Best New York Times Mac And Cheese Recipes

SOUTHERN MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook according to package directions until a little under al dente, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a colander and rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk milk and eggs. Add cooked macaroni, 2 cups extra-sharp Cheddar, melted butter, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and stir until well combined.
• Add half the macaroni mixture to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish in an even layer. Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups Colby Jack evenly on top. Spread the remaining macaroni mixture on top in an even layer. Cover with aluminum foil, transfer to the middle rack of the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
• Remove from oven. Carefully remove and discard the aluminum foil. Top the macaroni mixture with the remaining 2 cups Cheddar and 1/2 cup Colby Jack. Broil on top rack until cheese is browned in spots, 3 to 5 minutes. (The broiled cheese can go from golden to burnt fairly quickly, so keep a close eye on it.)
• Remove from oven and let cool until the macaroni and cheese is fully set, 10 to 15 minutes. (The mixture may first appear jiggly, but it will firm up as it cools.) Serve warm.

CREAMY BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season generously with salt. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until just past al dente. Drain and set aside.
• Return the empty pot to the stove (no need to clean it) and set over medium heat. Melt the butter and simmer, whisking occasionally, until the butter stops spurting and quiets down, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the flour and cook, whisking, until smooth like gravy, about 1 minute.
• Whisk in the milk. Raise the heat to high and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly, then immediately reduce the heat to low and continue simmering until the sauce lightly coats the back of a spoon, 2 to 5 minutes. At this stage, the sauce should be smooth but relatively loose. Take the pot off the heat.
• To the pot, add the Cheddar, Velveeta, Pecorino Romano, mustard powder, onion powder and cayenne, and season generously with salt and black pepper. Whisk until the cheese is melted and smooth like nacho cheese. Add the drained pasta, breaking up any clumps, and stir until evenly coated in the cheese sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
• Transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking pan or dish and bake until bubbling at the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

CREAMY MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees and position an oven rack in upper third of oven. Use 1 tablespoon butter to grease a 9-inch round or square baking pan.
• In a blender, purée cottage cheese, milk, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg and salt and pepper. Reserve 1/4 cup grated Cheddar for topping. In a large bowl, combine remaining grated Cheddar, milk mixture and uncooked pasta. Pour into prepared pan, cover tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes.
• Uncover pan, stir gently, sprinkle with reserved cheese and dot with remaining tablespoon butter. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes more, until browned. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Use one tablespoon butter to thickly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Combine grated cheeses and set aside two heaping cups for topping.
• In a large bowl, toss together the pasta, cheeses, cayenne (if using) and salt to taste. Place in prepared pan and evenly pour milk over surface. Sprinkle reserved cheese on top, dot with remaining butter and bake, uncovered, 45 minutes. Raise heat to 400 degrees and bake 15 to 20 minutes more, until crusty on top and bottom.

THE BEST MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place a 1 1/2-quart heat-proof dish, such as a souffle pan, in oven to warm.
• In a small baking pan, combine bread crumbs, a pinch of salt and the melted butter. Mix well and set aside.
• In a large pot, bring 8 cups of water to a boil. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and the macaroni. Cook until almost tender but still a little firm to the bite. Drain and transfer to preheated dish. Stir in remaining 4 tablespoons of butter.
• In a small bowl, combine eggs, 1 cup of the evaporated milk, the pepper sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt, the black pepper and the mustard mixture. Mix well. Pour egg mixture over macaroni. Add 3/4 of the cheese, and stir until thoroughly combined and cheese starts to melt.
• Place dish of macaroni and cheese in the oven, and bake for 5 minutes. Remove dish from oven and add about half of the remaining evaporated milk, and half of the remaining cheese. Stir well, and return pan to oven. Bake 5 minutes longer, remove pan from oven, and stir thoroughly. If mixture does not look moist and creamy, add a little more of the milk and cheese. Return to oven for an additional 20 minutes, removing pan from oven halfway through to stir in remaining evaporated milk and cheese.
• While macaroni is baking, add pan of bread crumbs to oven. Bake until bread crumbs are toasted and golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. When macaroni has baked, sprinkle surface with toasted bread crumbs, and serve immediately.