Macaroni and Cheese Casserole Recipe Video
The Best Mac and Cheese Recipe
I love a hearty pasta from my Classic Lasagna and One Pot Lasagna Soup to my One Skillet Cheesy Penne and Tortellini Al Forno but the most universally adored pasta has to be macaroni and cheese. Just about everyone looooooves macaroni and cheese – forkful after forkful of noodles bathed in rich creamy, cheesy, sauce. Whether it started as a blue box obsession (or if that still remains, I won’t judge you), and advanced to homemade stove top mac and cheese, Buffalo Macaroni and Cheese, One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese or even Taco Macaroni and Cheese, homemade macaroni and cheese in all its varieties – when done right – is one of the most comforting, cravilious foods on the planet. But have you ever tried a homemade macaroni and cheese recipe and discovered what should be the most silky pasta all too often is runny, dry, bland and disappointing? So, so sad. But not this Million Dollar Macaroni and Cheese Casserole. This baked macaroni and cheese will leave you and your taste buds so, SO happy.
What is this Million Dollar Mac and Cheese Recipe
I call this Million Dollar Macaroni and Cheese for a few different reasons – including the surprise filling, which I will get to later – but let’s start with the quick, fool proof, easy, creamy, cheesy, flavorful from scratch sauce that takes just minutes to whip together.
Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipe ingredients
Pasta: My favorite pasta shape for Baked Macaroni and Cheese is cavatappi. It is also known as cellentani, amori, spirali, or tortiglione and should be sold at most grocery stores. It’s a type of spiral, hollow, macaroni with scored ridges. Both the hollowness and the ridges area ideal to capture creamy sauce – and I just love the texture of the shape. It is sturdy enough for the rich sauce and doesn’t become easily overwhelmed or soggy. Sharp cheddar: This quintessential cheese provides the signature flavor with its sharp richness. Take care to use a block of quality cheddar and shred it yourself, otherwise your cheese sauce will be grainy. Parmesan cheese: Use freshly grated Parmesan and not pre-shredded or from a can. Provolone: You will need 6-8 slices depending on their size. Sour cream: A hidden layer of sour cream melts in the middle of the casserole to make it extra creamy! Use full fat for best results. Butter: Use unsalted butter so we can control the level of salt. Do NOT substitute any of the butter with oil or your sauce can become grainy. All-purpose flour: This thickens the sauce and stabilizes the cheeses. Please do not use wheat flour. All-purpose flour is more finely ground and integrates more smoothly into the roux for a smoother sauce. Milk: The higher the fat content, the smoother your cheese will melt/incorporate. It’s best to use whole milk, or at least 2% milk. Evaporated milk: This secret ingredient adds creaminess without the fat of heavy cream. Evaporated milk is canned, stabilized homogenized cow’s milk from which 60 percent of the water has been removed. This means it is thicker than just milk and more stable than heavy cream and less likely to curdle or separate. Dijon mustard: Mustard might sound odd, but I promise it is not a pronounced flavor but simply boosts the other flavors and highlights the cheddar. Chicken bouillon: Please do not skip! It is a secret ingredient that adds tons of flavor. You may use chicken bouillon, bouillon powder or better than bouillon – all in equal amounts. If you are using bouillon cubes, just smash them up a bit before you add them to the sauce – don’t dissolve in water first. You will need 3 cubes. Seasonings: Onion powder, garlic powder, dried parsley, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes infuse the velvety cheese sauce with complex flavor while still allowing the cheese flavors to shine.
How to make Mac and Cheese Casserole
Instead of using just a roux (whisking of flour, butter and milk) to create the sauce, I combined the roux method with evaporated milk whisked with some cornstarch to stabilize all the cheesiness and create incredible silkiness that doesn’t separate or curdle when baked. I then added a plethora of hand picked seasonings for the most flavor infused sauce suitable for Million Dollar Macaroni and Cheese. And then comes the capital M in Million Dollar Macaroni and Cheese Casserole – the provolone, sour cream filling. The what?! I know it might sound odd, but please trust me. I got this idea when I was day dreaming about my moms Baked Penne which is a marinara based pasta with a layer of provolone and sour cream in between layers of noodles. The best part of the pasta is the creamy, cheesy center, so then I got giddy dreaming about what this filling would taste like cradled in between cheese smothered noodles instead of marinara smothered noodles. I was so excited, in fact, I whipped up my first go of this macaroni and cheese at 9 PM because I just couldn’t wait any longer. I even told my husband not to brush his teeth because there was true deliciousness coming shortly. Million dollar deliciousness to be exact. The provolone melts as the pasta bakes, adding a fresh depth of cheesiness while the sour cream melts, adding a fresh layer of creaminess. This to live for layer of deliciousness blends into each forkful so although you can see the white layer of goodness, its creamy cheesiness just enhances the overall pasta. And when I say enhance, I mean creates the CREAMIEST macaroni and cheese you will ever dive into. And might I suggest diving mouth first.
What to serve with this Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
This Million Dollar Baked Casserole can be a meal in itself, just add some chicken, ham etc. or it is the most epic side to:
Nashville Hot Chicken Oven “Fried” Chicken Slow Cooker Barbecue Ribs Slow Cooker Beef Brisket Beef Brisket Sandwiches Philly Cheesecake Sandwiches Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches Thanksgiving Turkey Brown Sugar Glazed Ham Baked Ham with Cider Maple Glaze
Looking for more Italian recipes?
Baked Italian Meatballs (and Spaghetti) One Skillet Cheesy Meaty Penne Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Shrimp Fettuccine Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo Parmesan Meatballs and Orzo
You might also like these favorite recipes:
Million Dollar Baked Penne Smothered Chicken Burritos Slow Cooker Barbecue Ribs Moist Sweet Cornbread Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches
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