Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese with Crunchy Breadcrumb Topping
Equipment
Ingredients
Pasta
elbow macaroni (dry)
400 g
Cheese Sauce
butter (room_temperature)
60 g
all-purpose flour (dry)
45 g
whole milk (cold)
600 ml
sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
200 g
cream cheese (room_temperature)
60 g
mozzarella cheese (shredded)
120 g
salt (fine)
5 g
black pepper (ground)
1 g
Breadcrumb Topping
panko breadcrumbs (dry)
60 g
parmesan cheese (grated)
30 g
butter (melted)
30 g
Instructions
Cook the macaroni
Boil elbow macaroni in salted water until al dente.
Make the béchamel base
Melt butter, whisk in flour, and cook 1 minute to remove raw taste.
Add milk and thicken
Gradually whisk in cold milk until smooth and thickened.
Melt cheeses into sauce
Remove from heat and stir in cheddar, cream cheese, and mozzarella until melted and silky.
Combine pasta and sauce
Fold drained macaroni into the cheese sauce; season with salt and pepper.
Prepare breadcrumb topping
Mix panko, parmesan, and melted butter in a small bowl.
Assemble and bake
Transfer macaroni mixture to a baking dish, sprinkle evenly with topping, and bake until golden and bubbly.
Storage
Re-crisp topping in oven if reheating from fridge.
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