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Caramelized Onion And Prosciutto Macaroni and Cheese

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Ingredients

  • Bechamel Sauce
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup flour
  • 8 cups whole milk
  • Macaroni
  • 1 batch caramelized onions
  • 1/3 pound prosciutto, sliced
  • 1 1/2 boxes pasta shape of your choice, we used gigli
  • 6 cups plus 3 tablespoons Gruyere, grated
  • 2 cups grated Pecorino Romano, divided
  • 2 cups breadcrumbs
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Details

Preparation

Step 1


Bechamel sauce

Step 1: Measure
Measure out your butter, flour and milk. Warm the milk in a saucepan or zap it in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
melting the butter

Step 2: Melt
Place the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Slowly melt the butter completely but don't let it get brown or bubbly.
adding the flour

Step 3: Mix
Dump the flour into the butter and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula. Make sure that there are no clumps of flour. Stir for a few minutes to let the flour get saturated with the butter and a little toasty. This will keep your sauce from tasting floury. By the way, what you've got here now, once it is all mixed, is called a roux, another cooking base, which can be used to thicken sauces, stews, and frequently shows up in gumbos. Do not panic if your roux looks more like scrambled eggs at this point than a sauce. It will all be okay.
mixing ingredients

Step 4: More Mixing
Pour in a few drops of the warmed milk and stir into the butter/flour mixture. Once the liquid has been absorbed, go ahead and pour the rest in. Take your whisk and keep stirring as you add the milk.
whisking stovetop

Step 5: Whisking
Continue to whisk vigorously for a few minutes, until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Again make sure there are no floury lumps. Then reduce the hear and let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes.
pouring finished sauce to bowl

Step 6: Finish
Remove the sauce from the heat and you are done.

Macaroni Assembly

Preheat the oven to 375F, line a two baking sheets with alumnium foil and lay out the prosciutto in an even layer without overlapping. Bake prosciutto for 20 minutes or until dark red-brown and very crispy looking. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.

Crumble the prosciutto into small and large shards and set aside. Prepare two recipes' worth of béchamel sauce using our handy guide, then set aside.

Cook the pasta according to directions in the largest pot you have, draining 2-3 minutes before it's al dente. While it's cooking, gradually whisk in the 6 cups of Gruyère and 1 cup of the pecorino over low heat in batches to prevent clumping.
Drain pasta and return to pot. Toss pasta with béchamel to coat, then gently fold in crispy prosciutto and caramelized onions and transfer to a large casserole or baking dish. Thoroughly combine the breadcrumbs, butter, thyme, remaining cup of pecorino and remaining Gruyère in a mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly over the top of the macaroni and cheese and bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden brown. Allow to rest for at least 20 minutes before serving.

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