I must warn you, this is a very rich recipe and I would suggest using it as a side dish with the rest of the meal being very lite. My husband and I made the mistake of eating it as the main dish and let my tell you, I could only eat about half a serving before feeling full, the hubby wasn't so aware of his stomach, just that he liked the food,and he made himself sick by eating too much.
I halved this recipe and it was still enough to feed a family of 4-6 as a side dish. I would recommend at least halving it if not more, unless you intend to feed many. I could never fathom a time where I would need to make the whole recipe.
- 1/2-3/4 cup of panko bread crumbs (they have a great crunch — use any kind of bread crumbs you like)
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
- 5 1/2 cups milk (skim works just fine, so save yourself the fat)
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (I used 1/8 tsp)
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (I used 1/8 tsp)
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (Leave this out if you don’t want the heat)
- 4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp cheddar
- 2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyère or Monterey jack
- 1 pound radiatore pasta (or whatever kind of pasta you like — the radiatore’s groves really held onto all that cheese sauce)
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside.
2. Fill a large saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Add pasta; cook 2 to 3 fewer minutes than manufacturer’s directions, until outside of pasta is cooked and inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer the pasta to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well.
3. For the panko, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan. Add 1/2-3/4 cup of panko and toast until coated in butter and golden brown. Set aside.
4. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.
5. Slowly pour hot milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.
6. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or Monterey Jack. Set cheese sauce aside. (Adjust the seasonings to your liking. I thought the full amount of nutmeg and black pepper was too strong, so I cut it in half.)
7. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.
8. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar and 1/2 cup Gruyere or Monterey Jack ; scatter breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes; serve.
I added about 6-10 slices of bacon and after frying it up and setting it aside I reserved a tablespoon of the drippings to substitute for the butter. I added the bacon pieces when I added the cheese and it mixed very well. I also used a Colby jack cheese because I could not find any Monterey jack cheese in the stores up here (a common occurrence).
Tip: Usually I like a lot of cheese but I could have done without the extra cheese on top, I feel that it over powered the dish and added to richness, which was not needed. I would also recommend using panko breadcrumbs, they add the element of crunch to the dish and makes it so much better.
ENJOY!
Tip: Usually I like a lot of cheese but I could have done without the extra cheese on top, I feel that it over powered the dish and added to richness, which was not needed. I would also recommend using panko breadcrumbs, they add the element of crunch to the dish and makes it so much better.
ENJOY!
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