Nothing screams comfort food quite like mac and cheese! If you’re going to take the time to make mac and cheese, I mean the one that gets baked in the oven, and you’re going to incur the wrath of the fat gods, then you might as well make it right. Yup, you’re going to need to stuff that dish full of different cheeses, make an extraordinary béchamel sauce to coat the pasta, and then top the dish with some homemade breadcrumbs before sticking it into the oven. About 100 bazillion calories later, you will have a perfect mac and cheese. Okay, so it’s not really a 100 bazillion calories, but let’s be honest here, this certainly isn’t a low fat option.
If you’ve got a gaggle of kids coming over for Thanksgiving this year, or even if you’re a mac and cheese lovin’ adult, this recipe will not disappoint!
Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs homemade preferred
- 5 cups milk
- 1/2 cup AP flour
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 4 cups shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
- 1 1/2 cup shredded Gruyère
- 1/2 cup shredded Swiss Cheese
- 1 pound short cut pasta
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Spray a large casserole dish with non stick spray and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, warm the milk over medium heat.
- In a large skillet, melt the butter. Once the butter has melted and starts to bubble, ad the flour and whisk until the flour is fully incorporated.
- Continue to whisk and add the hot milk slowly. Whisk for about 1o minutes until the milk and flour mixture has thickened. Remove from heat and add the salt, nutmeg, pepper, cayenne, white cheddar, Gruyère, and Swiss cheese. Stir to combine until the mixture is smooth. Set aside.
- Boil a large pot of water. Cook the short cut pasta 1 minute short according to the package directions. Drain the pasta and then rinse with cold water. Stir the pasta into the cheese mixture and then pour the pasta into the prepared casserole dish.
- Sprinkle the top with the homemade breadcrumbs and bake for about 25-30 minutes until the edges just begin to brown. Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes before serving.
And be sure to check out some other great ideas for Thanksgiving:
Parmesan Cheddar Chive Biscuits
Rustic Herb Skillet Stuffing
Chipotle Mashed Sweet Potatoes
The Best Mashed Potatoes
Crispy Lemon Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Cumin Roasted Cauliflower
Potato and Goat Cheese Gratin
Zesty Cranberry Sauce
Roasted Turkey Breast
Spicy Garlic Green Beans
This looks scrumptious!
looks fantastic!! I’ve only made mac & cheese from scratch twice… i need to try it again! Happy Thanksgiving!
This mac and cheese sounds delightful! Love it!
Where’s my shovel!?
Now this looks fabulous, Gaby!
I would love a bucket full of this!!!!
I love the combination of gruyere and chedder in macaroni cheese, it gives it a wonderful depth and that fantastic nutty flavour. Now all I can think about is having macaroni and cheese for dinner tonight!
Crazy daisy yummy!! Great seeing you this weekend girl!
How much of sharp cheddar cheese do we use? 4 ounces? 4 cups?
Oh my goodness….what a dish! I know a lot of people have mac and cheese on the Thanksgiving menu and this is a great option!
Oh Gaby- if that is not a little dish baked full of heaven I don’t know what is…
Comfort food at its finest…this looks so heavenly!
MM that crunch on top looks like the perfect counterpart to the creamy noodles 🙂 Beautiful!
Well girlfriend, as they say “go big, or go home”!!! I say…. go big!!
Will this be on the thanksgiving table?! I hope so…
Oh em gee, this is perfect!! Low fat mac-n-cheese just doesn’t taste the same. Lovin’ this sinful and fatty and yummy version!
This looks SO good – I am totally craving some mac-and-cheese right now. 🙂
that looks so yummy. I always struggle with my mac and cheese because it always seems just a little to dry. I will have to try yours.
This is one of THOSE recipes for me. Right there with brownies and pie dough. What is the BEST recipe? I’m totes trying this one–looks like the wiz. And honey badger loves some mac and cheese.
WOWZAH.
What a match, I always love baked cheese and macaroni looks like a perfect match in this recipe. Will be trying this out tomorrow night!
this is a great recipe. I added a little butternut parm sauce I had left from another meal along with the cheeses and spices and we had a great meal of mac & cheese, steamed broccoli and salad. thanks so much for the recipe. I’m glad to have finally tried it after having bookmarked it over two months ago. also, the top chewy pieces of pasta with breadcrumbs on them are the best. Yumm!
Hi!
What size dish did you use…? Just want to make sure i use the right size so it bakes properly 🙂
Thanks!
Any will work – but I prefer an 8×8 🙂
This is the best Mac and cheese recipe! I have made it every year for the last two years for our friends thanksgiving and it’s always a hit, making it again this year! Just stopped by again to get the recipe! Happy Holidays!
How many does this serve? Can’t wait to try it! Xx
4-6 people 🙂
Gaby,
I’m addicted to your taste buds lol. My boyfriend and I have now made Saturday night a “What’s Gaby Cooking” night. We spend it making a few of your meals, and we love the end results everytime. I always look forward to see what’s going to be added to your site.
Thanks,
BEST COMMENT EVER!! Thank you
Delicious! I make mine similar to that but I use half and half instead of milk. Then I put in a teaspoon of Dijon mustard and some Worcestershire sauce.
yum!!!
Made this today for a thanksgiving side dish and everyone seemed to love it! Before baking it, I was worried the mixture was too “soupy/creamy”. But it expands and thickens in to a perfect Mac and cheese! Will make again for sure!
Can you make this a day ahead and bake before serving?
you can