Baked Macaroni and Cheese
The ultimate comfort food, Baked Macaroni and Cheese is thick and creamy with the perfect amount of sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry macaroni
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup flour
- 3 ½ cups milk
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper or hot sauce
- 1 tsp dijon mustard or 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese at least half old sharp
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp white pepper
Topping
- ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 large spoonfuls melted butter
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese plus extra to grate on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Cook macaroni one minute less than package directions. Drain well.
- Meanwhile, in large heavy pot, melt butter and combine with flour, cooking over medium heat for about one minute.
- Heat milk and add in small amounts to roux, stirring well. Stir over medium-low heat until thickened. Add cayenne pepper or hot sauce and dijon or dry mustard powder. Taste and season with salt and white pepper.
- Remove from heat and stir in shredded cheese.
- Pour cooked macaroni over cheese sauce and combine well. Pour into a large baking dish.
- Make topping by melting butter, then adding breadcrumbs and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Stir well and sprinkle evenly over top of macaroni.
- Bake at 350 degrees on middle rack for about 45 minutes. If baking after being refrigerated, bake approximately 1 hour or until bubbling and top is browning.
Notes
Nutritional information is based on salted butter and 1% milk
Nutrition
Calories: 447kcalCarbohydrates: 34.2gProtein: 19.8gFat: 26.2gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.6gMonounsaturated Fat: 3.2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 79.8mgSodium: 724.2mgPotassium: 248.6mgFiber: 1.2gSugar: 6.4g
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