Equipment
Ingredients
Pasta
- 500 g elbow macaroni
- 4000 ml water
- 30 g kosher salt
Cheese Sauce
- 60 g unsalted butter
- 60 g all-purpose flour
- 1000 ml whole milk, room temperature
- 300 g sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
- 150 g gruyere cheese, freshly grated
- 15 g dijon mustard
- 3 g garlic powder
- 2 g smoked paprika
- 5 g kosher salt
- 2 g black pepper, freshly cracked
Crunchy Topping
- 100 g cheese puffs, crushed into coarse crumbs
- 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
- 672 kcal
- Protein
- 26 g
- Carbohydrates
- 74 g
- Fat
- 32 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 8 g
- Sodium
- 1081 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 13 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 8 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 48 mg
- Potassium
- 853 mg
- Calcium
- 675 mg
- Iron
- 3.7 mg
- Magnesium
- 54 mg
- Phosphorus
- 615 mg
- Zinc
- 2.5 mg
- Vitamin A
- 317 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 3 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.1 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.9 mg
- Vitamin K
- 1 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.9 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.83 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.48 mg
- Niacin
- 6.9 mg
- Folate
- 190 mcg
- Water
- 30 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 175 C or 350 F and lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Bring the water and 30g of kosher salt to a rolling boil in a large pot. Add the macaroni and cook 1 minute shy of al dente according to package directions, then drain in a colander.
Melt the unsalted butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the all-purpose flour and cook until pale and fragrant, stirring constantly.
Gradually stream the room temperature milk into the roux while whisking vigorously to prevent lumps. Simmer gently, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
Remove the saucepan from the heat entirely. Gradually stir in the grated cheddar, Gruyere, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper until completely smooth.
Fold the drained macaroni into the warm cheese sauce until evenly coated, then pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
In a mixing bowl, toss the crushed cheese puffs and panko breadcrumbs with the melted butter until evenly moistened.
Scatter the cheese puff and breadcrumb mixture in an even layer over the macaroni and cheese.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until the edges are bubbling and the topping is deeply golden and crisp.
Let the casserole rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving to allow the sauce to set slightly.
Chef's Notes
- Always grate your own cheese from a block. Pre-shredded cheeses are coated in anti-caking agents like cellulose, which prevent them from melting smoothly into the mornay sauce.
- Cooking the pasta 1 to 2 minutes shy of al dente ensures it will not become mushy when it continues to cook and absorb liquid in the oven.
- For the cheese puff topping, crush them to varied textures. You want some fine dust to bind with the butter and panko, alongside larger chunks for maximum crunch.
- Warming your milk slightly before whisking it into the roux helps prevent seizing and ensures a silkier, lump-free sauce.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Store in an airtight container. The topping will soften over time.
Reheating: Reheat in a 175C/350F oven for 15 to 20 minutes to restore some of the crunch to the topping.
Troubleshooting
Cheese sauce is grainy or separated
Cause: Cheese was added while the sauce was boiling on the stove, causing the dairy proteins to coagulate and fats to separate.
Fix: Cannot be completely fixed once broken, but vigorously whisking in a splash of cold milk or a pinch of sodium citrate can help emulsify it slightly.
Prevention: Always remove the bechamel base from the heat entirely before stirring in the grated cheese.
Cultural Context
Macaroni and cheese has its roots in European pasta casseroles but was heavily popularized in America by James Hemings, an enslaved chef trained in France by Thomas Jefferson. The addition of commercial snack foods like cheese puffs as a topping is a playful, modern twist that provides nostalgic flavor and excellent textural contrast.
