Bread Crumb Topping For Mac And Cheese

• Breadcrumb Topped Baked Mac And Cheese
• Buttered Bread Crumb Topping For Mac And Cheese
• Bread Crumb Topping For Mac N Cheese

With Labor Day behind us, I’m setting my sights on cozy comfort foods like this ultra Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese.

Last week it was so hot here in Ohio that our local school district mandated an early dismissal for the safety of the students.

Meanwhile, the A/C at our house froze up. As you can imagine, this 7 month pregnant lady faced the unexpected heat wave and subsequent loss of air conditioning positivity, grace, and good humor.

This three cheese mac and cheese with panko bread crumb topping is creamy, crispy, gooey, and gloriously cheesy. An Impressive 7-Speed Blender Is Just $20 (Yes, $20) for Today Only Our Favorite Stasher Reusable Silicone Bags Are 20% Off (Today Only). Crumb-Topped Macaroni and Cheese Everyone loves this grown-up macaroni and cheese. It's also tasty with sharp cheddar and cream cheese instead of Gruyere and mascarpone. Throw in some crispy bacon for a twist. Jul 18, 2017  This three cheese mac and cheese with Cheddar, Asiago, and Romano is creamy, gooey, gloriously cheesy, and beautifully crisp on top thanks to the panko bread crumbs. Add the bread crumbs, season with salt and pepper and stir until evenly moistened. Sprinkle the buttered crumbs over the macaroni and bake for 45 minutes, or until bubbling and golden on top.

Just kidding. I mostly grumbled, moved as little as possible, and spent the afternoon hotwiring local hotel deals, because pools and air conditioning.

Despite all of this, I cannot seem to convince my cravings that fall has not yet arrived. Never mind that it was 90 degrees on Saturday. I wanted chili–Chipotle Sweet Potato Turkey Chili to be exact. And who cares if I still need to squeeze into a swim suit for a few more weeks? I want Pumpkin Spice Crumb Cake, Amish Apple Fry Pies, and alllll the Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese.

Guys, I have been testing Baked Mac and Cheese recipes for weeks (have I mentioned how hard my job is before?), and I can finally say I’ve found our family’s new gold standard.

I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with baked mac. I’ve had a few good ones in my day, but I’ve also had my fair share of mushy, bland, and dry mac and cheese. It’s not a good look.

The goal during my testing was to come up with a recipe that combines the ultra rich, gooey quality of my favorite stovetop creamy mac and cheese with the crispy, crunchy, golden brown topping that makes baked mac and cheese so special.

We tried all sorts of things to get what we wanted–Different cheese combos. Cream in the sauce. Just milk in the sauce. Breadcrumb toppings. Panko toppings. Just cheese toppings.

In the end, I think we found the ultimate baked mac and cheese, and I’m here to share all the tricks for making it yourself!

Keys to Making Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese

1. Slightly undercook the noodles–I like to take the noodles out 1-2 minutes before they hit al dente. This allows them to soften more during the baking time without becoming a soggy, floppy mess.
2. Make extra sauce- I found adding extra liquid to my usual stovetop mac and cheese sauce helped prevent the noodles from becoming dry during baking.
3. Add cream to the sauce. This ins’t 100% necessary, but we saw a noticeable difference in richness and creaminess when we used a combination of milk and cream instead of just milk.
4. Add extra cheese to the top- Not surprisingly, more cheese is never a bad thing.
5. Add a panko bread crumb topping- Panko bread crumbs plus a hint of garlic powder and Pecorino Romano cheese form the golden crusty topping for this baked mac and cheese. Bread crumbs will work in a pinch, but in my opinion they’re just a little too…well…bready. Panko crumbs gives this mac and cheese that great crispy topping without feeling super heavy or carb-on-carby.

What cheeses should I use for macaroni and cheese?

I always recommend starting with a base of sharp cheddar. It melts well and has fantastic flavor–classic, with a hint of tang. I recommend using at least 1 cup of cheddar.

From there, it’s really personal preference, but our favorite combination ended up being cheddar, American, and Pecorino Romano. This combo was very creamy and had a nostalgic, classic flavor that appeals to both kids and adults. That said, there are plenty of other great options depending on your mood or personal tastes.

• Try gruyere for a subtle nutty, sweet flavor.
• If you’re looking to add some heat, try Hatch Chile, Chipotle, or Pepper Jack cheese.
• Monterey Jack has a very mild flavor, but is a great melting cheese. Try it if you’re looking for an ultra smooth, buttery flavor.
• Mozzarella is a great choice for topping a baked macaroni and cheese, as it browns beautifully and creates those strings of melty cheese we all dream of.

One final tip: If possible, avoid pre-shredded cheeses. Many of them have a coating on them that inhibits melting and can prevent your sauce from becoming the wonderfully dreamy and smooth sauce we know it can be!

Can I make baked macaroni and cheese ahead of time?

Guys, I really really want to tell you yes. I know how great it is to have a side dish or meal ready to go in the freezer for holidays or busy weeknights. The most truthful answer is…sort of.

When I was testing, I found the recipe was at its very best when assembled, baked, and eaten right away. That said, the sauce held up really well to reheating in the microwave or oven without becoming ultra dry or curdling. It likely won’t be as good made ahead, but if needed you can assemble the dish, refrigerate without the crumb topping, and then bake the next day and still have a pretty darn amazing baked mac and cheese.

What should I serve with creamy baked mac and cheese?

For a weeknight dinner, I like to pair this with That Good Salad or a side of peas and applesauce (<<< my toddler’s favorite).

At cookouts, it’s the perfect compliment to Grilled Skirt Steak, the best hot dogs, or Cajun Burgers.

Movie editing software for mac. There are many video editors for Mac in the market, so it is hard to pick up one that you like. This article introduces the best 10 free video editing software for Mac. Get the best free video editor. The movie maker for Mac by Movavi will help you create awesome video clips with music, fades, and special effects. Try Mac video-editing software for free.

Of course, this is also a staple at holiday gatherings. Paired with all your other favorite Thanksgiving dishes, this mac can definitely feed (and delight!) a crowd.

Ingredients

For the pasta:

• 1/3 cup unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup flour
• 2 cups milk (whole or 2%)
• 1/2-1 cup half and half
• 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup American cheese
• 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cups (8 ounces) sturdy macaroni noodles
• Drizzle of olive oil

For the topping:

• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• 2 Tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a casserole dish with butter. 8 inch squares, an 8 inch round cast iron, or a shallow oval baking dish all work well for this.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni noodles and cook, removing 1 minute before the al dente package instructions. Drain and toss with a little olive oil to keep them from sticking together.
3. Meanwhile, warm the milk and cream in the microwave until hot but not boiling.
4. in a medium sauce pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 3-4 minutes or until it's a light golden color.
5. Turn the heat off and slowly add the milk and cream, whisking constantly as you go. The mixture will look very thick and gloppy at first and will thin out as you add the remaining liquid.
6. Turn the heat back on to medium and cook, stirring often, until the mixture is thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Season with garlic powder, mustard powder, cayenne, and salt and pepper, to taste.
7. Turn the heat off and add the cheeses in several additions, stirring until melted. Remove from heat.
8. Toss the pasta with the cream sauce and transfer to a greased casserole dish. Top with the remaining cheddar cheese.
9. To make the crumb topping, combine the panko, 2 Tablespoons melted butter, Parmesan cheese, salt, and garlic powder in a bowl. Layer on top of the cheese then place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until topping is golden, and edges are bubbly. Serve immediately.

Notes

You can feel free to substitute different cheeses in for the American and Pecorino. Gruyere, Monterey Jack, or Pepper Jack are all great options.

The crumb topping can be left off if you prefer an all-creamy baked mac and cheese.

If you're short on time, you can also broil the topping until crispy instead of baking.

Nutrition Information:

Baked macaroni and cheese with crunchy panko bread crumbs on top. A childhood favorite noodle dish that kids will love but elevated enough that adults will devour. There will be no leftovers!

Baked macaroni and cheese is the ultimate comfort food. This simple recipe uses a traditional roux base to help thicken the sauce. A combination of melty cheeses and milk helps to nail just the right creamy texture to coat those noodles. You’re going to love the crunchy panko bread crumbs on top!

My love for mac and cheese began like most American kids born in the ’80s, with the classic blue box of Kraft mac n’ cheese that contained two essential ingredients: elbow noodles and a packet of cheese powder that never completely dissolved. This was probably my first exposure to food science, and I didn’t even know it! This recipe uses wholesome ingredients to maximize flavor without the preservatives.

Pages for OS X was updated to version 4.3 on December 4, 2012, to support Pages 1.7 for iOS, which was released on the same day. Pages for iOS 1.7.1 introduced better compatibility with Word and Pages for Mac, and version 1.7.2, released on March 7, 2013, merely added stability improvements and bugfixes. The 8.2 version of Pages for Mac is available as a free download on our website. Our built-in antivirus scanned this Mac download and rated it as virus free. The application lies within Productivity Tools, more precisely Office Tools. The most popular versions of the program are 5.5, 4.3 and 3.0. Pages for mac. Pages Support. New in Pages for iOS and iPadOS. New in Pages for Mac. New in Pages for iCloud. Publish your book. Publish your book directly to Apple Books from Pages on your iPad, iPhone, Mac, or online at iCloud.com. Learn how to publish your book. New ways to style text. Make your text stand out by filling it with gradients or images,. Jan 02, 2011  Download Pages for macOS 10.14 or later and enjoy it on your Mac. ‎Create gorgeous documents in minutes with the Pages for Mac word processor. Start with an Apple-designed template to instantly create gorgeous reports, digital books, resumes, posters and more. Or use a blank document and create your own design. Nov 13, 2018  In Pages on your Mac, add, delete, or rearrange pages in a document. Copy a section or page from one document to another. In Pages, you can create both word-processing and page layout documents, but you add and manage pages differently for each. In word-processing documents, pages are added automatically as your typing reaches the end of a page.

Keys to Success

• Add a Roux: To achieve a creamy sauce texture add starch to the cheese as it melts to prevent clumping. A roux based sauce uses flour and butter as a base with milk, then allowing the starches to swell and thicken, essentially creating a béchamel sauce.
• Choosing the Cheese: I use sharp aged Cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack cheese for the sauce. Add equal ratios of each cheese. The aged cheddar provides a subtle flavor while the Monetary Jack creates a super creamy consistency because it’s a higher moisture level.
• Pasta: Using shorter kinds of pasta such as elbow, rotini, or cavatappi are perfect for thicker cheese sauces because they hold its shape. They also catch the sauce inside the noodle for more flavor.

If you like stronger more pungent flavors, you can add in some aged Parmesan, Pecorino Romano, Swiss or Gouda in combination with the Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese.

I noticed that the Monterey Jack cheese gives a Velveeta-like texture that I was looking for, compared to the other times when I just used all cheddar cheese.

One typical mac n’ cheese pitfall is that the cheese may become gritty and clumpy once added to the cream sauce. The proteins in the cheese must break down with heat before they can flow. As the proteins regroup, you may get a gritty texture from and a pool of oil that separates. It may be more noticeable for higher fat cheeses and make for an unattractive broken sauce.

I read a tip from Cooks Illustrated to add some starch to those cheeses that don’t naturally melt well. Also using a more high moisture cheese like mozzarella or Monterey Jack helps to balance the more aged and harder cheeses to reduce any grittiness.

To take this baked macaroni and cheese recipe to the next level, I’ve added a little crunchy topping. Sprinkling some panko bread crumbs and broiling the entire casserole in the oven until golden brown makes for a hot and bubbly dish. It will be hard to resist not taking a huge spoonful and eating some mac and cheese directly from the skillet! If you’ve got children or kids that are hard to cook for, they will love this homemade version of their favorite food!

More Pasta recipes

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #jessicagavin on Instagram. I’d love to see what you come up with. Cheers, friends!

How do you prevent your cheese sauce from getting clumpy?

Have you ever made mac n’ cheese from scratch and the sauce gets a little clumpy and gritty? Not so yummy. The solution, add some starch! In this recipe, I use flour as the starch component. I start with a roux (butter and flour) cooked briefly, then add the milk to help thicken and disperse the starch into the base. When the cheese is added and begins to melt, the starch granules in the flour release elongated threads of amylose (a soluble polysaccharide in starch), which wraps around the casein proteins in the cheese and prevents fat from releasing and proteins from forming back together into broken clumps.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Bread Crumb Topping

Ingredients

• 1poundmacaroni, elbow shaped
• 5tablespoonsunsalted butter
• 6tablespoonsall-purpose flour
• 1teaspoonkosher salt
• 1/8teaspooncayenne pepper, (optional)
• 1/8teaspoonground nutmeg
• 5cupsmilk
• 8ouncesmonterey jack cheese, shredded (2 cups)
• 8ouncessharp cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups)
• 1/2cuppanko bread crumbs, or regular bread crumbs

Instructions

Breadcrumb Topped Baked Mac And Cheese

• Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, often stirring, until tender (just past al dente) and drain pasta.
• Melt 5 tablespoons butter in large pot over medium-high heat.
• Add flour, 1 teaspoon salt, cayenne (if using) and nutmeg.
• Cook, constantly whisking, until mixture becomes fragrant and deepens in color, about 1-2 minutes.
• Gradually whisk in milk; bring mixture to a boil, whisking constantly.
• Reduce heat to medium and simmer, occasionally whisking, until thickened, about 7 minutes.
• Take the pot off the heat, slowly whisk in cheeses until completely melted.
• Add pasta to sauce and cook over medium-low heat, constantly stirring, until mixture is steaming and heated through, about 6 minutes.
• Transfer to a broiler-safe baking dish and sprinkle with panko bread crumbs.
• Broil in the oven until topping is golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Keep a close eye to not burn it.
• Allow casserole to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Buttered Bread Crumb Topping For Mac And Cheese

More Popular Side Dish Recipes

Shop the Recipe Tools

Bread Crumb Topping For Mac N Cheese

Some of the links above are affiliate links, which pay me a small commission for my referral at no extra cost to you! Thank you for supporting my website.