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macaroni & cheese comfort bake

(4 ratings)
Monetti avatar
Blue Ribbon Recipe by
Monette Peralta
@Monetti
Pacific Beach, CA

I grew up eating macaroni and cheese out of the box. Who knew making it from scratch was so easy? It is true, good ole fashioned comfort food!

Blue Ribbon Recipe

Want a fancier macaroni and cheese recipe? Make this the next time you need mac and cheese to serve alongside barbecue, at a holiday event, or just when you want comfort food for dinner. Torn pieces of bread give this casserole a nice buttery and crunchy top. The sauce is so creamy. Smoked gouda adds a smoky flavor and makes the sauce taste like there may be bacon. Rich, savory, and very filling, this will feed a lot of people.

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
(4 ratings)
yield 6 -8 main dish
prep time 30 Min
cook time 30 Min
method Bake

Ingredients For macaroni & cheese comfort bake

  • 8 Tbsp
    butter (1 stick), plus 4 Tbsp and some to coat casserole pan
  • 6 slice
    white bread (plain, sourdough, etc) torn into little pieces
  • 5 1/2 c
    milk
  • 1/2 c
    all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp
    salt, plus some for water for noodles
  • 1/4 tsp
    freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp
    cayenne pepper (I add a little more)
  • 1/4 tsp
    freshly ground pepper
  • 4 1/2 c
    grated sharp white cheddar (approx. 18 oz)
  • 2 c
    grated smoked Gouda
  • 1 lb
    macaroni, elbow or shells (any are fine)

How To Make macaroni & cheese comfort bake

  • Spices in a ramekin, butter melted, and bread crumbs in a bowl.
    1
    Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Put a large pan of water on to boil for macaroni. In a ramekin, put all spices. Butter 3 qt casserole pan; set aside. Place bread crumbs in a bowl. In the microwave melt 4 Tbsp butter.
  • Melted butter poured over bread crumbs.
    2
    Pour melted butter over bread crumbs; toss. Set aside.
  • Draining cooked macaroni.
    3
    Cook macaroni for approx 4-5 minutes. Rinse in cold water to stop cooking. Set aside.
  • Melted butter in a frying pan.
    4
    Melt 1 stick of butter in a large frying pan over medium heat.
  • Whisking flour into butter.
    5
    When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook whisking for 1 minute.
  • Slowly adding milk.
    6
    Continue whisking, add milk a little at a time. Continue cooking until bubbly and thick, about 10 minutes or so.
  • Whisking in spices.
    7
    Take the pan off the heat. Whisk in spices.
  • Whisking in cheese.
    8
    Gradually add cheese while whisking until well blended.
  • Adding cooked macaroni.
    9
    Stir macaroni into cheese sauce until well blended.
  • Macaroni mixture poured into a baking dish.
    10
    Pour into the prepared casserole pan.
  • Bread crumbs on top.
    11
    Top with bread crumbs.
  • Baking the macaroni and cheese.
    12
    Bake approx. 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for about 10 minutes then serve.
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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