White Cheddar Mac’n’Cheese
When I set out to develop a mac’n’cheese recipe I was a little nervous. I knew that people have strong opinions about their macs (and their cheeses), and I knew how easy it was to miss the mark. I also knew what my ideal mac’n’cheese needed and that is to be very saucy, very cheesy and not very expensive. Which meant, we needed a ridiculous amount of cheesy white sauce and Gruyère was not invited to the party (have you seen the price of that sh*t lately?!) And I’m happy to report that this recipe checks all those boxes! So, I hope you make it, and if you do, I hope you love it!
Ingredients
1 stick unsalted butter
½ cup (heaping) flour
5 cups cold whole milk
500g sharp cheddar, grated
500g pasta (I’m using pipe rigate)
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
Fresh cracked black pepper (measure with your heart!)
1 cup grated fresh mozzarella
½ cup parmesan
Instructions
Place your rack in the upper third of your oven. Preheat to 350F. Grease a 10”x8” baking dish and set aside.
Bring a large pot of salty water to boil. The water should be salty like the ocean!
Meanwhile, heat a large, thick-bottomed pan on medium-low heat. Add butter and let it melt. When the butter is bubbling, add flour. Stir until smooth. Continue stirring until the flour-butter mixture is golden brown and the raw flour smell is gone, about 1-2 minutes.
Add 1 cup cold milk and continue mixing until thickened. Continue stirring, adding 1 cup of milk at a time, until all the milk has been incorporated. You should be left with a thin white sauce that barely coats the back of a spoon and is still runny. This will take about 20-30 minutes.
By now your pasta water should be boiling. Drop the pasta and cook until al dente by following package instructions.
Back in the sauce pan, add grated cheddar, onion powder, garlic powder and black pepper. Mix until the cheese has melted and the sauce is thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning. I highly recommend buying the best quality of cheddar you can afford for this recipe; the better the cheese, the better the mac!
Remove the cheese sauce from heat and drain the cooked pasta. Transfer the cooked pasta back to the pot and cover in cheese sauce. Mix until all the noodles are covered. Transfer the saucy pasta to your greased baking dish. Top with grated mozzarella and parmesan. If you want it extra cheesy, try adding another layer of mozzarella to the middle of the baking dish.
Place in the oven and cook for 10 minutes. Switch to broil on high and cook until the top is golden brown and the cheese mixture is bubbling, about 5-10 more minutes.
Serve warm!
Tag me if you make it @stefsdinnerdate <3