My favorite thing to eat, hands down, is noodles. Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Thai... whatever way you make it, I like it. But mac and cheese is high up there on the list, especially baked mac and cheese. Is there anything more comforting?
First things first: cook the pasta. I always sneak a few into my mouth after draining it. (Don't you?)
Next up: the béchamel sauce. You'll need butter, flour (mixed with salt and pepper to taste)...
...and milk. Later you'll add cheese. (I like mixing sharp cheddar and mozzarella.)
So, back to the butter. Melt it on low heat, then add the flour/salt/pepper mix.
Whisk. Whisk. Keep whisking. It will look kind of gross, but just trust me on this.
Gradually pour in the milk and continue to whisk. Bring to a steady boil. (It should be getting thicker.)
Reduce the heat, add the cheese, and keep mixing that melty-yummy-goodness.
Did someone say garlic? I love garlic. I am obsessed with garlic. Add some, and keep mixing until your sauce is very thick, about 5-10 minutes, then remove from heat.
Your macaroni is probably growing impatient. Dump it into the sauce. Toss to coat.
I've been playing this trick on myself recently: substitute a portion of the pasta with veggies. It makes the dish healthier, but you still get to indulge. (Hint: just adding veggies doesn't completely count – the point is to not eat as much of the bad stuff.)
I like using individual ramekins instead of one larger casserole dish, because it allows you to add in whatever veggies and spices you like without offending anyone else. Plus, it's cuter. Left: 100% mac and cheese. Right: 50% broccoli, 50% mac and cheese, and a dash of paprika.
The last (and most important) step: breadcrumbs. I prefer panko crumbs. They're lighter and more crispy than regular breadcrumbs.
Pop the ramekins in the oven. Find something to do for twenty painstaking minutes. Then... mac and cheese time!
The first bite. Heavenly.
(Nothing more to say. I'm too busy eating.)
Baked Mac and Cheese (serves 2)
adapted from Fannie Farmer's Classic Baked Macaroni and Cheese
4 oz dry macaroni (if you don't have a kitchen scale, it's about 1 cup)
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded cheese (I use half cheddar, half mozzerella)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup broccoli, chopped (optional)
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1. Cook pasta until done (about 8 minutes). Drain. Set aside.
2. Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat.
3. Add flour, salt, and pepper to melted butter and whisk together for a minute or two.
4. Gradually add milk, continuing to whisk.
5. Bring to a steady boil, then reduce heat.
6. Sprinkle in cheese. Keep stirring until cheese melts and sauce is very thick.
7. Add macaroni and stir to coat.
8. Transfer to ramekins (or a casserole dish). Mix in broccoli, if using.
9. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over top.
10. Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes, or until top is golden brown.
YUM. Love the pics. Your food posts are spectacular. But, I love all of your posts. Thanks for sharing. This mac and cheese with broccoli is on the menu here real soon.
Posted by: maile | March 12, 2011 at 06:55 PM
You are such a rockstar, Rachel! And forever making me hungry. This looks amazing.
Posted by: Kayla @ Exquisite Banana | March 12, 2011 at 09:09 PM
i truly love your food posts. and i love a good mac & cheese recipe. and GARLIC - oh you can never add too much.
Posted by: janis | March 12, 2011 at 10:08 PM
Now you've got me wanting mac & cheese at 10:20 in the morning--actually, I think I'd want mac & cheese morning, noon, or night! Thanks for sharing your photo tutorial; it proves how easy the recipe is. And I usually have some broccoli with mine too, to make me feel I'm eating healthy, but I leave it on the side so I can have some bites of pure mac & cheese too.
Posted by: {gemmifer} | March 13, 2011 at 07:24 AM
Oh yum! Loving your recipe posts! And I love macaroni cheese with extras too; some of my faves are chorizo, red onion and paprika, or bacon, leek and mustard powder. Yum!
Posted by: domestikate | March 13, 2011 at 08:45 AM
this makes me so happy. and hungry. now i must begin my search for individual mac&cheese sized ramekins.
Posted by: meg w | March 13, 2011 at 11:33 AM
Oooo that looks good!!!
Posted by: Melanie's Randomness | March 13, 2011 at 07:39 PM
I love mac and cheese. I just made a variation last week that uses tofu in the sauce to make it a little healthier. It definitely has a different taste but it's a nice variation!
Posted by: Sara | March 13, 2011 at 09:24 PM
mac and cheese is heavenly. i love the breadcrumbs on top. it gives it the perfect texture. yum!
Posted by: jillian m. {coffee, light and sweet} | March 14, 2011 at 04:58 AM
oh gosh, you're a woman after my own heart. i love any kind of noodles as well (spaghetti, mac & cheese, lo mein, etc. etc.)
you have NO idea how much i love mac & cheese! for some reason, i love the "shapes" kind better. you know: toy story or spongebob, etc.
but this sounds SO good too! especially with the veggies. definitely bookmarking this :)
Posted by: andrea | March 14, 2011 at 07:09 AM
Interesting recipe! I am giving it a go ;)
Posted by: Tali Schiffer | March 14, 2011 at 09:51 AM
mac & cheese is absolutely one of my favorite dishes :-) great tip about subbing some of the pasta with veggies, instead of just adding - makes much more sense (duh!)
Posted by: Gloria | March 14, 2011 at 11:48 AM
that looks so divine! i had a post a few weeks ago where i baked mac n cheese and added bacon and crab meat. soooooo frikkin' good! i can't get enough of this food group. yup, i said food group :)
Posted by: Justine @ Urban Scarlet | March 14, 2011 at 11:51 AM
Mmm, this sounds amazing! I've never made homemade mac & cheese (not really my mom's style) but I love it, so I'll have to give this a whirl!
Posted by: Lena | March 14, 2011 at 12:47 PM
great recipe, Rachel! I like the idea of mixing veggies. Next time I'm making mac and cheese I'll use ramekins,,such a cute idea!!! and will help to control my portions...
Posted by: monica of hola!design | March 14, 2011 at 06:46 PM
You said it sister! Noodles, is pretty much my favorite thing to eat too! And that mac and cheese looks de-lish!!
Posted by: Cassandra Marie | March 15, 2011 at 10:42 AM
I made this! And it was SOOoooo yummy! My husband was skeptical when I said we were having mac and cheese for dinner, but he was totally converted once he tasted it. Thanks for the recipe share, can't wait for another update from you!
Posted by: Amy | May 16, 2011 at 10:24 AM
Looks so good... I love garlic too, it makes every meal better! I'm always looking for an easy mac and cheese recipe, this looks pretty simple. Perfect for my toddler.
Posted by: Rachel | August 25, 2011 at 09:13 AM
yum... there is NOTHING better than a good mac n cheese!
Posted by: misty | August 25, 2011 at 10:36 AM
It in the oven right now...can hardly wait to try it! Thanks for sharing! :)
Posted by: Holly | August 26, 2011 at 12:42 PM
I should have told a provider long ago, but... I copy and paste your directions along with the pictures into a Word document. Tidy it up (you know how things get skewed when you copy from the internet), print it, and put it in my stumbleupon cook book (the one with plastic protector sheets). I'm a visual learner and the great pictures you provided along with step by step how-tos are very helpful. My daughter #2 loves mac and cheese. I'll try this out this week while the boy is home on leave. Thank you.
Posted by: Blue | August 29, 2011 at 09:12 PM
I'm a broke college student, and am currently enjoying this for dinner! My roux however just turned into a giant dough blob, however I force-whisked it into the milk, then added the cheese. I added garlic and onion powder and replaced the broccoli with peas! [also, unfortunately didn't bake it!]
However, this is so delicious and easy to make. Essentially all I have in my life is frozen veggies, cheese, and pasta. ;)
Posted by: Andrea | August 30, 2011 at 05:43 PM
This looks wonderful andyou take beautiful BEAUTIFUL pics!
Posted by: sweetsugarbelle | September 19, 2011 at 02:02 PM
This looks delicious! I hadn't thought of the half mozzarella half cheddar combo but I think I'll be doing that soon. For the breadcrumbs, though, I've always either mixed the breadcrumbs with butter before toasting them on the mac or sprinkling a little shredded cheese on there too for some crispy cheese goodness.
Posted by: Jaime | September 21, 2011 at 06:29 PM
I like the idea of sneaking in veggies. I don't eat nearly as many as I should (read, any) so adding to this tasty mac is a great idea.
Posted by: Chris @ TheKeenanCookBook | September 22, 2011 at 05:01 AM
Looks sooooo delicious! Your pictures are amazing...makes me hungry just looking!
Posted by: Robyn Rasmussen | October 04, 2011 at 07:06 PM
this is such a good recipe!! i made it for dinner tonight and loved it
Posted by: Lizzie | October 18, 2011 at 06:29 PM
Now this looks like a perfect twist on the Mac N Cheese.
Posted by: recipes | October 24, 2011 at 08:01 PM
Thank you so much for posting this! I didnt have normal macaroni so I used shells instead. It tastes wonderful!
Posted by: jewelz | November 07, 2011 at 02:05 PM
Literally just made this amazing recipe! It was food porn just watching all of this come together. An instant house favorite. Thanks alot! ;3
Posted by: Kyou | November 07, 2011 at 05:39 PM
Looks delicious! I love the individual serving sizes!
Posted by: Willa@ArmstrongFamilyFare | November 12, 2011 at 05:28 PM
je veux manger ca!
Posted by: Jungran Cho | November 20, 2011 at 11:34 PM
Recipe is great....but, when do I add the garlic?? I put it in when I was making the roux....while the butter is melting...I have to remember NOT TO BURN THE GARLIC.
Oh...and, instead of cooking macaroni until done, boil it until AL DENTE, not mushy...the mac will soak up the sauce and it's more flavorful.
Posted by: Em | December 24, 2011 at 06:53 PM