Mac and Cheese
I started making mac and cheese this way in my first year of university, to impress my new friends. I’ve been making it the same way for almost 20 years now. It’s a perfect recipe.
Ingredients
Béchamel
45g | 3 tbsp butter
60g | 1/2 cup flour
6 cups milk (whole milk is ideal)
115g | 4oz parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp sweet paprika
Salt and pepper
Cheese sauce & assembly
Béchamel (1,500ml | 6 cups)
600g | 21oz cheese (6 cups grated)
Salt and pepper to taste
Box of shell pasta
Selecting cheese:
I prefer strongly flavoured, Alpine-style cheese like Gruyere and Emmental. Cheddar is great. I’ve made it with triple cream brie. Follow your heart, but I would avoid mild cheese like mozarella. I like to use at least 100g of parmesan as it has an intense umami flavour.
Vegan
I have not personally made this with vegan cheese, but it should work with a good melty cheese like Chao (cashew cheddar) and the vegan bechamel variation. Bechamel will be able to keep almost anything emulsified.
Gluten Free
For a gluten-free variation, follow the gluten-free behcamel variation and use your choice of gluten free pasta.
Method
Make roux
In a 3-quart or larger pot, on medium heat, melt the butter until it foams. Add in the flour and using a whisk mix it together. Cook for 2-3 minutes, whisking constantly, until it smells nutty.
Add the milk slowly
Add in the milk in batches. If you add all of the milk it will be lumpy and difficult to work with. Start with 2–3 tablespoons of milk. Instantly you’ll see it become a very thick paste. Keep adding a few tablespoons of milk at a time and whisking until incorporated before adding more milk. It will take adding at least 2 cups of milk this way to get a thin enough consistency, then you can add the rest all at once.
Increase heat to medium-high, whisking constantly. You may want to use a spatula to scrape the bottom/sides. Be careful that the milk doesn’t scald to the bottom of the pot, if it does do not scrape it. You must cook this until you see bubbles, that indicates the mixture has reached 212°F and the flour will be cooked. If you don’t get to bubbles it will taste starchy.
Remove from the heat, add the nutmeg, paprika, and cheese. Taste, then add salt and pepper to taste.
Make ahead
Cheese sauce will keep for 3 days in the fridge, but you will need to gently re-warm it to assemble your lasagna (it will be thick like pudding when cold).
Freeze cheese sauce up to 3 months. I prefer to freeze in vacuum sealed bags, laid flat, which store easier and thaw faster. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Boil your pasta
Use a large pot to boil the pasta in heavily salted water (1/4 cup!). Follow the cook time on the box.
Follow the variations below.
Variation 1: baked
When the pasta is al dente, drain it and rinse it under cold running water until the water runs clear. You want to remove all the surface starch. If you don’t it will thicken the sauce to a very thick paste and change the texture.
Pour the cheese sauce in the now empty pot you used to boil the pasta. Add the pasta back into the pot. Fold to combine, ensuring the pasta is evenly coated. You can do this right in your casserole dish but i’ve found that to be very messy.
Transfer to your casserole dish, and optionally top with garlic bread croutons.
Bake at 350°F for 1 hour until bubbling in the center and golden brown on top.
Storing for later
To freeze, you can either freeze the sauce alone and warm on the stove before assmbly. You can also freeze an assembled casserole, place a piece of parchment paper on top, then wrap foil.
Ideally thaw in the fridge overnight before baking, or bake at 325°F for 90 minutes.
Atlernatively, wrap and cover in the fridge for up to 4 days before baking.
Variation 2: saucy
Keep the cheese sauce warm on the stove.
When the pasta is al dente, drain it and then add both the pasta and cheese sauce into the larger pot. Fold to combine.
Serve, top with some fresh grated parmesan and black pepper.