Email to Cat      

Mom's Mac and Cheese

Source of Recipe

Southern Living


Recipe Introduction

"This treasured dish provides comfort and warmth in more ways than one. Dr. Jessica Harris holds a very fond place in her heart for her mother's macaroni and cheese recipe—so much so that she has kept the last dish of it that her mom ever made in the freezer, and sneaks a bite each year. Since there's no way you can share her mom's actual mac and cheese, Jessica shared this recipe with us. She says it's not exactly like her mom's, but it's pretty darn close."

Recipe Link: https://tinyurl.com/momsmacncheese

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided, plus more for greasing baking dish
â—¦ 2 ½ cups uncooked medium-size elbow macaroni
â—¦ ¼ cup fine dry breadcrumbs
â—¦ 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
â—¦ 2 ½ cups whole milk, at room temperature
â—¦ 6 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 2 cups), divided
â—¦ 4 ounces pepper Jack cheese, grated (about 1 ¼ cups), divided
â—¦ 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about ½ cup), divided
â—¦ 1 teaspoon hot sauce, or to taste (optional)
â—¦ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon black pepper
â—¦ Sliced scallions, for garnish


Recipe

Lightly grease an 11 by 7-inch baking dish with butter; set aside. Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente. Drain pasta, and transfer to prepared baking dish. Set aside. Microwave 2 tablespoons of the butter in a microwavable bowl on high in 30-second intervals until melted, about 90 seconds. Add breadcrumbs; stir to coat, and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350° F. Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium. Whisk in flour; cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is smooth and forms a loose paste, about 2 minutes. Gradually drizzle in milk, whisking constantly, and bring to a gentle simmer over medium. Simmer, whisking constantly, until sauce has reduced slightly and thickened enough to drizzle off a spoon, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove white sauce from heat, and cover to keep warm.

Add 1 ½ cups of the cheddar, 1 cup of the pepper Jack, and ¼ cup of the Parmesan to white sauce in saucepan; stir until smooth. Stir in hot sauce (if using), salt, and pepper. Pour cheese mixture over pasta in baking dish; stir until well incorporated. Stir together breadcrumbs and remaining ½ cup cheddar, ¼ cup pepper Jack, and ¼ cup Parmesan in a small bowl; sprinkle mixture over top of pasta. Bake in preheated oven until hot, bubbly, and lightly browned on top, 25 to 30 minutes. Garnish with scallions just before serving.

Makes 4 servings