Baked Mac and Cheese

Growing up my mother wasn’t someone who loved being in the kitchen cooking, although I remember her making one dish quite often – homemade mac and cheese. She would cut up and use all kinds of different cheeses and it would always have that crispy top layer from the breadcrumbs. Although, of course, as a kid, I wanted the orange mac and cheese out of the box that all the other kids were eating.

As I got older, I grew to appreciate mom’s homemade mac and cheese and missed seeing that on the table. Recently, I was visiting a good friend who just had surgery and she had a hard time swallowing. I was making her meals that I could prepackage to easily pull out and eat, and I thought about my mother’s mac and cheese. So, in my friend’s kitchen, I set about recreating her Baked Mac and Cheese recipe with my own twist.

I changed up some of the cheeses to add a smoky element and rather than using traditional breadcrumbs, I topped it with panko crumbs seasoned with smoked paprika. It’s not a light dish, but it’s full of creamy cheesy goodness that makes me remember a Sunday dinner with my mom.

Prepping the Cheese

Using a Cheese Knife, thinly slice the smoked cheddar and Gruyere cheese.

We suggest buying blocks of cheese and cutting them because prepackaged shredded cheese typically comes with anti-caking agents on the cheese (to keep the cheese from sticking together in the package) that can affect flavor and melting. While cutting individual cheese blocks in more labor intensive, it tends to be more cost effective as well as offering a fresher taste and better melting.

Making the Mac and Cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a large three- or four-quart baking dish and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the cheddar and Gruyere and set aside. The smoked cheddar really adds a nice flavor to this dish, but if you want you can use regular cheddar cheese. 

In a large Dutch oven, cook the pasta according to the package instructions, although leave it one minute shy of al dente. When pasta is cooked al dente, it should feel firm to the bite when chewed, but not hard or crunchy. Remove the cooked pasta from the heat, drain and place in a large bowl.

Drizzle the pasta with one tablespoon of melted butter and stir to coat. While that is set aside to cool, in the same Dutch oven, over medium heat, melt six tablespoons of butter. Using a Mix-Stir, whisk in the flour and continue to whisk for approximately one minute until the mixture bubbles and turns a golden color. This is what you would call a roux, which is equal parts flour and fat, cooked over low to medium heat. The flour thickens the liquid, which in this case is the melted butter. The longer the roux cooks, the darker it becomes.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, heavy cream and half-and-half using a Mix-Stir.

Gradually whisk in the milk, heavy cream and half-and-half mixture into the Dutch oven until it is nice and smooth, and continue whisking until you see bubbles on the surface edges. Continue to cook and whisk for another two minutes and then add in the salt and pepper.

Add two cups of the cheese mixture into the sauce and whisk until smooth. Add another two cups of the cheeses (setting aside the remaining two cups) and continue whisking. The sauce should be smooth and thick. As you can probably tell by now, this is not light eating. It’s comfort food at its very best.

Now it's time to add the cooled pasta. Using a Basting Spoon, stir until the pasta is fully coated with the cheese sauce.

Pour half of the mac and cheese into the prepared baking dish, top with the remaining two cups of cheese and then add the remaining mac and cheese.

Melt the remaining four tablespoons of butter and, in a small bowl, mix the panko crumbs, melted butter, Asiago cheese and smoked paprika. The smoked paprika really gives it more of that smokiness throughout. Sprinkle the panko mixture over the top of the mac and cheese and bake until bubbly and golden brown, approximately 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

This Baked Mac and Cheese really has a nice flavor profile to it and is simply irresistible. As a tribute to my mother, I hope you enjoy this variation as much as we all did. Enjoy!