My Essential Blueprint for Velvety Mac & Cheese

Written by on in Anyday Dinner, Holiday, Sunday Pasta Club, Sunday Supper, The Basics
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

My Essential Blueprint for Velvety Mac & Cheese is like a mother’s hug: the ultimate comfort, the cure for whatever ails you. I’m sure there is scientific evidence somewhere in the archives!

My essential requirements for the perfect mac, I want a creamy sauce, and the consistency you get from a stovetop, BUT, I love the crispy top you achieve baked. My mac sauce should be highly seasoned with a nice sharp bite from flavorful cheeses, and just a whisper of spice. The noodles should still be al dente, the most egregious flaw of a lot of homemade mac & cheese is the final texture has a dried-out sauce with gummy, overcooked noodles.

Why I Love My Essential Blueprint for Velvety Mac & Cheese Recipe

The recipe is called “My Essential Blueprint” because it is highly customizable. I love a recipe that works off a ration. As long as you keep the ratio intact, you can adjust the seasonings and flavorings to whatever your heart desires. Mac & Cheese is all about feeding your heart and soul.

The Blueprint: The base for a mac and cheese sauce is a classic Bechamel, when you add cheese it becomes Mornay.

  • Mornay (cheese sauce) Per Pound of Dry Pasta: 1/2 cup butter : 1/2 cup AP flour : 4 cups milk : 4 heaping cups of shredded cheese.

Make It Your Own

Once you have the ratio down you can and should make it yours:

  • Flavor Booster Options:
    • granulated onion and/or garlic
    • Yellow Mustard Powder
    • Better Than Bouillion
    • Something Spicy: red pepper flakes, Controne Pepper, Aleppo Pepper, Gochugaru, etc
    • Miso Paste
    • MSG
    • Soy Sauce
  • Cheese: I prefer a blend of 3 different melty cheeses
    • Gruyere
    • Fontina
    • Tallegio
    • Provolone
    • Gouda
    • Cheddar
    • American
    • The options are endless
  • Add-Ins:
    • Frozen Peas
    • Tinned Tuna
    • Hot dogs
    • Kimchi
    • Roasted Mushrooms
    • Cannellini Beans
    • Black Truffle
    • Be creative

Things You Need From Your Pantry

  • Dried Pasta
  • Kosher salt
  • Black Pepper
  • Controne Chili or other chili
  • Yellow Mustard Powder
  • AP flour
  • Butter
  • Milk
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Granulated Onion & Garlic
  • Panko Breadcrumbs
  • Olive Oil

Things You May Need To Grab From The Store

  • 1 lb of cheese (choose an assortment of 3 from above)
  • Heavy Cream (optional)
  • Controne Chili Pepper
  • Mascarpone cheese or cream cheese (optional)
My Essential Blueprint for Velvety Mac & Cheese
Print

My Essential Blueprint for Velvety Mac & Cheese

Recipe by Chef JenCourse: DinnerCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

8

servings
Prep time

30

minutes
Cooking time

30

minutes

Mac and Cheese that hugs your heart and soul! The essential blueprint to make it your own.

Ingredients

  • Essential Blueprint

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter

  • 1 medium onion, small dice

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 tsp kosher salt

  • 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

  • 1/2 cup ap flour

  • 4 cups whole milk

  • 4 heaping cups shredded cheese (I use Gruyere, Fontina & Tallegio) reserve 1/4 of gruyere for topping

  • Flavor Boosters

  • 1 tsp granulated onion

  • 1/2 tsp granulated garlic

  • 1 tsp yellow mustard powder

  • 1/2 tsp controne pepper

  • 1 cup heavy cream

  • 8 oz mascarpone or cream cheese

  • Topping

  • 1 cup panko breadcrumbs

  • 1 tsp kosher salt

  • 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

  • 1/4 cup grated pecorino romano

  • 1/4 cup shredded gruyere, reserved from above

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9 x 11 baking dish. Bring a large pot of water to a bowl and season with 2 Tablespoons salt. Cook the pasta 3/4 of the way, about 3 minutes less than the package instructions. Drain and reserve.
  • In a large heavy-bottom Dutch oven, over medium heat melt the butter and add the onion. Cook gently until softened about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. From your flavor boosters, add the granulated onion, garlic, controne pepper, salt, black pepper, and mustard powder. Cook for a minute to bloom the spices, add in the flour, and stir to cook evenly. Cook for a minute to cook off the raw flour taste.
  • Slowly stream in the milk whisking constantly until the flour mixture is smooth. From your flavor booster, add the heavy cream and whisk to combine. Bring to a gentle boil and cook stirring constantly until thickened. Turn the heat off and add the mascarpone cheese if using. Whisk until smooth. Slowly whisk in the shredded cheeses until smooth and thoroughly combined.
  • Add the partially cooked pasta to the cheese sauce and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
  • Combine the olive oil, panko, Pecorino, and Gruyere, and toss to combine. Top the mac and cheese and spread out evenly with the panko mixture. Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown on top and bubbly. Enjoy

baking blackberry pie butter cake cheese chicken chilies cilantro cookies cream cheese crudite crumb crust dessert dinner dressing easy dinner family meal family recipes feeds a crowd flaky fraisage fruit graham cracker crust holiday holiday cookies holiday food leftovers mascarpone mascarpone cheese pie pie crust ranch roasted chicken salad sauce shortbread simple recipes sugar sunday dinner sunday supper taco tuesday thanksgiving Tomato vegetables zucchini