Who doesn’t love a great macaroni and cheese dish? This recipe makes a flavorful cheese sauce tossed in pasta noodles and baked to perfection. The types of cheeses can be changed depending on your preferences but this combination of Monterey jack and sharp cheddar makes that mac and cheese that you remember from childhood. If you like the crunch of a breaded topping on your mac and cheese, feel free to add one right before baking this dish. Just mix fresh or panko bread crumbs with a few tablespoons of melted butter or olive oil, and spread over the top before baking.
TIPS: You can use any type of curvy or small pasta shape in this recipe. Other cheese combinations that work well here are Gruyere and white cheddar cheese for an elegant white mac and cheese, or cheddar and pepper jack cheese for a tex-mex mac and cheese with lots of flavor.
Traditional Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 lb macaroni noodles (or other pasta shapes, such as cavatapi or small shells)
- 1/2 C reserved pasta water (optional)
- 6 Tbsp butter
- 6 Tbsp flour
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
- 1 Tbsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 1/2 C shredded sharp cheddar cheese (8 oz block) (divided)
- 2 1/2 C shredded Monterey jack cheese (8 oz block) (divided)
- 8 oz Velveta (American) cheese cut into small cubes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9X13 casserole dish.
- Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente, about 2-3 minutes less than cooking time on box. Drain, reserving 1/2 C pasta water and set aside. Do not rinse the pasta.
- In a large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Whisk in flour and cook about 2 minutes, whisking constantly, over low heat to cook the flour. Increase heat to medium and slowly add the milk, whisking and cooking until it thickens, forming a beschmel like sauce, about 3-4 minutes.
- Once thickened, whisk in the dry mustard, salt , pepper and nutmeg. Turn heat to very low and add the Velveta cheese, stirring until melted. Turn off heat and add 2 C each of the cheddar and monetary jack cheeses, stirring until fully melted. If mixture seems too thick, whisk in some of the pasta water. Taste cheese sauce to make sure it has enough seasoning.
- In the large pasta pot mix together the cooked pasta and cheese sauce. The mixture should seem quite wet at this point as the pasta will absorb the liquid during cooking. Pour mixture into the greased baking dish and smooth the top. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 C cheddar and Monterey jack cheeses over the top.
- Bake about 30 minutes until bubbling and starting brown on the edges. Rest about 15 minutes before serving.
- Enjoy!