"Baked Mac n’Cheese. Cause sometimes I just want carbs. And cheese. There’s 2 pounds of cheese in there....mostly cheddar and scraps of everything else I had in my fridge. And evaporated milk. And eggs. @kenjilopezalt your Mac n’Cheese recipe sure does have a whole lot going on...and it’s the very best I’ve ever had!"
The Best Baked Mac And Cheese
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Classic Baked Macaroni & Cheese
Inspired from The Food Lab by Kenji Lopez
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
1 pound elbow macaroni
Kosher salt
2 slices white bread, crusts removed, and torn into rough chunks
7 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
One 12-ounce can evaporated whole milk
1 teaspoon Franks RedHot or other hot sauce, to taste
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 ½ pounds extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
8 ounces American cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes (I replaced this with every single kind of leftover cheese scraps I had in my fridge)
2 large eggs
Note: use a good melting cheese or combination thereof like American, cheddar, Jack, Fontina, young Swiss, Gruyere, Muenster, young provolone, and/or young Gouda, among others.
Directions:
1. Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and preheat the oven to 375F. Place the macaroni in a large bowl and cover with hot salted water by 3 0r 4 inches. Let sit at room temperature until tender, about 30 minutes, stirring it after the first 5 minutes to prevent sticking. Drain.
2. While the pasta is soaking, combine the bread and 2 tablespoons of the butter in the bowl of a food processor and season with salt. Pulse until the bread is finely chopped, 10 to 12 short pulses. Set aside.
3. Melt the remaining 5 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until light golden blond, about 2 minutes. Whisking constantly, slowly add the evaporated milk, followed by the whole milk. Whisk in the hot sauce and mustard and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally to prevent scorching. Remove from heat, add the cheese all at once and whisk until fully melted and smooth. Season to taste with salt and more hot sauce if desired.
4. Beat the eggs in a small bowl until homogeneous and frothy. Whisking constantly, pour in 1 cup of the cheese mixture, whisking until combined. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the cheese sauce, whisking constantly. Add the drained macaroni and stir to combine.
5. Transfer the mixture to a buttered 3-quart oval casserole dish or a 9-by 13-inch basking dish. Top with breadcrumbs and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the breadcrumbs are browned and the sauce is bubbling, about 10 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes, then serve.