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Baked Mac and Cheese
Creamy stovetop cheese sauce and elbow pasta, baked under a crunchy buttered crumb topping.
Ingredients
| Volume | Grams |
|---|---|
| 1 lb elbow macaroni | 454 g |
| 1/4 cup unsalted butter | 56 g |
| 1/4 cup all-purpose flour | 30 g |
| 3 cups milk, warm | 681 g |
| 1 tsp table salt | 6 g |
| 1/2 tsp dry mustard | — |
| 16 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded, about 4 cups | 454 g |
| Topping | |
| 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs | — |
| 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted | 28 g |
Gram weights use the King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart; amounts given in lb or oz are converted by weight (1 lb = 453.6 g, 1 oz = 28.35 g); “—” means the ingredient isn’t on the chart, so measure it by volume or count. Measure flour by spooning it into the cup and leveling, or better, weigh it.
Method
- Heat the oven to 375 °F and butter the baking dish.
- Cook the macaroni in salted water 2 minutes short of the package time. Drain.
- Melt the butter in a large pot, whisk in the flour, and cook 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the warm milk and simmer, whisking, until it thickens enough to coat a spoon.
- Off the heat, stir in the salt, mustard and three-quarters of the cheese until smooth. Fold in the pasta.
- Spread in the dish and top with the remaining cheese. Toss the panko with the melted butter and scatter it over.
- Bake 25–30 minutes, until bubbling and golden on top. Rest 5 minutes before serving.
Tips
- Shred your own cheese; pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking agents that can make the sauce grainy.
- Undercooking the pasta keeps it from going soft in the oven.
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