Brown Butter Mac and Cheese
Comforting brown butter macaroni and cheese with a creamy sharp cheddar sauce and your choice of a crispy buttered-panko topping or a golden broiled finish. Use cavatappi or elbow macaroni, and let the dish rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 3 cups cavatappi or elbow macaroni
- 3 tablespoons butter plus more for greasing the pan
- pinch of grated nutmeg optional
- pinch of sweet paprika optional
- ½ teaspoon salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ cups whole milk
- 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar or a mix of shredded cheeses
Crispy Topping (Optional)
- 1 ½ tablespoons butter
- ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F (177C). Lightly grease a 9x9 inch or 10x10 inch baking dish with butter.
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, according to the directions on the label. Cook until al dente, about 1 to 2 minutes before the suggested cooking time. The pasta will continue to cook a bit more while it bakes. Drain and set aside.
- Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a heavy-bottomed pot until it's lightly golden and smells nutty. Be careful not to burn it and stir often.
- Add the nutmeg and paprika (if using) and season with salt and pepper. Add the flour, and stir, until a thick, smooth, and golden brown paste forms.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the milk all at once, whisking immediately, to incorporate the milk into the roux, ensuring no lumps remain.
- Increase the heat to medium and add the cheese 1 cup at a time, whisking as you add and waiting for the cheese to melt before adding the next cup. Cook until the cheese sauce is smooth and no lumps remain.
- Add the cooked pasta to the cheese sauce, stir well to combine, then transfer to the buttered baking dish, cover tightly with foil, and bake in the oven for 25 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling.
- Note: if you don't want a breadcrumb topping at the very end, feel free to top with more cheese and bake all together until bubbly.
- While the macaroni and cheese bakes, melt the butter. Place the breadcrumbs in a bowl and pour the butter over. Mix well.
- When the Mac and cheese is done, remove the foil and sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly on top. Turn the broiler on high. Return the dish to the oven and broil until the breadcrumbs are browned all over, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Let the mac n cheese sit for 10 minutes at room temperature before serving.
Notes
- Sharp cheddar adds classic mac n cheese flavor, but you can also use a combo of any of your favorite grated cheeses, such as Gruyere, mozzarella, Pepper Jack, or Swiss. (Parmesan, pecorino, and other aged cheeses can have too strong of a flavor and overpower the dish.)
- The color and material of your baking dish matter. Dark-colored baking dishes absorb heat faster, which means the mac n cheese may be done sooner. Light-colored baking dishes reflect more heat, and may result in a more even bake. Glass dishes heat slower than ceramic.
- Panko breadcrumbs are larger than Italian breadcrumbs and add more crunch.
- You can make this vegan by using vegan butter, milk, and shredded cheese.
- You can make this gluten-free by using a gluten-free pasta and cooking until just al dente and using a gluten-free cup-for-cup flour in the roux. Omit the breadcrumbs.
- You can also add herbs to the breadcrumb topping: fresh or dried thyme or rosemary.
Nutrition
Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 670kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 535mg | Potassium: 373mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 993IU | Calcium: 556mg | Iron: 2mg
