Is macaroni and cheese your favorite? Your in luck, this recipe is all about that best side dish on earth. Filled with amazing cheeses, for the most cheesiest experience ever!
My mom was kind enough to share her macaroni and cheese secrets. This recipe as been used in my family for over a decade. It’s pretty simple and made from scratch with love. What’s so cool about this recipe is its serving potential. Instead of serving this dish family style in a large dish, it could be in a small dish. Using half of the recipe below, divide the cheesy mac in 5-10 individual ramekins. Then cook as instructed. Serving in small ramekins is super cute and provides a personal touch.
The Cheeses for an Epic Macaroni and Cheese
Mac & cheese is all about the cheese so lets get the cheesin. This mac features nearly 10 different cheeses. I know what you are thinking…holy cow that’s a lot of cheese. But, all of these cheeses are used in moderation. To prevent a very clumpy/running mac. Let’s dive into the different kinds used.
The Cheeses Taste & Texture
- Mild Cheddar Cheese: Mild cheese has a shorter aging process (2-3 months) and a buttery subtle taste.
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese: Sharp cheese has a bit of a longer aging process (6-9 months) compared to mild cheddar. Also, this cheese has a more tangy bold flavor.
- Mozzarella Cheese: Mozzarella cheese has a milky, creamy, mild flavor. There’s numerous kinds of mozzarella cheese from fresh to smoked. In this recipe shredded mozzarella cheese is used.
- Parmesan Cheese: Parmesan cheese has a harder gritty texture. Its has a nutty/fruity taste. Unless located in Italy, more than likely the Parmesan cheese available at your local grocery store is imitation. To get a true Parmesan cheese look for Parmigiano-Reggiano. This cheese is unbelievably rich and taste amazing in pasta dishes.
- Muenster Cheese: Muenster cheese has a pale yellowish color with an orange ridge. This cheese is soft with a strong flavor profile. Due to its elasticity it melts pretty well.
- Provolone Cheese : Provolone cheese has a mild creamy flavor with a smooth texture. This cheese is normally aged for about 3 months.
- Asiago Cheese: Asiago cheese has a nutty, creamy, sweet flavor. Is typically aged between 2-9 months.
- Monterey Jack Cheese: Monterey jack cheese has a semi-hard, mild flavor. Its texture is smooth and firm. This cheese melts beautifully and is not grainy.
- Fontina Cheese: Fontina has a mild nutty flavor with a subtly hint of honey. Its texture is semi-hard with small holes throughout its body.
- Pepper Jack Cheese: Pepper jack has small specs of peppers, rosemary, habañero/jalapeno chilies, and garlic throughout its body. This cheese is semi-soft with a buttery spicy taste.
The Pasta
Macaroni and cheese could not exist without the pasta. Lets briefly discuss the macaroni. In this recipe elbow macaroni is used and is widely available at any grocery store. The key to great macaroni is to season the water with plenty of salt. The salt provides flavor and helps with keeping a high temperature for boiling water. Which leads to an even cook of the pasta. In addition to salt, other things added to the pasta water include: grapeseed oil, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Similar to the salt these ingredients add more flavor to the pasta. Instead of using oil, a tablespoon of unsalted butter could be added to the water. Cook the pasta as recommended on the packaging. Don’t forget to season that water.
Why baked macaroni and cheese?
Baked mac and cheese is the best comfort food. It’s so creamy and delicious, similar to a casserole dish. If you desire a crunch factor try adding breadcrumbs or fried onions on top of the dish before baking. The key to a creamy baked macaroni and cheese is to marry the ingredients together. What does that mean? Before blending the cheese and macaroni together, the other ingredients need to be mixed well. This means the eggs need to be whisked together. After whisking, the melted butter as well as half-half need to be added to the eggs. These ingredients need to be well mixed before adding in the macaroni and cheese. Why add eggs? The eggs provide a stability to this dish, keep everything together.
Food Pairings
This amazingly cheesy side dish could be paired with numerous dishes to create the ultimate meal. Below are a few recommendations:
The list goes on and on…
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Grapeseed Oil*
- 1 lb. Elbow macaroni
- 1/2 cup Unsalted butter melted
- 2 Large eggs
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
- 1 tsp Fresh ground black pepper
- 1 tsp Hungarian Paprika
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/2 tsp Black pepper
- 1 Tbsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup Muenster cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup Provolone cheese shredded
- 1 cup Mild cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 cup Sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 1/3 cup Blended Cheese (Fontina, Asiago, Parmesan) shredded
- 1/2 Pepper Jack Cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray or grease a 9 by 13 inch pan with butter or cooking spray.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season the water with grapeseed oil, kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. Add in the elbow macaroni and cook for 7 minutes. Drain and cool the macaroni.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the two eggs as well as the 2 cups of half-and-half.
- Place the cooked macaroni into the large bowl. Mix in the melted unsalted butter, ground black pepper, and sea salt.
- Add in the Monterey Jack, mozzarella, muenster, pepper Jack, provolone, and blended cheeses and mix thoroughly. Make sure the cheese is evenly mixed into the macaroni. Next and in half of the mild cheddar and sharp cheddar cheese. Mix well. Season to taste.
- Transfer the macaroni to the prepared casserole dish. Spread the remaining mild cheddar and sharp cheddar cheese on top. Sprinkle the Hungarian paprika on top. Bake for 35 minutes or until the edges begin to bubble. Serve hot.