Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

By AzWench

Why This Recipe Works: At its best, macaroni and cheese emerges from the oven with a golden, crisp topping and an indulgent cheese sauce. When made ahead and reheated, however, it's more likely to end up dry, bland, and underwhelming. To make a macaroni and cheese that could survive a stint in the freezer and still bake up rich and creamy, we first had to focus on creating a never-fail sauce. Egg-based sauces were out: By the time the center of the casserole was heated through, the outer edge was overbaked and the sauce curdled and separated. A béchamel, on the other hand, thickened the sauce without risk of curdling. Using a combination of chicken broth and whole milk made a rich-tasting sauce that stayed loose; a loose sauce going into the freezer was key to ensuring a creamy, not pasty, sauce coming out of the oven. Rinsing the pasta ensured that it wouldn't clump and removed extra starch that would otherwise make the sauce gloppy. For a crunchy topping, we tossed panko bread crumbs with melted butter and toasted them to ensure that they would stay crisp in the freezer. To keep the crumbs from burning, we cooked the casserole covered and then removed the aluminum foil toward the end of cooking to recrisp and brown the topping. Finally, with our topping golden and our sauce creamy, we knew our macaroni and cheese would satisfy any cheesy craving.

Ingredients

• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 cups whole milk
• 2 3/4 cups chicken broth
• 1 pound Colby cheese, shredded (4 cups)
• 8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups)
• 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 cup)
• You will need two 8-inch square disposable aluminum pans for this recipe.

Details

Adapted from americastestkitchen.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Toss panko with melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Spread evenly on rimmed baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes; set aside.

2. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add macaroni and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until nearly al dente. Drain pasta, rinse with cold water, and drain again, leaving pasta slightly wet; leave in colander.

3. Dry now-empty pot, add remaining 6 tablespoons butter, and melt over medium heat. Stir in flour, mustard, garlic, and cayenne and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk and broth until smooth. Bring to simmer and cook, whisking often, until thickened. Add salt and pepper.

4. Off heat, gradually whisk in Colby, cheddar, Parmesan, 1 teaspoon salt, and pinch pepper. Let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Stir pasta into sauce, breaking up any clumps. Divide pasta mixture evenly between 2 greased, 8-inch square disposable aluminum pans. Sprinkle evenly with toasted panko. (To serve 1 casserole right away, bake uncovered on aluminum foil–lined rimmed baking sheet in 375-degree oven until sauce is bubbling around edges, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

5. Wrap cooled pans tightly with plastic wrap and cover with foil. Freeze for up to 1 month. (Do not thaw before reheating.)

To Finish and Serve

6. Unwrap casserole, cover with greased foil, and place on foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Place casserole on middle rack of cold oven, turn oven to 375 degrees, and bake until casserole is hot throughout, about 70 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until topping is crisp and sauce is bubbling around edges, about 10 minutes. Let cool for 10 - 15 minutes before serving.

Make a loose sauce

To ensure our cheese sauce stayed creamy through freezing and reheating, we made a simple béchamel that resisted breaking. A combination of whole milk and chicken broth tasted rich while still being thin enough to stay loose when reheated. And rinsing the pasta thoroughly washed away excess starch that otherwise made the sauce gloppy.