Making homemade mac and cheese is actually quite easy once you know how to prepare the perfect cheese sauce. Making the sauce is not difficult, but you do need to keep a few tips in mind to get a creamy, cheesy and smooth sauce.
Baking Mac and Cheese
- Baking macaroni and cheese is optional. I always bake my mac and cheese further as it tastes so good. But if you don’t have an oven or the time, then just mix and serve.
- Do top with breadcrumbs when baking as they add a lovely crispy and crunchy layer.
- Feel free to add seasonings, herbs and spices of your choice. I keep it simple with crushed black pepper and a bit of ground nutmeg. A dash of mustard powder also perks up the flavor.
- To add some fiber and extra nutrition to in the dish, simply mix in some steamed veggies.
Cooking pasta
1. Take 1 cup macaroni pasta or elbow macaroni (100 grams or 3.5 ounces).
2. Cook the pasta as per the instructions on the package. I first heated 4 cups water, plus ½ teaspoon salt to a vigorous boil and then added the pasta.
3. Cook the pasta until it is al dente or just cooked. It should not get too soft or mushy or break.
4. Drain the pasta in a colander or strainer.
Making the breadcrumbs topping
Making the breadcrumb topping is only necessary if you plan on baking the mac and cheese. Skip the following steps if you do not plan to bake the macaroni and cheese.
5. While the pasta is cooking, grease a baking pan with some softened butter.
6. Then in a microwave safe bowl, melt 1 teaspoon butter.
7. Now add ⅓ cup breadcrumbs to the melted butter. If you do not have store-bought breadcrumbs, you can easily make your own. Simply take 3 to 4 slices of bread that are 2 to 3 days old, tear them apart and grind them in a dry grinder or mixer.
8. With a spoon, mix the breadcrumbs with the melted butter very well. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 390 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius).
Making cheese sauce
9. Heat 3 tablespoons butter in a thick bottomed sauce pan on a low flame.
10. The butter should heat up well. You should see the frothing effect on the butter before you add the flour.
11. Then add 2 tablespoons all purpose flour.
12. Using a wired whisk stir the flour quickly as soon as you add it.
13. Keep on stirring so that lumps do not form.
14. The frequent stirring helps the flour to cook evenly.
15. You will see the flour frothing and bubbling up while stirring.
16. Sauté the flour until you get a nice aroma from it and the mixture is a pale golden color. Don’t brown the flour.
17. Keep the flame to the lowest and pour the milk in a gentle stream. Pour the milk with one hand and stir the sauce mixture with the other. The milk has to be chilled, so that lumps do not form. If you use hot, warm or room temperature milk, then lumps will form.
18. Stir frequently while the milk warms and heats up.
19. The sauce will begin to thicken, so continue to stir often.
20. When the sauce has thickened well, switch off the flame. A test is that the sauce should coat the back of a spoon (see example below). You now have a white sauce (bechamel sauce) and next you will be adding cheese to it to make it a cheese sauce.
21. Remove the saucepan from the heat and wait for a minute. Then add 150 grams (5.3 ounces) shredded cheese. I used a mix of cheddar, gouda and mozzarella. You can also use just cheddar cheese or your favorite cheese. Just note that the flavor and taste of the dish depends largely on the kind of cheese you use. Do shred your own cheese and do not buy packaged shredded cheese.
22. Again mix and stir so that the cheese melts.
23. The cheese needs to melt well in the hot white sauce (bechamel sauce). This is what will turn your white sauce into a smooth, creamy cheese sauce.
24. Add ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon crushed black pepper and a pinch or two of grated nutmeg or nutmeg powder.
25. Add a very little salt. About 2 to 3 pinches or about ⅛ teaspoon. Cheese already has salt in it, so add accordingly. You can taste the sauce first and then add salt as per your taste preference.
26. Stir again.
Mixing
27. Now add the pasta to the cheese sauce.
28. With a spoon stir and mix thoroughly so that the sauce coats the macaroni very well.
29. The macaroni and cheese is done and ready to serve, however if you’d like to bake it before serving, proceed further.
Baking
30. Pour the prepared mac and cheese into the greased pan.
31. Top evenly with the breadcrumbs and melted butter mixture.
32. Now sprinkle 2 to 3 tablespoons of the remaining shredded cheese on top.
33. Sprinkle some crushed black pepper on top of the cheese.
34. Bake in a preheated oven at 390 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius) for 15 to 20 minutes until the cheese melts and the mac and cheese is bubbly and hot. Be sure to check while baking as oven temperatures vary.
35. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Then serve baked mac and cheese hot.
Expert Tips
- Cook the entire sauce right from the beginning on a low flame.
- Use a thick bottomed pan, so that the flour or milk does not scorch or burn.
- Using chilled milk or cold milk for making the sauce does not lead to the formation of lumps.
- Be sure to stir the sauce mixture often with a wired whisk or balloon whisk.
- If the sauce becomes too thick, then drizzle some hot milk into it to thin it down.
- When adding shredded cheese, keep the pan on your workplace and not on the stove top or burner.
- Shred your cheese and do not use packaged shredded cheese as they have additional starch on them which can make the sauce gluey or clumpy.
- Cooking pasta is easy and once the sauce is done, all you need to do is mix together. Now you can eat the macaroni and cheese as is or bake it further.
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