The other day, I woke up at 6 am anxious, excited, and unable to sleep, waiting for the sun to come up. Why you might ask? Well because I knew that it had been snowing all night and I couldn’t wait to see what it looked like outside. As I have mentioned a real winter is brand new to me. Seeing snow fall is something I have only seen a handful of times. So as soon as the sun came up my boyfriend Craig and I ran outside to the park across the street to enjoy the falling snow. It may have snowed a little last week but this time we got about 5 inches. It was very exciting for us. We were definitely the only people out there!
The cold weather made me crave some comfort food, and what is more comforting than macaroni and cheese? Almost nothing I think. So that is exactly what I made.
Look at all that cheese! Yum!
I used 3 different cheeses for this recipe: sharp white cheddar, mild yellow cheddar, and fontina. If you ask me these are some of the best cheeses to use when making mac and cheese. The cheddars give it a nice flavor and the fontina gives it a rich creaminess. Really you can use whatever variety of cheeses you want, this just happens to be one of my favorite combinations. Gruyere is also a winner when it comes to mac and cheese. I have tried a lot of cheeses when it comes to making mac and cheese…
For this recipe you bake the mac and cheese after making it on the stove. However, if you are not a fan of baked mac and cheese you can just serve it without baking it! This will give you a lot creamier texture, but it doesn’t give you the crispiness on top that you get from baking it. I’m all about the crispiness so that’s why I like to bake mine. But hey, you should do whatever your taste buds desire!
Looks good doesn’t it?!
Tastes even better! Especially paired with a good beer. In Colorado we are all about local craft beer and this time I went with a beer called “Accumulation” from New Belgium brewing. Perfect name to go with a snow storm.
I baked my mac and cheese off in a cast iron skillet but a baking dish works just as good. Once it comes out of the oven be careful and let it cool before diving in. It will be a very long 5 minutes but is well worth the wait!
Baked Macaroni & Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 lb dried shells pasta
- 1 cup fontina cheese, shredded
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 cups white cheddar cheese, shredded
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon dried mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- dash of paprika
- pinch of nutmeg
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon vegetable or canola oil
Instructions
- Cook shells according to package instructions. Shells should be cooked until al dente (still a little bit firm). Drain and let cool.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and butter a large baking dish or cast iron skillet.
- In a large pot (or the same pot used to cook shells), melt the butter over medium-low heat and sprinkle in flour. Whisk constantly for about 4 minutes, making sure mixture does not burn.
- Pour in milk and add mustard, whisk together until smooth. Cook mixture over medium heat, or until it becomes very thick.
- Next, take 1/4 cup of the thickened milk mixture and slowly pour into beaten egg, constantly whisking to avoid scrambling the egg. Once smooth, add egg into sauce, whisking continuously.
- Add in shredded cheese, reserving 1/3 cup to sprinkle on top before baking. Stir cheese to melt completely,
- Add salt, pepper, paprika, and nutmeg. Taste sauce and add more seasoning if desired.
- Add in cooked and drained pasta. Stir to combine.
- In a small bowl, mix breadcrumbs with 1 teaspoon vegetable oil.
- Pour macaroni and cheese into buttered baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted on top and breadcrumbs are browned.
- Let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving!
This looks good!
How does your family and your lucky boyfriend able to stay in reasonable shape with such good and plentiful food always available?
Good genes and high altitude workouts
You can make this when you are here!