Equipment
Ingredients
Pasta
- 450 g dried elbow macaroni
Roux and Sauce
- 60 g unsalted butter
- 60 g all-purpose flour
- 700 ml whole milk, warm
- 5 g salt
- 2 g black pepper, freshly ground
- 3 g mustard powder
Cheese
- 400 g sharp cheddar cheese, grated from block
- 150 g gruyere cheese, grated from block
Topping
- 50 g panko breadcrumbs
- 30 g unsalted butter, melted
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 815 kcal
- Protein
- 32 g
- Carbohydrates
- 78 g
- Fat
- 43 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 7 g
- Sodium
- 1299 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 19 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 12 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 3 g
- Cholesterol
- 74 mg
- Potassium
- 911 mg
- Calcium
- 695 mg
- Iron
- 4.4 mg
- Magnesium
- 65 mg
- Phosphorus
- 666 mg
- Zinc
- 3.3 mg
- Vitamin A
- 338 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.2 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.4 mg
- Vitamin K
- 1 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 1.2 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.97 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.52 mg
- Niacin
- 7.8 mg
- Folate
- 213 mcg
- Water
- 48 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit). Lightly grease your baking dish.
Bring heavily salted water to a boil in a large pot. Cook the macaroni 1 minute shy of the package directions for al dente, then drain using a colander.
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook continuously for 2 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste without browning.
Gradually pour in the warm milk while whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Simmer until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Remove the saucepan entirely from the heat. Whisk in the salt, black pepper, mustard powder, and the grated cheeses handful by handful until completely smooth and emulsified.
Fold the drained macaroni gently into the cheese sauce until every noodle is coated. Pour the mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish.
In a small bowl, mix the panko breadcrumbs with the melted butter. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the top of the macaroni and cheese.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes until the cheese sauce is bubbling around the edges and the breadcrumb topping is deep golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let the dish rest for 10 minutes before serving. This allows the sauce to set up and cling properly to the pasta.
Chef's Notes
- Always grate your cheese from a solid block. Pre-shredded cheeses are coated in anti-caking agents like cellulose that will prevent your sauce from becoming perfectly smooth.
- Warming your milk before whisking it into the roux prevents seizing and drastically reduces the risk of lumps forming in your bechamel.
- Mustard powder is a crucial background ingredient; you will not taste it directly, but the acidity and emulsifying properties elevate the cheddar flavor significantly.
- For maximum creaminess, do not overbake. You are only baking to set the structure and toast the breadcrumbs, as everything inside is already fully cooked.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Store in an airtight container.
Freezer: 2 months — For best results, freeze before baking the topping.
Reheating: Reheat in the oven at 175 C (350 F) or microwave with a splash of milk to restore creaminess.
Troubleshooting
Grainy or split cheese sauce
Cause: Cheese was added while the pan was still on active heat, causing the proteins to tighten and fat to separate.
Fix: Vigorously whisk in a small splash of cold milk off the heat to attempt to re-emulsify, though full recovery is unlikely.
Prevention: Always remove the béchamel base from the heat source completely before stirring in your grated cheese.
Mushy pasta
Cause: Pasta was boiled to a fully soft state before being baked.
Fix: Cannot be fixed
Prevention: Boil pasta 1 to 2 minutes less than the package directs for al dente.
Cultural Context
Macaroni and cheese is a cornerstone of American comfort food and soul food traditions. Its modern American lineage traces back directly to James Hemings, an enslaved chef trained in France, who perfected and popularized a baked macaroni and cheese pie for Thomas Jefferson in the late 18th century.
