Homemade Macaroni Bake

Homemade Macaroni Bake

Ah, yes.  The southern classic.  One thing I've learned since moving to the south is that homemade macaroni and cheese is 1,000,000 times better than anything Kraft or Velveeta could come up with.  In fact, it is an essential part to every southern fried chicken meal. 

My husband and I are very spoiled when it comes to our taste buds.  We love EVERYTHING spiced, herbed, or flavored in any way.  So naturally, just plain cheese would not do for this baked macaroni and cheese.  We used a recipe from Ina Garten that uses a different cheese called "Gruyere."  It is a cheese that we have recently become aquainted with and it has a very distinct flavor that brings out a unique twist on the stereotypical southern baked macaroni and cheese.  We LOVED IT!  For those of you who know me, know that I DO NOT like left overs.  In fact, I despise them.  This macaroni and cheese recipe is even better the second time around!  Who knew!? 

Home Made Macaroni and Cheese

Kosher salt

Vegetable oil

1 pound cavatappi or elbow macaroni (cavatappi holds the cheeses betterJ)

1 quart milk

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

12 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (4 cups)

8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed) or crushed potato chips

1.       Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

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

3.       Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it.

4.       In a large pot, melt 6 tablespoons of butter and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk.

5.       Still whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth.

6.       Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, the pepper, and nutmeg.

7.        Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Place the mixture in 13 x 9 baking dish. 

8.       Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs (or potato chips), and sprinkle on the top.

9.       Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

In the picture above, we use potato chip topping.  From what I remember, my parents always put crushed potato chips on top of macaroni and Aaron thought it was so strange the first time we cooked it, but it adds that little bit of saltiness!  Now he can't imagine it any other way!   

We baked this with fried chicken and biscuits, but honestly, I could have eaten this as a meal by itself!  So yummy!  Happy Cooking!