Homemade Mac and Cheese
This homemade Mac and Cheese recipe topped with Panko breadcrumbs is a comfort-food classic. The onion and cayenne add flavor.
By Yankee Magazine|Dec 10 2016|
Homemade Mac and Cheese
Photo Credit: Heath RobbinsThere are loads of ways to make macaroni and cheese, and we make no judgment if you find yourself reaching for a box with a silver packet of dried dairy to satisfy your need more or less instantly. We will say, however–again without judgment–that this homemade Mac and Cheese recipe is easy and far more satisfying. The onion and cayenne add another layer of flavor and keep this dish from becoming a heavy, gloppy mound of melted cheese (not that there’s anything wrong with that).
Yield
6 servings
Total Time
25 minutes
Ingredients
1 pound elbow macaroni
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
1 medium onion, finely diced
6 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
3 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
6 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
6 ounces grated fontina or Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups unseasoned bread crumbs (preferably panko-style)
Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook macaroni about 2 minutes less than package instructions indicate, so that it still has a slight crunch to it. Drain and set aside.
Butter a 9×13-inch casserole pan. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt 6 tablespoons butter and cook onion gently until softened, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Whisk in flour and cayenne to form a thick paste. Cook, whisking continuously, about 2 minutes.
Whisk in milk until smooth, and cook, whisking occasion-ally, until thickened and bubbly. Whisk in heavy cream. Whisk in cheeses. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add cooked macaroni and stir well to coat.
Pour into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake 20 minutes or until top is lightly browned. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Want to add some savory extra flavor? Chop up 4 or 5 slices of bacon and sauté them; then remove the browned meat and discard all but 1 tablespoon of rendered fat. Add 5 tablespoons butter to the pan; then saute the diced onion and continue with the recipe below. Mix the reserved cooked bacon in with the cheeses.
Mac and cheese was fabulous! How could it not? With the amount of cream and cheese in this recipe — it is cetainly a special occasion recipe — not one we’d make weekly — or monthly for that matter.
Hot bubbly, oozing cheese, who could ask for anything better on a cold winter’s night? It was only made better by the fact I was out of milk and only had half & half instead. Oh well, such is life. I can’t really say I was overly impressed with the panko crumbs. They didn’t really add anything to the flavor. Next time I’ll stick with the regular bread crumbs, or better yet, the tried and true potato chip crumbs.
Add cooked chopped broccoli and diced ham and you have a whole meal in one dish.
Way yummy!! I too prefer Panko to other bread crumbs as a binder or for saute … lighter and crispier. And I now use Penne pasta vs. elbow mac simply because it’s able to hold more cheesy sauce inside the noodle. Thanks for another great recipe!
Great recipe, loved the flavors and all the cheeses. Not so crazy about all the bread crumbs, maybe less. Otherwise, yummy!