My Family's Creamy Mac N Cheese
Servings: 14
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Elbow Pasta
- 5 tbsp. Unsalted Butter
- 2 Garlic Cloves finely minced
- 3 tbsp. All Purpose Flour
- 3 1/2 cups Whole Milk
- 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
- 8 oz. Sharp White Cheddar freshly grated
- 8 oz. Medium Cheddar freshly grated
- 4 oz. Low Moisture Mozzarella freshly grated
- 8 oz. Colby Jack freshly grated
- 1/2 tsp. EACH: Salt & Black Pepper
- 1/4 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
Instructions
- TIP: The key is to work on a medium to medium-low stovetop heat. You don't want the milk to boil at any point as this can cause the sauce to break up.
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Freshly grate all the cheeses. Reserve 2 cups for the topping.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt generously, then add the pasta to cook until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Add a large, oven-safe skillet over medium-low heat. I prefer using a 3.5 qt braiser or casserole dish that's stovetop safe.
- Add the butter to the skillet to melt. Once melted, add the garlic to sauté 30 seconds, then whisk in the flour until fully absorbed by the butter and smooth.
- While whisking, gradually pour in 1/4 cup of heavy cream, whisking vigorously until mixture thickens, about 30 seconds, before adding more. Once all the heavy cream is added, the mixture should be very thick and smooth.
- Gradually pour in the milk as you whisk. The mixture will loose its thickness as more milk is added and that's okay! Once all milk is added, let cook another 3-5 minutes. Make sure to avoid a rolling boil! It is done when it lightly coats the back of a spoon.
- Remove from heat before adding in the cheese gradually in small handfuls to stir until smooth.
- Stir in the salt, black pepper, and nutmeg.
- Stir in the pasta until well combined.
- Evenly distribute the remaining grated cheeses that you set aside on top.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until cheeses are bubbly and the top is beginning to brown. Broil the last 30 seconds to 1 minute for a deeply golden brown top.
- Let rest at least 10 minutes before enjoying. Best kept warm until ready to serve.
- TIP: For the ultimate cheese pull, you'll need to transfer the unbaked creamy Mac n cheese mixture to a separate large bowl. Then, add half of the mixture back into the casserole dish. Add an extra 1 1/2 cups of freshly grated mozzarella on top. Add the remaining creamy pasta, then top with the remaining cheeses to bake as normal!
