Macaroni and Cheese

What kid doesn’t like macaroni and cheese? I know my daughter loves it. Often it is so easy to reach for that box of shelf-stable mac and cheese (who doesn’t love a little Kraft Dinner?) but somehow nothing is as good as home-made ooey, gooey macaroni and cheese with a crispy, cheesey top. The beauty of this recipe is that you can freeze small portions of it to serve later at lunch.

Feel free to add your own creativity to this recipe. Swap out the cheese and try something else that you know your kids like. Or why not throw in some peas or broccoli to add a little vegetable goodness. Personally, I like to serve this with a tossed salad and steamed green beans. If you want to get really decadent fry some bacon or pancetta and mix it in with the noodles before you bake it.

The basis for the cheese sauce is a classic béchamel sauce, a recipe that was also a part of my croque madame sandwich. It is an easy sauce to make and melts the cheese beautifully which makes for such a creamy dish.

Macaroni and Cheese

Serves 6
I use Gruyere and Emmenthal cheese in this recipe because it is a cheese combo that both my husband and daughter love, but you can use any good melting cheese you like, like a good sharp cheddar and a nice domestic fontina for example.

8 Tbsp (1 stick) butter, plus more for dish
6 slices good white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4 to 1/2-inch pieces
5 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup flour
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
4 1/2 cups grated Emmenthal cheese (about 18 ounces)
2 cups grated Gruyere cheese (about 8 ounces)
1 pound elbow macaroni

Heat the oven to 375. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread in a medium bowl. In a small measuring cup melt 2 Tbsp of the butter in the microwave. Pour butter into the bowl with bread, and toss. Set bread crumbs aside.

In a large measuring cup or bowl heat the milk in the microwave on medium heat for about 4 minutes.

Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a dutch oven over medium heat. When the butter melts, add flour. Cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Change to a whisk and slowly pour in the milk. Cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until all the lumps are gone and small bubbles appear and it becomes thick.

Remove from heat and stir in the salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, Dijon mustard, 3 cups Emmenthal, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere; set cheese sauce aside.

Fill a large pot with water; bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 minutes less than manufacturer's directions, until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Drain the macaroni and stir it into the cheese sauce. Pour mixture into prepared dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups Emmenthal, 1/2 cup Gruyere and bread crumbs over top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes.