Macaroni & cheese, or mac n cheese for short, is an American classic consisting of elbow pasta stirred into a milky, buttery and cheesy concoction. For our recipe we used three types of cheese to give it that extra kick of flavor. You can just cook it to serve, or you can bake it further into a crispy masterpiece. Our recipe was drafted for a large dinner party, so feel free to halve it or quarter it.
Serves: 12 - 16
Cook Time: ~ 1 hour
Ingredients
2 lb of elbow pasta
2 sticks of unsalted butter
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
16 cups of any cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan)
2 cup panko breading
1 cup sourdough breading
Salt & pepper to taste
Sriracha (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook pasta in a large 6-8 quart pot on medium-high heat. Drain noodles and set aside.
Wash the pot so it is ready to make the cheese sauce in, you will add the pasta back later.
Add half of the butter and slowly incorporate the flour into the butter. Use a whisk and stir continuously, adding the milk a little at a time.
Now add in the cheese gradually & stir until completely melted. Add in sriracha, salt and pepper to taste.
Pour the pasta back into the pot and stir until evenly coated. This step will take a lot of elbow grease and time. Be patient with yourself and your arm!
Butter two medium sized baking pans and pour the macaroni into it.
Pour panko breading on top, with additional cheese as needed.
Bake until the top layer is golden and bubbling, approx. 20-40 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes and serve hot!
Enjoy!