Easy Baked Mac and Cheese with Cheddar and Gruyere
Creamy baked mac and cheese made with a béchamel sauce enriched with cheddar and gruyere. Pasta is cooked slightly underdone, then layered with cheese sauce in a gratin dish and finished in the oven until golden.
Ingredients
- 8 oz pasta shells or elbow, dried
- 1 filet olive oil, drizzle
- 3 ½ tbsp butter, whole
- ⅛ cups all-purpose flour, sifted or unsiftedcornstarch0.7:1thickenergluten-freegluten-free
lighter sauce
- 2 ½ cups whole milk, room temperature or cold
- 2 ¼ cups cheddar cheese, freshly grated
- 1 ¼ cups gruyere cheese, freshly grated
- black pepper, ground
Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 325°F and butter a gratin dish.
- 2
Cook pasta in salted boiling water for one minute less than package directions for al dente, as it will cook further in the oven.
- 3
Drain pasta and drizzle with olive oil to prevent sticking.
- 4
Melt butter in a saucepan, add flour, and stir. Gradually pour in milk while whisking constantly until the béchamel thickens.
- 5
Stir in 300 g of freshly grated cheese, reserving 100 g for topping.
- 6
Season with pepper and add pasta to the saucepan, mixing well.
- 7
Pour half the pasta mixture into the gratin dish, sprinkle with cheese, then cover with remaining pasta. Top with remaining cheese.
- 8
Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown.
- 9
Serve immediately.
Tips
Cook pasta one minute under the package time to account for additional cooking in the oven.
Grate cheese fresh rather than using pre-shredded for better melting and creamier sauce.
Whisk milk gradually into the roux to avoid lumps in the béchamel.
Good to Know
Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat covered at 160°C until warmed through.
Assemble in gratin dish up to 4 hours before baking; cover and refrigerate, then bake adding 5-10 minutes to cooking time.
Serve immediately while cheese is melted and pasta is hot.
Common Mistakes
Do not cook pasta to full package time to avoid mushy mac and cheese after baking.
Whisk milk gradually into the roux to avoid lumpy béchamel sauce.
Do not skip the olive oil toss on drained pasta to prevent clumping.