Baked Mac and Cheese
This baked Mac and Cheese is creamy, cheesy, and topped with a crunchy Panko-Parmesan topping. This mac and cheese recipe is definitely a keeper.
Baked Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 16oz elbow macaroni, cooked
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/3 cups all purpose flour
- 3 cups Almond milk
- 1 tbsp Heavy cream
- 4 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (plus more to top)
- 2 cups Gruyere cheese, shredded
- 1 tsp Garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
Topping
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
- 3 tbsp melted butter
- 1/2 tsp paprika
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a large baking dish and set aside.
- Add pasta to a pot of boiling salted water. Cook according to instructions and drain, then place in a large bowl. Drizzle pasta with olive oil and stir to coat pasta. Set aside to cool while preparing cheese sauce.
- In a deep saucepan over medium high heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk while it cooks for 1-2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk and heavy cream until nice and smooth. Cook until thickened for 2-3 minutes.
- Whisk in salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Add two cups of sharp cheddar shredded cheese and 1 cup of the gruyere shredded cheese whisk until smooth. Add remaining two cups of sharp cheddar shredded cheese and 1 cup gruyere cheese and continue whisking until creamy and smooth.
- Stir in the cooked pasta until combined and the pasta is fully coated with the cheese sauce. Pour half of the mac and cheese into your prepared baking dish. Top with sharp cheddar shredded cheese and shredded parmesan cheese then pour the remaining mac and cheese and top with some more cheddar cheese.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine panko crumbs, Parmesan cheese, melted butter and paprika. Sprinkle over the top and spread it out evenly. Bake until bubbly and golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. ENJOY!