Crispy Baked Macaroni Cheese Recipe 415 Recipes

CRISPY BAKED MACARONI & CHEESE RECIPE - (4.1/5)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a shallow 2-quart baking dish; set aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs for al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain. Meanwhile, melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking, until smooth and lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk until smooth. Add the bay leaf, cayenne and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, whisking occasionally, until the sauce comes to a simmer and thickens slightly, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove the bay leaf from the sauce and whisk in the monterey jack, gruyere and cheddar one cheese at a time, allowing each cheese to melt before adding more. Add the pasta and stir until coated, adding the reserved cooking water as needed to loosen (the sauce will thicken as it bakes). Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in the microwave. Add the panko, parmesan and a pinch of salt; stir to combine. Scatter over the pasta and bake until the crumbs are browned and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes. Variation: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter (alternately, melt butter in the microwave). Pour butter into bowl with bread, and toss. Set breadcrumbs aside. Pull out 1 1/2 cups of grated cheddar, and 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano, and reserve. Fill a large pot with water; bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 minutes less than manufacturer's directions, until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Set aside. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. In the same pot you used for boiling the pasta, melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking, slowly pour in hot milk. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick. Remove pan from heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar cheese, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup Pecorino Romano. Stir reserved macaroni into the cheese sauce. Pour mixture into prepared dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano, and breadcrumbs over top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. If after 30 minutes, it's not browned to your liking, broil the topping rather than leaving it in the oven, which may cause the pasta to overcook and sauce to dry out. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool 5 minutes; serve hot.

CREAMY BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Set an oven rack 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until it is al dente, about 6 minutes. Strain, reserving 1 3/4 cups of the pasta water. Set aside.
• Heat the half-and-half and cayenne in a large saucepan over medium heat until it just comes to a simmer. Continue simmering until the half-and-half is reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes. Add the cream cheese and stir until melted. Whisk in the Cheddar and Gruyere until all the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
• Add the macaroni and the reserved pasta water to the saucepan and stir to combine. (It will look very loose, but the pasta will suck up a lot of the sauce as it bakes.) Season to taste with salt if needed. Pour into a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Toss the bread crumbs with the butter and a sprinkle of salt in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over the top of the macaroni and cheese. Bake until the cheese is bubbly and the bread crumbs are lightly browned and crispy, about 10 minutes.

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.

4 CHEESE BAKED MACARONI

Steps:

• In a heavy medium saucepan melt 4 tablespoons butter over low heat.
• Add the flour and stir to combine.
• Cook, stirring constantly for 3 minutes.
• Increase the heat to medium and whisk in the half& half a little at a time.
• Cook until thickened, about 4 or 5 minutes, stirring often.
• Remove from heat, season with salt, pepper, hot sauce and 4 ounces of the grated parmesean cheese.
• Stir until the cheese melts and is smooth.
• Cover and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Fill a large pot with water, cover and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Add salt to taste and add the macaroni, stirring.
• Return to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes or until very al dente (slightly undercooked).
• Drain in a colander and return the macaroni to the pot.
• Add 2 tablespoons butter and the garlic and stir to combine.
• Add the white sauce and stir until well mixed then set aside.
• Using the remaining tablespoon of butter, grease a 3 quart casserole or baking dish and set aside.
• In a large bowl combine 4 ounces of the remaining parmesean cheese, cheddar, fontina and gruyere cheeses, tossing to combine.
• Place 1/3 of the macaroni in the bottom of the prepared casserole dish.
• Top with 1/3 of the mixed cheeses.
• Top with another 1/3 of the macaroni and another 1/3 of the cheese mixture.
• Repeat with the remaining macaroni and cheese mixture.
• In a small bowl combine the bread crumbs, the remaining 1/2 ounce of grated parmesean cheese and the Essence.
• Sprinkle this over the top of the macaroni and cheese.
• Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until the macaroni and cheese is bubbly and hot and the top is golden brown.
• Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

CRISPY MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Mix soup, milk, mustard, pepper, pasta and 1-1/2 cups of the shredded cheddar cheese in a 1 1/2 quart casserole.
• Bake 350' for 45 minutes or until hot.
• Stir, sprinkle with the french fried onions and remainder 1/2 cup cheese. Bake for 5 more minutes or until onions are golden brown.