Who can resist this warm, cheesey goodness? With the cold, rainy weather, I always turn to comfort food recipes. This mac and cheese casserole is so satisfying. Don't we all have a mac and cheese story? The best you ever tasted or the worst? Do you remember the first time you tried to make this dish? How did it turn out? I have searched for and experimented with all kinds of mac and cheese recipes and found this one to be the easiest and tastiest basic recipe. Try it yourself and let me know how it turns out.
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There are four components to this casserole. Make each one and then combine them together and bake for 30 minutes.
1. macaroni
2. sautéed onion mixture
3. cheese sauce
4. crumb topping
Before you do anything else, assemble everything you need for this recipe.
Then, butter a 3 quart casserole/baking dish and set aside. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
1st Component: Macaroni
Ingredients:
1 lb elbow macaroni
Water
Salt
Directions:
Heat a large pot of salted water to boiling. Add macaroni and stir. Following package directions, cook until al dente. Drain.
2nd Component: Sautéed Onion Mixture
Ingredients:
1 slice Applewood Smoked Bacon (can be omitted for meatless version)
1 Onion
1 Clove Garlic
2 Tablespoons Diced Green Chiles
leaves from 1 sprig of fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
Directions:
Chop the bacon into ¼ inch pieces, sauté over medium low heat until the fat is rendered.
Remove bacon from pan and set aside.
Mince the onion. Saute onion in bacon fat (or 2 Tablespoon oil for meatless version) until soft, about 5 minutes. Add one clove of crushed garlic and cook for one minute. Add the diced green chiles and thyme, stir and remove from heat.
3rd Component: Cheese Sauce (don't be afraid, it's easy)
Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3 Tablespoons flour
4 cups milk
5 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese (I used up a cup of Swiss cheese I had)
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Measure the milk and put into a saucepan to heat to almost boiling. While the milk is heating, grate the cheeses and set aside.
Above Left: Parmesan grated with microplane Above Right: Swiss, Sharp Cheddar & Parmesan cheeses
Next, put the 3 Tablespoons of butter into a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Allow to melt and add 3 Tablespoons of flour. Whisk for about 3 minutes or until the flour no longer smells raw. Congratulations! You just made a roux!
Pour the heated milk into the flour and butter mixture.
Whisk until smooth. Working quickly, add the seasonings: salt, white pepper, lemon juice, nutmeg, Dijon mustard and hot sauce. The sauce will be smooth and thick, not runny, not like paste. Congratulations! You just made a simple white sauce! It should adhere to the back of a spoon and show the trail when you drag your finger across, like this:
Turn off the heat. Whisk everything together and add the cheddar cheese, whisking until all the cheese is melted. Add ½ cup parmesan cheese and stir until melted. Guess what? You just made a cheese sauce! See? It's not that difficult, is it?
4th Component: Crumb Topping
Ingredients:
2/3 cup bread crumbs
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt
Directions:
Combine all ingredients until thoroughly mixed.
Combine Everything:
Add the cooked onion mixture to the macaroni, stir gently until well mixed.
Pour the cheese sauce into the macaroni mixture and stir until all the macaroni is thoroughly coated with the cheese sauce.
Sprinkle some of the grated Parmesan cheese all over the buttered baking dish.
Pour the macaroni and cheese mixture into the prepared baking dish.
Top with the crumb mixture, sprinkling it evenly over the entire surface.
Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.
Remove from oven and let it sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Try this recipe and let me know how it turned out. Please leave a comment below. I'd love to hear from you!
Very tasty!
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