Chrissy's Macaroni and Cheese
Three different cheeses (Cheddar, Gruyere and American) and the garlicky bread crumbs made this a rich, creamy macaroni and cheese with a nice bit of crunch on top.
Servings 8
Ingredients
Pasta
- 1 lb pasta shells
- 1 Tbs oil
Bread Crumbs
- 1/4 lb (1 stick) butter plus more to grease the casserole dish
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups fresh breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 heaping 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Cheese Sauce
- 1/4 lb (1 stick) butter
- 5 Tbs flour
- 5 cups milk
- 3 cups grated Cheddar
- 3 cups grated Gruyere,
- 3/4 lb of American cheese slices
Instructions
Cook the Pasta
- Cook a pound of pasta shells, drain, rinse, and toss with some oil so they won't stick together.
Make the Bread Crumbs
- Tear 6-8 slices of white bread into pieces and then whir in a food processor to make the fresh bread crumbs, aiming for about 4 cups.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over low heat, add the garlic, and cook until softened but not browned, just 1-2 minutes.
- Add the fresh breadcrumbs to the skillet and stir well to blend the butter and bread crumbs. Turn the heat up a bit and cook, stirring, until toasty.
- Take off the heat and stir in salt, pepper and grated Parmesan. Set aside.
Make the Cheese Sauce
- Preheat the oven to 425 and butter a 9x13 baking dish.
- Melt a cube of butter in the pot you used to cook the pasta. Add the flour and stir, cooking a few minutes until toasty.
- Whisk in the milk gradually. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until it thickens, whisking, about 4-5 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Reserve a handful of the grated cheese and add the rest of the grated plus the American to the sauce, stirring until it's all melted.
- Add the cooked pasta into the cheese sauce and stir and reheat if necessary.
- Pour the pasta and sauce into the buttered 9x13 pan and top with the reserved grated cheese and bread crumbs. Bake at 425 about 8 minutes.