Best Baked Macaroni and Cheese

classic baked macaroni and cheese with no eggs or evaporated milk

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword macaroni and cheese, pasta

Prep Time 12

Cook Time 28

Total Time 40

Servings servings

Calories 447kcal

Author Emma Chapman

Ingredients

8 ounces macaroni noodles
4 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic minced
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon cayenne
salt and pepper
1 cup milk
¾ cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 ½ cups pepper jack cheese shredded
1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
1 cup breadcrumbs see note for how to make your own
2 teaspoons chives chopped

Instructions

In a pot, heat enough water to cover the pasta plus a few teaspoons salt over high heat until boiling. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Stain and set aside.
In the meantime, in a large pot, melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook for one minute.
Add the cayenne and a big pinch of salt and pepper.
Add the flour and whisk to combine. Cook over medium heat, so it bubbles as it cooks. Stir every so often and allow to cook for a few minutes. This is called a roux. It's the texture of a paste.
Now, pour in the stock and milk. Reduce the heat to a medium/low and whisk so the roux becomes well incorporated.
Stir in the pepper jack cheese and half the cheddar and stir until melted.
Add the pasta and pour into your baking dish. Top with remaining cheese, chives and then breadcrumbs.
Bake (covered in foil) at 350°F for 20 minutes.
Remove the foil and continue to bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown and edges bubble.

Notes

To make your own breadcrumbs, take 3 pieces of bread and bake them at 350°F until very toasty on both sides. I sometimes do this while the oven preheats and I'm preparing the rest of this recipe. Just keep an eye on it.

Once toasted, pulse in a food processor to make breadcrumbs.

Nutrition