Old Fashioned Baked Macaroni & Cheese

This is mac and cheese the way it was meant to be made: a proper bechamel sauce built from a butter-and-flour roux, loaded with five cups of grated cheddar, then baked under a golden breadcrumb crust. No box, no shortcuts, no regrets.

The roux is the foundation. Equal parts butter and flour cooked together, then milk whisked in gradually while stirring constantly. You’re looking for a thick, smooth sauce before the cheese goes in. Lumps at this stage mean lumps in the final dish, so don’t rush.

Dry mustard and a few dashes of hot sauce are the background flavors that make the cheese taste more like cheese. You won’t taste mustard or heat, but without them the sauce tastes flat. White pepper rather than black keeps the sauce looking clean.

The buttered breadcrumb and paprika topping is the difference between baked mac and stovetop mac. It bakes into a crispy, golden lid that cracks when you dig your spoon through.

Kitchen Tips

• Stir the cheese into the sauce off the heat so it melts smoothly without becoming grainy
• Use sharp or extra-sharp cheddar; mild cheddar gives a bland sauce
• Undercook the macaroni by one minute since it finishes cooking during the 25-minute bake

Variations

• Mix in a cup of Gruyère or fontina with the cheddar for a more complex, nuttier cheese flavor
• Add crumbled cooked bacon or diced ham to the macaroni before baking
• Use panko breadcrumbs instead of regular for an even crunchier topping