Pour the prepared mac and cheese into a casserole dish, cover with a lid or foil, and bake at 350☏ for 30 minutes. Serve the mac and cheese immediately while still warm.īaked mac and cheese: If you have a little extra time, you can bake the macaroni and cheese to give it a golden crust. If you'd like a looser sauce, add up to another 1/4 cup milk if desired. Add the remaining sauce and any extra add-ins and stir to combine. Place the pasta and 1/2 of the cheese sauce in a large serving bowl. Taste and adjust the seasonings as desired. Stir until all the cheese has melted and the sauce is creamy. Turn the heat to low and begin mixing handfuls of cheese into the milk.

Continue whisking gently until the milk thickens slightly to the consistency of heavy cream, 3 to 4 minutes. When you just start to see wisps of steam rising from the warming milk, whisk in the milk-and-flour mixture. Meanwhile, place the remaining 1/2 cup of milk and flour in a small bowl and whisk together until there are no lumps. Place 1 cup of the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente, about 8 minutes. Bring about 4 quarts of salted water to a boil over high heat in a large pot. Choose a pasta with a good shape and plenty of nooks for capturing pockets of cheese like shells, cavatappi, or our no-fail elbow macaroni. We suggest steering clear of long, thin, perfect-for-twirling varieties like spaghetti, fettuccini, and linguini. In fact, one of the easiest mistakes when making macaroni and cheese is using the wrong kind of pasta. The final step in mastering–or messing up–this recipe is the pasta.

The superstar ingredient is, of course, the cheese, and after the Southern Living Test Kitchen tasted, tested, and retested, they found their winner: Cracker Barrel’s Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese. This is not more than the right sprinkling of black pepper, red pepper, and salt although you should tune down the spiciness a bit. This is usually derived from a combination of flour, milk and sometimes butter. Mac and Cheese is known for its creaminess and smooth texture, so let’s start with the sauce.

The secret to making this wonderful meal is in selecting the key ingredients. Just keep away from the boxed stuff, the powdery cheese in it has no place on any table. Mac and Cheese can be more than a comfort meal.

Baked mac and cheese recipe kraft