| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 50 min |
| Active: | 35 min |
| Yield: | 6 to 8 servings |
Ingredients
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 16 ounces small elbow macaroni
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the baking dish
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 cups whole milk
- 8 ounces Brie, rind removed
- 8 ounces Gruyere, shredded
- 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- Kale chips
- Hot dogs, cut into bite-sized rounds
- Chopped cooked bacon
- Peas
- Ketchup
- Hot sauce
- Everything bagel seasoning
- Chopped roasted red bell peppers
- Ranch dressing
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add salt. Cook the macaroni for 1 minute less than the timing listed on the package instructions. Drain the macaroni and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with butter; set aside.
- In a large skillet or saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally until soft, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in the cayenne, paprika, nutmeg and several turns of black pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high, whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add 3 cups of the milk and cook, stirring and whisking frequently, until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes; repeat with the remaining 3 cups milk. (I like to use a whisk if I see any lumps. Otherwise, I stir with a spoon or spatula.) Add the Brie and Gruyère, stirring until the cheese is completely melted. Take the skillet off the heat and stir in the cooked macaroni. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the top with the panko and Parmesan. Bake until golden brown on top, about 15 minutes.
- Allow to cool for a few minutes. Serve with a bar of ingredients on the side for your guests to choose!
Reviews
Best, creamiest and most tasty mac and cheese ever. I did add crisped panccheta that she did on another version. I also added a hint more cayenne because we like spicy. Divine!
I should have used cheddar! There was some heat from the cayenne, but the gruyere and brie didn’t really add flavor. It was bland which is sad because it had the perfect mac and cheese creaminess! If you use this recipe, maybe go with white cheddar instead of brie.
This is my 1st time making mac n cheese. Yes! I did use 2% milk because it’s all I had. I did gouda and white cheddar – half and half. I didn’t have an onion- we stay home during the pandemic so I did garlic. I did not have bread crumbs so I crashed and sprinkled on ritz. It was good! I am going to try again with proper ingredients. Thank you!
I love her recipes! A great cook!
Creamy with nice crunchy topping. Brie and Gruyere cheeses blended together nicely for unique take on Mac and cheese. Next time will make with medium Gruyere and medium Brie to bump up up the taste. Only omission was salt as we don’t usually use it. Served with BBQ chicken, roasted red peppers. I did cut recipe in half for hubby and me; baked nicely in 11 x 7” casserole.