Best Baked Mac Cheese With Cornbread Crust Recipes

OLD-FASHIONED MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook macaroni in boiling water until almost tender; drain. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, melt butter. Stir in the flour, salt, mustard, pepper and pepper sauce until smooth. Cook for 1 minute or until bubbly. Stir in the macaroni, milk and 4 cups cheese. , Transfer to an ungreased 13x9-in. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until bubbly. Uncover; sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

THE BEST BAKED MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just slightly softened, about 6 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta and rinse under cold water.
• Meanwhile, remove the crusts from the bread and cut into 1-inch cubes. Pulse in the food processor until the bread breaks into bean-sized pieces.
• Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring, until toasted, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
• Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, mustard powder and cayenne. Cook, whisking constantly, until smooth and slightly golden, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk and cook, whisking occasionally, until the sauce begins to boil and thicken, about 7 minutes, then remove from heat. Stir in the fontina, Gruyere and all but 1 1/2 cups of the Cheddar until fully melted. Stir in the pasta, adding the reserved pasta water as needed to make a creamy sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
• Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a small bowl in the microwave. Brush a 9-by-13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with the melted butter. Spread the pasta mixture in the prepared dish. Sprinkle the remaining Cheddar evenly over the pasta, then scatter the toasted breadcrumbs on top. Bake until heated through and just bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

BAKED MAC & CHEESE WITH CORNBREAD CRUST

Steps:

• In a large pot, boil the pasta for about 7 minutes, until al dente. While pasta is cooking, assemble the sauce in a deep saucepan.
• Place butter in the saucepan and let melt. Add flour and mustard to butter and cook, whisking constantly for about 5 minutes over medium-low heat. Add milk and dried spices. Simmer for about 10 minutes, whisking constantly until mixture thickens. Add 3/4 of the cheese and let it melt.
• Add the pasta to the pan and mix thoroughly. Place mixture into a greased oven-safe 2- to 3-qt. casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
• Crumble the cornbread muffins into small pieces resembling bread crumbs and mix with about 2 Tbsp. melted butter. Place buttered muffin crumbs on top of cheese.
• Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly and golden.
• NOTE: This can be made the day before. Prepare dish up to and including placing pasta mix into the casserole dish. Refrigerate. When ready to bake, add toppings. Bake an extra 10 minutes when dish has been refrigerated.