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Serving spoon with helping of creamy baked macaroni and cheese.

The Best Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 pound (454 g) elbow macaroni
  • 6 tablespoons (85 g) butter
  • 6 tablespoons (53 g) all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon dried mustard (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 ½ cups whole milk
  • 16 ounces (454 g) freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese (see note!), about 4 cups
  • 6 ounces (170 g) freshly shredded grueyere or Monterey Jack cheese (see note!), about 1 1/2 cups
  • 1 cup (60 g) bread crumbs or Panko crumbs
  • 4 tablespoons (57 g) melted butter
  • ¼ cup (28 g) freshly finely grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Cook the pasta in lightly salted water (important!) until al dente according to package directions. Drain and set aside (tossing once or twice to prevent clumping).
  • In the same pot (no need to wash, just wipe dry), melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour, mustard (if using) and salt, and whisk to combine. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, whisking constantly.
  • Gradually add the milk about one cup at a time, whisking to fully combine before adding more. Bring to a simmer, whisking constantly, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the sauce has thickened to the consistency of thick cream.
  • Off the heat, adding one handful at a time, whisk in 3 cups of the cheddar cheese and 1 cup of the gruyere cheese, mixing until the cheeses are fully melted and the sauce is creamy. (Reserve the remaining 1 1/2 cups of cheese for assembling in the baking dish.)
  • Add the cooked macaroni noodles to the cheese sauce and gently mix until thoroughly and evenly combined.
  • To assemble, spread half of the macaroni and cheese in a 9X13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining cheese. Spread the rest of the macaroni evenly over the top.
  • In a small bowl, toss the bread crumbs and butter together until evenly mixed. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.
  • Sprinkle the topping evenly over the macaroni. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until the topping is golden and the macaroni and cheese is hot and bubbling. Serve immediately.

Notes

Cheese: for the creamiest macaroni and cheese, use freshly grated cheese (instead of using pre-grated cheese that is coated with a powdery substance to prevent it from clumping - this also prevents it from melting as well as freshly grated cheese). 
Make-ahead: to make this macaroni and cheese ahead of time, assemble the macaroni and cheese in the baking dish per the recipe instructions. Instead of adding the topping, place the topping in a bag and refrigerate. Cover the baking dish and refrigerate the macaroni and cheese. It can be refrigerated for up to 12 hours. Sprinkle with topping right before baking. You may need to add 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time if baking straight from the refrigerator. I have not tried freezing this macaroni and cheese.