Favorite Macaroni & Cheese

Favorite macaroni and cheese is the baked stovetop-to-oven classic that hits every comfort note. The recipe leans on a butter-flour base spiked with dry mustard and a few dashes of hot pepper sauce, both of which sharpen the cheddar flavor without turning the dish spicy.

The pasta cooks just to al dente, around five minutes, because it will finish in the oven absorbing milk and melting through the cheddar. Overcook the pasta at this stage and you get mushy mac.

The butter-flour mixture skips the traditional bechamel sauce in favor of a simpler combine-and-bake approach. Cooked pasta gets tossed with the seasoned butter, then milk and two and a half cups of cheese fold in, and the whole thing goes into a 2 ½ quart baking dish.

The remaining half cup of cheese gets sprinkled on after the bake, melting into a glossy cheese cap from residual heat. Letting it stand five minutes off the heat is what lets the sauce thicken to the proper coating texture rather than running thin.

Serve with a sharp green salad or a side of steamed broccoli to cut the richness.

Kitchen Tips

• Shred the cheese from a block rather than buying pre-shredded, the anti-caking coating prevents proper melting.
• Dry mustard is the secret ingredient here, it amplifies cheddar without being detectable.
• Use sharp or extra-sharp cheddar for the best flavor, mild cheddar reads bland in a baked mac.
• A pinch of nutmeg added with the flour deepens the savory dairy notes, a French-classic move.

Variations

• Top with a buttery breadcrumb crust for a crunchy contrast against the creamy interior.
• Stir in cooked diced ham or crumbled bacon for a meatier meal.
• Swap half the cheddar for Gruyere for a more sophisticated, nuttier cheese flavor.