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Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese

Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese

Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese is a deliciously rich and cheesy comfort food perfect for any occasion.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings
Calories 500 kcal

Equipment

  • large saucepan
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Baking dish

Ingredients
  

Pasta

  • 1 lb. dried elbow pasta

Sauce

  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • ½ cup all purpose flour
  • 1 ½ cups whole milk
  • 2 ½ cups half and half see chef tips #1 below
  • 4 cups shredded medium cheddar cheese divided (measured after shredding)
  • 2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese divided (measured after shredding)

Seasonings

  • ½ Tbsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. black pepper
  • ¼ tsp. paprika smoked paprika is our favorite!

Instructions
 

Preparation

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and grease a 3 qt baking dish (9x13). Set aside.
  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When boiling, add dried pasta and cook 1 minute less than the package directs for al dente. Drain and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil to keep from sticking.
  • While water is coming up to a boil, shred cheeses and toss together to mix, then divide into three piles: approximately 3 cups for the sauce, 1 ½ cups for the inner layer, and 1 ½ cups for the topping.

Cooking

  • Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle in flour and whisk to combine. Mixture will look like very wet sand. Cook for approximately 1 minute, whisking often.
  • Slowly pour in about 2 cups of the half and half, while whisking constantly, until smooth. Slowly pour in the remaining half and half plus the whole milk, while whisking constantly, until combined and smooth.
  • Continue to heat over medium heat, whisking very often, until thickened to a very thick consistency.
  • Remove from the heat and stir in spices and 1 ½ cups of the cheeses, stirring to melt and combine. Stir in another 1 ½ cups of cheese, and stir until completely melted and smooth.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine drained pasta with cheese sauce, stirring to combine fully. Pour half of the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with 1 ½ cups of shredded cheeses, then top that with the remaining pasta mixture.
  • Sprinkle the top with the last 1 ½ cups of cheese and bake for 15 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and lightly golden brown.

Notes

Mac and Cheese can be made ahead and frozen for later use. See Chef Tips for more details.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 500kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 20gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 100mgSodium: 800mgPotassium: 300mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 20IUCalcium: 30mgIron: 4mg
Keyword Baked Pasta, cheesy pasta, comfort food, Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese, mac and cheese, pasta
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