November 1, 2011

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Name: Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 cups dried macaroni; 1 whole egg, beaten; 4 tablespoons butter, unsalted; 1/4 cup all-purpose flour; 2-1/2 cups whole milk; 2 teaspoons dry mustard; 1 pound cheese, grated; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (optional)

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What is better than right-out-of-the-oven melty macaroni and cheese with the crunchy breadcrumbs on top, all toasted up to perfection?

Yellow elbow noodles scattered on top of a green background.

Comfort food at its finest, folks! So cheesy and delish!

With the already snowy weather we’ve had on the east coast, I for one need some mac and cheese to get me through the winter nights.

Black measuring cup on green background filled with yellow elbow noodles.

This was even good before being baked.

I may have eaten a few forks full’s of the newly coated noodles while putting them into the baking dish.

It was similar to a grown-up version of the Kraft mac and cheese “blue box.”

I also sometimes will make this and not even bother to bake it. It’s just so good on it’s own.

I find that it is much creamier and I prefer even sometimes prefer it this way.

Once in a while, I will make this recipe but replace the elbow noodles with medium shells and I’m just saying, it’s pretty great.

I might even go as far to say that I prefer it that way, too!

So, do what you will. Bake this until it is crispy and golden on top or do what I do and eat it straight away.

Use elbow noodles or use medium shells.

Whatever you do, don’t say “dry mustard, what is that?”

Honestly, the dry mustard makes this dish, don’t omit it.

Last time I made it, I didn’t have any dry mustard, and it was good, but the difference is outstanding! I promise you won’t regret adding yet another jar of spice to the shopping list and the spice cabinet.

Can I Eat Macaroni and Cheese without baking it?

You absolutely can. In fact, most of the time I prefer it that way.

This is known as Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese as it’s made on the stove and then you just eat it right away instead of baking it. This recipe works really well as stove top macaroni and cheese.

The instructions do tell you to bake it in the oven. You can just skip that whole part if you’d rather have the stove top version.

What Type of Cheese to Use for Macaroni and Cheese

I usually use cheddar and mozzarella because I always have some on hand but when I’m really fancy, I’ll try other types of cheese:

Asiago
Gouda
Gruyère
Goat Cheese
Parmesan Cheese

All of these cheeses have done great in my experience.

Do what you will! Just have fun with it.

Just don’t use pre-shredded cheese if you can help it. It’s fine in a pinch though so if that’s what you have on hand, don’t let that stop you from making the best macaroni and cheese!

Do I need to bake this in a cast iron skillet?

No! Absolutely not. You might need to adjust the time it takes to cook if you’re using a cast-iron skillet like I am in these photos.

Most of the time, I just make this in a regular glass baking dish.

As you learned above, I’m usually not even baking it and I’m just cooking this on the stove top and eating it right away.

Macaroni and cheese baked in a cast iron skillet with elbow noodles and bread crumbs in measuring cups nearby.

What Type of Noodles Should I Use?

Go nuts! Do whatever you want, honestly!

Elbow noodles are the “classic” noodles used for macaroni and cheese but, medium shells are also a solid choice.

You could even get really fancy and use orecchiette or perhaps get silly and use bow ties. It’s truly up to you.

That said, maybe don’t use angel hair or spaghetti because that might be super weird and I just don’t know how I feel about that.

Other Cheesy Recipes:

Yield: 8 servings