Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until roux is light golden, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle flour over butter, whisking to incorporate and make a roux. In a large wide pot over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add macaroni and cook until just al dente (avoid overcooking). Set a large, covered pot of salted water over high heat to boil. Transfer crumbs to a medium bowl, stir in Parmesan and salt, and set aside. Add panko and garlic cook, stirring, until crumbs are golden brown, 4–6 minutes. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat butter and oil until butter foam subsides. Preheat oven to 400☏ with rack in the middle of oven. For the best texture (and to prevent burning tongues!), let it sit for a few minutes before serving. Next, toss in the cooked macaroni, transfer to a baking dish, gild the top with crispy, crunchy, garlicky breadcrumbs mixed with more Parmesan cheese, and bake. Similarly, if you crave a little extra savoriness or heat with your mac, now’s the time to add a few dashes of hot sauce or a smidge of garlic or onion powder (about ½ tsp. We call for white pepper since it’s a little more earthy than black pepper, and won’t mar the look of the sauce, but feel free to use the latter if that’s what you have on hand. What’s important is that you grate it yourself instead of buying pre-shredded cheeses, which often contain anti-clumping agents that keep them from melting properly.įor really creamy homemade mac and cheese, you have to start by making a béchamel: Whisk milk and cream into a mixture of melted butter and flour in a large pot on the stovetop, then add in the cheese bit by bit. However, you should feel free to sub in pretty much any cheese you like: Swap some or all of the cheddar for Gouda or Gruyère to give your version a more robust flavor or use something milder (like mozzarella or Fontina) if you prefer your comfort food more plain. Over the course of our testing, we found that the best mac mixes extra-sharp cheddar cheese with Parmesan. This easy baked macaroni and cheese recipe is the result of combining our favorite elements from several top-rated mac and cheese recipes in our archives.

The best mac and cheese recipe ever