Put Thanksgiving In Your Mouth With Grown-Up Baked Mac And Cheese, For Grown-Ups
Serious recipe biz here!
[Note from Evan: I make this every year, with few modifications besides whatever I do on the fly because I am feeling frisky. It takes some time, but oh damn it is worth it.]
Baking macaroni and cheese on a Monday night was a miserable experience. I had to boil water, tear the hell out of cheese, make a sauce, and then bake this whole deal before I had a chance to take off my bra. When I finally had time to sit down and browse through Faceborg, about ten million flame wars were happening in the two groups I even care about. Oh, and guess what else? No elbow macaroni on hand! I had to use the nice casarecce pasta I was saving for company.
Casarecce looks like ziti on Adderall and it picks up a ton of gooey sauce. It is amazing. Yet here it is on Wonkette in a mac and cheese. [Note from Evan: If you can't find casarecce, just use penne. It's fine.]
Listen to me, this was delicious. For the entire five minutes I had to eat my dinner, I didn't have a crap to give. I served our mac and cheese with thyme-stewed Roma tomatoes canned over the summer (BY MYSELF), though you will most likely pop open a can of something and eat it with a parfait spoon. Only God knows what you do, and it's not my business.
Ingredients
1 box of Casarecce pasta, boiled and drained
¾ stick of butter, sliced
½ c. all-purpose flour
4 c. milk (1 quart okay!)
3 c. extra-sharp cheddar, shredded
½ small wheel of Brie, skin removed
¼ c. crumbled bleu cheese
½ c. Parmesan cheese
Topping
1 c. breadcrumbs
1 c. of cheddar
¼ c. Parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 350º. In a large saucepan, melt the butter on medium heat and mix in the flour until smooth and bubbly. Pour in milk and stir continuously, to thicken the béchamel sauce. Turn the heat to low and stir in the cheese. When it has melted completely, remove from heat and pour in the pasta. Stir it gently.
Lightly grease a large casserole pan. Pour in the cheese and pasta and spread it evenly. Shake the remaining cheeses and breadcrumbs in a (sealed) freezer bag until well blended. Top the pasta and bake for about 30 minutes.
No, of course this didn't sound difficult. That's because it wasn't you doing it.
Everyone in my house was very comforted with mac and cheese for grown-ups. We hugged, AND I managed to clean out the cheese drawer before Christmas. You want lunch? That is good information, and you're taking some green beans with you, too. Enjoy!
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So is it 3 cups of cheddar in the sauce, with another cup for the topping or 3 altogether, 2 in sauce and one in reserve? I am not here to experiment! I am here to eat this delicious Mac & Cheese! And yes to the spices others have mentioned. I would totes do that. Do the kids still say “totes”?
Ta. Yes, I make vegan mac'n'cheeze. Non-dairy works for me. However, macaroni and cheese is not Thanksgiving food. There's so much starch on the table (mashed potatoes, stuffing) that I believe it's overkill. Enjoy it without me.