Ina's Mac and Cheese

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Show: Barefoot Contessa
Episode: Comforting and Elegant Dinner

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MY NOTES Skip the tomatoes!

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Ingredients

  • Kosher salt
  • Vegetable oil
  • 1 pound elbow macaroni or cavatappi
  • 1 quart milk
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 12 ounces Gruyere, grated (4 cups)
  • 8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups)
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 3/4 pound fresh tomatoes (4 small)
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large (4-quart) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.

Slice the tomatoes and arrange on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.
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REVIEWS: (721)

I am from the Detroit area. My family thought the macaroni and cheese was better than Slows BBQ mac and cheese. It was delicious. I substituted mozzarella for the Gruyere. Instead of regular bread crumbs, i used Panko Japanese Bread crumbs to top it off with for a better crunch. Will definitely repeat this dish again.

This is the best mac & cheese by far! I usually add more cheese. Ina's Penne with five cheeses is sooooo delicious too. The only problem is they are fattening. But to make it low fat would be disappointing in taste. It probably would be okay but not delicious. Rating for this recipe - YUM!

HOLY MACARONI...This recipe is yummy!! Been looking for a great Mac n' Chesse recipe for years Yay!!! Very easy. Be sure to splurg on really good cheese, it makes all the differenct. I did substitute one cup of milk with cream..yikes. Holy Calories Carol!! Fabulous!!

The BEST mac and cheese I've ever had! Be sure to use good quality cheese and freshly grate, whole milk and follow the recipe for seasoning, it will make all the difference. It does not take long to make fresh bread crumbs, they were the perfect finish to the dish! Perfect for a family dinner, friends over or a great dish for a pot luck! Thanks again Ina for another amazing dish!

This is wonderful! I keep kosher and have a hard time finding kosher gruyere. I ended up using sharp cheddar, 8 oz of swiss and 4oz of fontina and it was incredible! I left out the tomatoes because I don't like them, and after reading the other Food Network reviews about the breadcrumbs, I decided to use the panko and they were perfect!

Try this and you won't use any other recipe for mac and cheese again!

This was a big hit. I slow roasted a basket of cherry tomatoes and then spread them on top of the dish and sprinkled with panko. Wonderful.

Theeeeeeeeee best mac on the planet! .. Everytime I make this, everyone loves it !.. I love you Ina!

This was delicious and easy! Used Monterey Jack and White Cheddar to save some money and used panko because it's what I had on hand. The tomatoes were excellent with the mac and cheese. At first I thought too much milk was called for as the sauce would not thicken like the sauce does in other recipes, but after everything baked it turned out just fine.

Ina, Ina, Ina. This is very, very delicious, but there are two problems. You couldn't possibly have meant one tablespoon of kosher salt. Way too salty! One teaspoon is perfect, and I usually like things salty. The second problem is the cooking time. Mine took 50 minutes at 375 to be heated throughout, and my oven is accurate. Aside from these quibbles, this is a terrific dish, a real standby for my family.

Made it tonight, and my family said it was the best mac n cheese they ever tasted. And so easy to make! It's a winner and a keeper!

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