 degrees C until hot, then uncover for 5 minutes to recrisp the topping. Alternatively, microwave individual portions with a splash of milk.
Troubleshooting
Cheese sauce is grainy or split
Cause: Cheese was added while the sauce was too hot, or pre-shredded cheese containing anti-caking agents was used.
Fix: Whisk in a splash of cold milk or a pinch of sodium citrate vigorously to help re-emulsify. Severe splitting cannot be perfectly fixed but is still safe to eat.
Prevention: Always remove the thickened milk mixture from the heat completely before folding in freshly grated cheese block.
Macaroni is mushy and lacks bite
Cause: Pasta was fully cooked or overcooked during the boiling phase, then absorbed more liquid in the oven.
Fix: Cannot be fixed once baked.
Prevention: Boil pasta 1 to 2 minutes less than the package recommends for al dente, as it will continue cooking while baking.
Cultural Context
While baked dishes combining pasta and cheese have European origins tracing back to 14th-century Italy and France, the modern American baked macaroni and cheese owes its foundational prominence to James Hemings. Hemings, an enslaved chef of Thomas Jefferson who trained in Paris, perfected the dish and introduced it to high society. Today, baked macaroni and cheese is an iconic cornerstone of African American soul food and a beloved, unifying comfort dish found on dinner tables across the United States.
