My Family's Creamy Mac N Cheese
Servings: 14
Ingredients
- 1 - 1 1/2 lbs. 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
- 8 oz. Low Moisture Mozzarella freshly grated
- 6 oz. Colby Jack freshly grated
- 1/2 tsp. EACH: Salt & Black Pepper
- 1/4 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Freshly grate all the cheeses. Reserve 1 1/2 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.
- TIP: If you prefer a more sauce-y mac n cheese, cook 1 pound of pasta. In the video, I used 1 1/2 pounds. If you plan to make this ahead of time, I recommend 1 lb. pasta as it will naturally absorb the sauce overnight.
- Add a large, oven-safe skillet over medium 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 stir in the flour until fully absorbed by the butter.
- While whisking, gradually pour in the milk. Add about 1/2 cup at a time, then whisk until mixture thickens, about 30 seconds, before adding more.
- 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.
- Gradually pour in the heavy cream as you whisk.
- Once slightly thickened, stir in 1/2 cup of the freshly grated cheeses at a time.
- Stir in the salt, black pepper, and nutmeg.
- Stir in the pasta until well combined. Add the first pound of cooked pasta, then add more if desired. The goal is for the pasta to be super creamy and loose as it will thicken in the oven.
- 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!
