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Macaroni and Cheese with Warm Cheese Sauce
20 minute prep
Macaroni and Cheese is a great American Classic. In fact, when was the last time you had some? If it’s been a while, here’s some good news, Mac and Cheese doesn’t have to be for kids anymore…in fact, it can be downright sophisticated. By including seafood, fancy cheeses, freshly chopped herbs, along with a pinch of your favorite exotic ingredients. This once plain childhood staple can be as decadent as you would like. Below is a recipe that will allow you to keep it plain or go over the top with a few suggestions.
To prepare this dish with seafood, simply fold it during step seven.
To add Lobster or Shrimp, sauté them in a skillet and then cut them into bite size pieces.
To add blue crab meat, since it is already cooked, simply fold it in.
This recipe takes 20 minutes of prep and 30 minutes of cooking.
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350F with the rack set in the center of the oven.
- In a large pot, bring 4 cups to a boil with 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Stir in the macaroni, and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes, or following the manufacturer’s instructions. Drain well and return to the pot.
- Meanwhile, place a medium saucepan over medium heat and melt the butter.
- Add the shredded Muenster and 1 cup of the Cheddar by the handful and stir until melted.
- Add the 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, and milk. Lower the heat and stir until creamy.
- Sprinkle the flour into the pan and stir the sauce until the cheese starts to stick together. Remove from the heat and gently fold into the macaroni. The pasta should become well coated. Spoon the mixture into an ungreased casserole dish and scatter the remaining 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar on top.
- Bake the macaroni, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the second cheese sauce by combining the butter, cream, cheddar cheese, and salt in a small sauce pot over medium low heat. When it melts, whisk in the flour to thicken. Set aside.
- To serve. Plate the Mac and Cheese and sprinkle it with the optional chopped parsley and drizzle it with the cheese sauce.
Ingredients
Makes 4 Servings
For the Macaroni and Cheese:
1 tablespoon Kosher salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup shredded Muenster cheese (or American Cheese to make it more plain, or Gruyere to make it more fancy)
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 pinch freshly ground black pepper (or not if the kids are going to inspect it)
1/3 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
optional, 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley, basil, thyme, or cilantro leaves
For the Warm Cheese Sauce:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
pinch salt
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
