Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Baked macaroni and cheese is a family classic! The best comfort food side dish for any occasion.
Servings: 10
Ingredients
- 1 lb elbow macaroni
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 4 cups whole milk
- 8 oz white sharp cheddar cheese freshly grated
- 8 oz sharp cheddar freshly grated
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
For the Topping
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Cook the elbow macaroni according to the package directions for 1 minute less than al dente, then drain them immediately.
- While the pasta is cooking, start on the cheese sauce. Melt the butter in a sauce pan. Add the flour and whisk for 1-2 minutes constantly, until browned.
- Pour the milk in gradually, whisking until smooth.
- Continue whisking until the cheese sauce thickens (7-8 minutes).
- Remove the sauce from the heat. Stir in the salt and 3 cups of the cheese until smooth.
- Mix the cooked macaroni noodles into the cheese sauce.
- Grease a 9 by 13 baking dish.
- Pour half of the mac and cheese in and spread it out.
- Top with 1 cup of the shredded cheese.
- Add the last half of the pasta.
- Top with the remaining shredded cheese.
- Stir together the ingredients to make the panko topping: bread crumbs, melted butter, and salt.
- Top the macaroni and cheese with the panko bread crumb mixture.
- Bake the macaroni and cheese at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly.
Nutrition
Calories: 570kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 789mg | Potassium: 305mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1001IU | Calcium: 466mg | Iron: 1mg