The Very Best Macaroni And Cheese Recipes

BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• For the macaroni: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 2-quart casserole dish.
• Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the salt and macaroni. Bring the water back to a boil and cook the macaroni until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain well.
• For the cheese sauce: Meanwhile, melt the butter in a 1-quart saucepan. Using a wire whisk, stir in the flour and salt, stirring and cooking over medium heat until the roux bubbles and the flour turns pale brown, about 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of the milk and then whisk in the remaining 1 cup milk. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens. Add the cheese and stir until it melts. Add the drained macaroni to the cheese sauce and mix thoroughly.
• For the topping: In a small bowl, stir the breadcrumbs with the butter until the crumbs are moistened.
• Transfer the macaroni and cheese to the prepared baking dish and top with the buttered breadcrumbs. Bake until the dish bubbles around the edges, about 15 minutes.

"WORLD'S BEST" MACARONI & CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350; F. Set a large pot of water on high heat.
• Meanwhile, begin the sauce by making a roux: in a medium saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Continue to stir this roux over medium heat for two to three minutes.
• The roux should be cooked and free of the flour flavor but still light in color.
• Gradually add milk, whisking briskly to maintain a smooth sauce.
• Cook the sauce for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid scorching.
• When sauce thickens, add cheeses, salt and spices to the sauce, and stir until all the cheese has melted. I make my sauces in the microwave; turns out great and never scorches.
• Somewhere during this sauce-cooking process, your pasta water has started boiling. The original is made with Penne noodles. Add a generous amount of salt to the water and cook the pasta until almost but not quite al dente (two minutes before the package directions indicate). You want barely undercooked pasta so that it can finish in the oven later. Halt the cooking by draining the pasta and rinsing with cold water. Return pasta to pot.
• Pour sauce over pasta and stir until completely incorporated. The combination should be fairly saucy, almost soupy.
• Dish the mixture into a buttered 9-13 pan and sprinkle with extra grated cheeses and cayenne. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, until you have beautiful, browned edges. Those edges will be a welcome and flavorful addition to each serving.
• Let the dish sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. I divided this in 2 containers and froze one.

BEST-EVER MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare pasta according to package directions for al dente.
• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium. Add next 6 ingredients; cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add flour, and cook, stirring, until golden, 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk and cream. Bring to a boil, whisking occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, whisking, until slightly thickened, 5 minutes. Stir in Worcestershire sauce. Remove from heat; stir in 3/4 cup each of shredded Cheddar cheeses until melted. (Reserve remaining 1/4 cup each of shredded cheeses.) Stir in pasta and diced cheeses; pour into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch (3-quart) baking dish.
• Bake on a rimmed baking sheet in preheated oven until bubbly and golden, 30 minutes. Remove from oven; increase oven temperature to broil. Sprinkle with reserved shredded cheeses; broil 6 inches from heat until cheeses are melted and golden, about 2 minutes. Remove from oven; cool slightly on a wire rack, about 15 minutes.

THE BEST MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place a 1 1/2-quart heat-proof dish, such as a souffle pan, in oven to warm.
• In a small baking pan, combine bread crumbs, a pinch of salt and the melted butter. Mix well and set aside.
• In a large pot, bring 8 cups of water to a boil. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and the macaroni. Cook until almost tender but still a little firm to the bite. Drain and transfer to preheated dish. Stir in remaining 4 tablespoons of butter.
• In a small bowl, combine eggs, 1 cup of the evaporated milk, the pepper sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt, the black pepper and the mustard mixture. Mix well. Pour egg mixture over macaroni. Add 3/4 of the cheese, and stir until thoroughly combined and cheese starts to melt.
• Place dish of macaroni and cheese in the oven, and bake for 5 minutes. Remove dish from oven and add about half of the remaining evaporated milk, and half of the remaining cheese. Stir well, and return pan to oven. Bake 5 minutes longer, remove pan from oven, and stir thoroughly. If mixture does not look moist and creamy, add a little more of the milk and cheese. Return to oven for an additional 20 minutes, removing pan from oven halfway through to stir in remaining evaporated milk and cheese.
• While macaroni is baking, add pan of bread crumbs to oven. Bake until bread crumbs are toasted and golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. When macaroni has baked, sprinkle surface with toasted bread crumbs, and serve immediately.

THE BEST BAKED MAC & CHEESE RECIPE EVER

Steps:

• Boil the pasta JUST until al dente, according to package directions. Drain and return to the pan you boiled it in. Set aside. (Mix in a little butter to keep the noodles from sticking if it's going to be awhile before you make the sauce)
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
• To a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the butter. When the butter has melted, add the flour, salt, dry mustard, pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika. With a wooden spoon or whisk, stir constantly for three minutes.
• Add the milk in a thin stream, stirring constantly with a whisk. Continue to stir constantly until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 5-8 minutes.
• Remove from heat and add 2 cups of the cheese, stirring until melted. You'll reserve the last cup of cheese for topping. Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and toss gently until all of the pasta is coated.
• Add half the pasta to a two-quart casserole dish (I like a tall 8-inch by 8-inch baking dish). Sprinkle on half the cheese. Add the rest of the pasta. Sprinkle on the rest of the cheese, then dust lightly with the smoked paprika.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the mac and cheese is bubbling and browning on top.
• Serve, topping individual servings with parsley or cooked, chopped bacon if desired.

WORLD'S BEST MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter or oil an 8-inch baking dish; set aside.
• Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 2 minutes less than package directions. Drain into a colander and rinse under cold water until cool, then drain again.
• Stir together pasta and cheese sauce until well combined. Pour into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with cheeses and chile powder. Bake, uncovered, until lightly browned in places, about 20 minutes. Let stand at least 5 minutes before serving.

BEST MAC 'N CHEESE EVER!

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, 8 minutes. Drain; pour macaroni into the prepared dish.
• Beat eggs, sour cream, seasoned salt, and black pepper into a smooth mixture; stir Cheddar cheese and Cheddar-Monterey Jack cheese into mixture until thoroughly combined. Pour over macaroni and mix well. Top casserole with torn pieces of processed cheese. Drizzle melted butter over casserole, especially along the sides.
• Bake in the preheated oven until casserole is bubbling and cheese has melted, about 30 minutes.

THE VERY BEST MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F
• Butter a 13x9 inch pan.
• Cook macaroni until it is al dente, about 8-10 minutes.
• In a small bowl, combine milk and cream.
• In a pan on medium heat, melt only 1/2 pound butter.
• Cook onions and garlic until clear, about 6 minutes.
• Add flour and cook/stir for 3 minutes.
• Add cream mixture and mix until smooth.
• Boil, stirring occasionally, about 8-10 minutes.
• Stir in 4 cups of Cheddar cheese, American cheese, and 1 cup of Parmesan cheese.
• Stir until melted.
• It will be thick and creamy --
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Stir sauce in pasta.
• Pour in a 13x9 inch pan.
• Sprinkle with remaining Cheddar, Parmesan and bread crumbs.
• Bake uncovered, middle shelf for 20 minutes until bubbling and browned on top.

CREAMY MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook macaroni according to package directions. , Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°. In a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add 1-1/2 cups milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat; stir in sour cream, Velveeta, Parmesan cheese, salt, mustard and pepper until smooth and cheese is melted. Add additional milk to reach desired consistency. , Drain macaroni; toss with cheddar cheese. Transfer to a greased 3-qt. baking dish. Stir in cream sauce. , Bake, uncovered, 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.