Main Dishesbonappetit3.5
BA’s Best Mac and Cheese
This homemade macaroni and cheese is our Platonic ideal: It’s deeply cheesy, creamy, and has a crunchy crust.
👥 4 Servings🔥 Cook: 30 min👤 Dawn Perry📖 bonappetit
🥘 Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you prepare them:
🍳 Cookware
- ●skillet
- ●bowl
- ●oven
- ●pot
- ●saucepan
- ●baking dish
- ●pan
📝 Preparation Steps
1
Preheat oven to 350°. Melt 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add ¾ cup panko and cook, stirring, until crumbs are golden brown, 6–⏱️ 8 minutes (make sure to get them toasty brown; they won’t darken much during baking). Transfer to a small bowl and toss with ¼ oz. Parmesan, finely grated (about ¼ cup), 2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, and ¼ tsp. Diamond Crystal or Morton kosher salt.
. unsalted butter, divided4 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves2 tsp
2
Cook 8 oz. cavatappi or other short curly pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente (the noodles will continue to cook in the cheese sauce, so take them out a minute or two before you think they’re actually done). Drain pasta; let cool while you make the sauce.
. cavatappi or other short curly pasta8 oz
3
Bring 2½ cups whole milk to a bare simmer in a small saucepan; keep warm over very low heat. Melt remaining 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Add ½ small onion, grated, and 1 garlic clove, finely grated, to the melted butter and cook, stirring, until onions are fragrant and beginning to soften, about ⏱️ 2 minutes. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour over and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture starts to stick to bottom of saucepan, about ⏱️ 1 minute. Add warm milk in a few additions, whisking to combine after each addition.
½ cups whole milk2. unsalted butter, divided4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour2 Tbsp
4
Bring béchamel sauce to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring, until sauce is thickened and doesn’t feel grainy when a little bit is rubbed between your fingers, 6–⏱️ 8 minutes (cooking the flour thoroughly at this stage ensures a creamy sauce). Add 4 oz. Fontina cheese, grated (about 1 cup), 4 oz. Gruyère, grated (about 1 cup), 4 oz. sharp white cheddar, grated (about 1 cup), ½ tsp. English mustard powder, pinch of cayenne pepper, and remaining ¾ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt and stir until cheeses are melted and sauce is smooth. Remove from heat and mix in pasta; transfer to a 2-qt. baking dish.
. Fontina cheese, grated (about 1 cup)4 oz. Gruyère, grated (about 1 cup)4 oz. sharp white cheddar, grated (about 1 cup)4 ozPinch of cayenne pepper
5
Bake ⏱️ 10 minutes. Top with Parmesan breadcrumbs and bake until sauce is bubbling around the edges, 8–⏱️ 10 minutes longer. Let cool in pan ⏱️ 15 minutes before serving. Editor's note: This recipe was first printed in December 2014 as BA’s Best Macaroni and Cheese as part of BA's Best, a collection of our essential recipes. Head this way for more of our favorite casserole recipes →
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