Baked Macaroni And Cheese With A Crumb Topping Recipes

Steps:

• Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until it's barely al dente. (It should be more al dente than your average pasta: It's going to continue to cook in the oven.) Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat butter in a medium pot over medium heat. (The pot should be large enough to hold all the pasta when cooked.) Whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the flour is foamy and just starting to turn a light golden brown, about 4 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk to avoid clumping. Add garlic, paprika and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, whisking constantly and paying special attention to the edges of the pot to make sure the flour mixture is totally incorporated.
• Add grated cheese and whisk to blend until the cheese is completely melted. (The sauce will seem thick at first and thin out as the cheese melts; it will thicken while it bakes.) Season with salt and pepper and add cooked pasta, stirring to coat well.
• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil (to catch any cheesy drips).
• Make the optional topping: Combine bread crumbs, melted butter and Parmesan, if using, in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper and, using your hands, mix well to ensure the bread crumbs are evenly coated.
• Transfer the macaroni and cheese mixture to a 3-quart or 9 x 13 baking dish and scatter bread crumbs, if using, evenly over the top. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake until macaroni and cheese is bubbling, thickened and creamy, and bread crumbs are evenly golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 2 quart casserole dish. Place the bread crumbs into a small bowl and mix well with the melted butter; set aside.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain, then place into prepared casserole dish.
• While the pasta is cooking, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the minced onion and cook until the onion softens and turns translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the flour, pepper, salt, and dry mustard until incorporated, then pour in the milk and bring to a simmer. Simmer, stirring constantly until the milk has thickened, about 10 minutes. Take the milk off of the heat and stir in the Cheddar cheese until melted. Pour cheese sauce over the macaroni, then sprinkle evenly with buttered bread crumbs.
• Bake until the top is golden and bubbly, about 20 minutes.

Steps:

• In a large pan, cook macaroni according to the package direction using the lesser time-al dente. (The macaroni will continue to cook in the oven.) While the pasta is cooking, crush crackers into large crumbs. You should have about 3/4 cups of cracker crumbs. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a small fry pan or saucier. Add the cracker crumbs to the melted butter and mix. Set this aside. When pasta is ready, drain, put back into pan and set aside.
• Preheat oven 350°F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray or unsalted butter. To prepare, have your flour already measured out and stir the seasonings into the measured milk. In medium saucepan over medium heat, melt 3 tablespoons of butter, and add the onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes until you can smell the onions and the onions are somewhat translucent. Add the flour; cook for 1-2 minute stirring constantly (don't let it burn or brown). Stir in milk and seasonings; cook stirring frequently until mixture boils and becomes thick. Stir the shredded Colby and grated parmigiano-reggiano into your sauce. Pour the cheese sauce into the macaroni and mix.
• Pour the macaroni mixture into a 2-quart, greased or sprayed baking dish. Sprinkle the buttered cracker crumbs all over the top. Bake in a 350°F oven for 30 minutes or until bubbly and hot.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until almost cooked through and firm to the bite, about 7 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Sprinkle macaroni with 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir 1/2 cup butter into the pasta.
• Mix 1/4 cup butter, sour cream, cream cheese, sharp Cheddar cheese, and egg yolk together in a bowl. Stir flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, cayenne pepper, and milk into the sour cream mixture.
• Spread 1/4 cup sour cream sauce over bottom of prepared baking dish. Stir remaining sour cream sauce into macaroni. Pour macaroni into baking dish atop sauce layer; sprinkle mild Cheddar cheese over the casserole.
• Bake in the preheated oven until heated through and cheese topping has melted, about 15 minutes.

Steps:

• Cook macaroni according to package directions but stop a minute or two short of fully cooked. Drain and rinse.
• Grease or butter an 8x12 or 13x9 baking pan. (A half batch can be made in a 9 inch square pan).
• Spread 1/3 of the macaroni in the pan. Top with 1/3 of the cheese slices. Salt and pepper to taste.
• Repeat twice, alternating the directions the slices run so as to fill all the gaps.
• Beat eggs into the milk.
• Pour into the casserole dish. You want this custard to come within about 1/2 inch of the top of the pan. The shape and size of the dish may require more or less -- just keep the proportion of 2 eggs per cup of milk.
• Bake at 350°F for 60-90 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean of custard (it might be a bit cheesy).
• Tip -- this is apt to overflow a little if you got the custard too far up to the top. Best to bake it on the upper rack with a baking sheet on the rack below to catch any drips.
• Variations -- Add things like leftover cooked chicken or turkey, leftover ham, cooked broccoli, VERY well-drained frozen spinach, peas, ?.
• You can also vary the cheese used. I've had it with cheddar, American, Swiss (extra good with ham and broccoli), and mozzarella.
• You can also try adding different herbs. IMO, nothing wakes up bland food like a dash of sherry or a pinch of celery seed. A bit of garlic, thyme, or Italian seasoning can be good depending on the cheese used.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°.
• Lightly butter a 2 1/2 quart baking dish.
• Bring a large pot three-fourths full of salted water to a boil.
• Add the macaroni, stir well, and cook for about 6 minutes.
• The macaroni will still be quite al dente; it will cook further in the oven.
• Do not overcook; drain thoroughly.
• While the pasta is draining, return the pot to the stove, add 4 tablespoons of the butter, and melt over medium heat.
• Whisk in the flour and reduce the heat to low.
• Let the flour mixture bubble, whisking occasionally, without browning, for 2 minutes.
• Gradually whisk in the hot milk, raise the heat to medium, and bring to a boil.
• Remove from the heat, add the cheeses, and stir until the cheeses are melted.
• Return the macaroni to the pot and stir well.
• Season to taste with salt and hot pepper sauce.
• In a small saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat.
• Spread the macaroni evenly in the prepared baking dish.
• Sprinkle the top with the bread crumbs.
• Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the crumbs.
• Bake until the sauce is bubbling and the top is browned, about 40 minutes.
• Serve hot, directly from the baking dish.