Christmas Mac And Cheese Recipes

MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cook the macaroni until still slightly firm. Drain and set aside.
• In a small bowl, beat the egg. In a large pot, melt the butter and sprinkle in the flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook for a couple of minutes, whisking constantly. Don't let it burn. Pour in the milk, add the mustard and whisk until smooth. Cook until very thick, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low.
• Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into the beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking the eggs. Whisk together until smooth. Pour the egg into the sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth. Add in the cheese and stir to melt. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt and the pepper. Add any additional spices if desired. Taste the sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.
• Pour in the drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine. Serve immediately (while it's still very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese and bake until bubbly and golden on top, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Fry the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until slightly crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove from the pan and cut into bite-size pieces.
• In a separate pan, cook the onions in the butter over a low heat until caramelized, 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Use a fork to crumble the gorgonzola.
• Put the bacon, caramelized onions and crumbled gorgonzola into separate bowls. Serve as delicious toppings for both sliders and macaroni cheese.

HOLIDAY MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• NOTE: USE MOSTACCIOLI PASTA OR LARGE ELBOW MACARONI (I USE SAFEWAY BRAND MOSTACCIOLI). DO NOT ADD ANY SALT TO THE BOILING WATER BEFORE ADDING PASTA (WHAT MAKES THIS RECIPE UNIQUE IS THE CONTRAST OF FLAVORS BETWEEN THE "SWEETER" UNSALTED PASTA AND THE MILD SALTINESS OF THE CHEESE SAUCE). USE ONLY HOMOGENIZED WHOLE MILK. USE 24 OUNCES SOLID MEDIUM TO SHARP CHEDDAR CHEESE (24 OUNCES = ONE 1 LB BRICK, PLUS ONE 8 OUNCE BRICK -- OR -- TWO 12 OUNCE BRICKS). USE ONLY POWDERED GRATED PARMESAN CHEESE. (STEP 1): PREHEAT oven to 350°F ; LIGHTLY butter or spray a 2.8 - 3 quart casserole dish; SHRED sharp white cheddar cheese on a medium grate; DIVIDE cheese into 3 mounds: One mound consisting of 1 cup cheese (for the garnish), and two larger mounds divided equally, using the remaining cheese; FINELY grate 1/2 cup Gruyere cheese.
• INTO a medium microwave-safe bowl, add 4 1/4 cups whole milk; IMMERSE the 1 sprig fresh rosemary and 1 sprig fresh thyme into milk.
• HEAT milk mixture in a microwave at 100% power, pausing at intervals to stir, until very hot but not boiling; WHEN hot, float the onion slice over milk and let steep for 2-3 minutes; REMOVE rosemary and thyme sprigs and onion slice and discard; STRAIN any debris if necessary; WHISK in 1 1/2 level teaspoons kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper.
• COOK pasta in 5-6 quarts rapidly boiling salt-free water in a large pot, until al dente (tender but retaining firmness); DRAIN in colander then rinse with cold water (leave pasta slightly wet before using).
• NOTE: WHEN LAYERING THE FOLLOWING INGREDIENTS, KEEP CASSEROLE LOOSELY ASSEMBLED WITHOUT PACKING, TO ALLOW THE SAUCE TO PERMEATE. (STEP 3): PLACE 1/2 of the pasta into casserole dish; SPRINKLE the first large mound of cheddar cheese over the pasta; ADD the remaining portion pasta over the cheddar layer; SPRINKLE the second large mound of cheddar cheese over the pasta again.
• IN the previous emptied pot over a low heat setting, add the butter in tablespoons until melted; SPRINKLE in the flour and stir; RAISE heat to medium low and cook until light golden, bubbly and slightly nutty in aroma, stirring as needed (do not let mixture turn brown or you will need to wash the pot and start over!).
• RAISE heat to medium-high; GRADUALLY whisk in the hot milk mixture; WHISK constantly until mixture begins to steam and bubble; REDUCE heat and cook 1-2 minutes until fully thickened; REMOVE from heat; STIR in the Gruyere cheese and 1/4 cup powdered parmesan cheese until blended and creamy.
• POUR the sauce over layered casserole, using a flexible spatula to scrape all sauce from pot; SPREAD and smooth sauce evenly to cover entire casserole, neatly to the edges of baking dish.
• TOP casserole with the remaining (1-cup) mound shredded cheese garnish , followed with 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese OR a buttered breadcrumb topping -- see recipe in description).
• BAKE uncovered for 30 minutes; LOWER dish to bottom rack; TURN on broiler and keep an eye on it, until golden browned and crusty on top; COOL 10 minutes; SERVE and enjoy!

CHRISTMAS MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bring a large saucepan bring all of the heavy cream and one cup of half and half to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until slightly al dente, about 10 minutes. Set aside. Do not drain. Cook bacon and save one tablespoon of the fat. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until frothy. Combine the Velveeta, butter, and the remaining half-and-half in a large bowl. Add the warm macaroni mixture, tossing until the cheese has melted and the mixture is smooth. Add the 2 cups of sharp yellow cheddar cheese, the remaining grated cheeses, bacon fat, and seasoning salt and pepper, tossing until completely combined. Pour mixture into a casserole dish, and bake for 30 minutes. Top with remaining cheddar cheese, crushed cheese crackers and crumbled bacon and place under broiler until golden brown. Serve hot.

THANKSGIVING LEFTOVER MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain pasta, then rinse with cold water and drain again. Set aside.
• While the pasta is cooking, melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add carrots and celery; saute until soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add leftover turkey and cook until warm and flavors are incorporated, about 1 minute. Season with parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. Add broth if mixture seems dry. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Melt remaining butter in a large saucepan over medium (or slightly higher) heat. Whisk in flour; cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture becomes paste-like and light golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk in milk (about 1 to 2 tablespoons); keep stirring to make sure flour is blended and there are no lumps. Cook until roux is brown and very fragrant. Add Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Gouda, and Parmesan cheeses; cook until sauce thickens and the cheese melts. Slowly add enough milk so the roux/cheese mix is creamy; just add it in small increments so it's not too juicy.
• Add macaroni to the cheese sauce and mix to combine. Add the turkey mixture. Mix well and transfer to a baking dish. Top with bread crumbs.
• Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
• Place mac and cheese under the broiler until browned, 5 to 10 minutes.

FESTIVE MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, sauté scallions, bell pepper, and jalapeno until softened; drain.
• Cook macaroni just until al dente, 8-10 minutes.
• In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
• Add flour; whisk while cooking, and cook until smooth and lightly browned.
• Whisk in evaporated milk, milk, and spices; stir until thickened.
• Stir in American cheese; allow to melt thoroughly. Add cheddar in one-cup increments, melting thoroughly between additions.
• Mix sauce with vegetables and pasta; add to greased 13 x 9 inch pan.
• Top with breadcrumbs.
• Bake, uncovered, at 350 F 40-45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.