epicurious4.5
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. Plus, it doubles easily for a crowd.
👥 4 Servings⏱️ Prep & Cook: 1h 10m🔥 Cook: 30 min👤 Dawn Perry📖 epicurious
🥘 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. butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 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 Parmesan, thyme leaves, and ¼ tsp. salt.
fresh thyme leaves2 teaspoons
2
Cook 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.
3
Bring milk to a bare simmer in a small saucepan; keep warm. Melt remaining 2 Tbsp. butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until onions are fragrant and beginning to soften, about ⏱️ 2 minutes. Sprinkle 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.
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 Fontina, Gruyère, cheddar, mustard powder, cayenne, and ¾ tsp. 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.
Gruyère, grated (about 1 cup)4 ounces
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 is part of BA's Best, a collection of our essential recipes, and was originally published in December 2014 as BA's Best Macaroni and Cheese.
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