Baked Macaroni And Cheese With A Crumb Topping Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°.
• Lightly butter a 2 1/2 quart baking dish.
• Bring a large pot three-fourths full of salted water to a boil.
• Add the macaroni, stir well, and cook for about 6 minutes.
• The macaroni will still be quite al dente; it will cook further in the oven.
• Do not overcook; drain thoroughly.
• While the pasta is draining, return the pot to the stove, add 4 tablespoons of the butter, and melt over medium heat.
• Whisk in the flour and reduce the heat to low.
• Let the flour mixture bubble, whisking occasionally, without browning, for 2 minutes.
• Gradually whisk in the hot milk, raise the heat to medium, and bring to a boil.
• Remove from the heat, add the cheeses, and stir until the cheeses are melted.
• Return the macaroni to the pot and stir well.
• Season to taste with salt and hot pepper sauce.
• In a small saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat.
• Spread the macaroni evenly in the prepared baking dish.
• Sprinkle the top with the bread crumbs.
• Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the crumbs.
• Bake until the sauce is bubbling and the top is browned, about 40 minutes.
• Serve hot, directly from the baking dish.

Steps:

• For the macaroni: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 2-quart casserole dish.
• Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the salt and macaroni. Bring the water back to a boil and cook the macaroni until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain well.
• For the cheese sauce: Meanwhile, melt the butter in a 1-quart saucepan. Using a wire whisk, stir in the flour and salt, stirring and cooking over medium heat until the roux bubbles and the flour turns pale brown, about 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of the milk and then whisk in the remaining 1 cup milk. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens. Add the cheese and stir until it melts. Add the drained macaroni to the cheese sauce and mix thoroughly.
• For the topping: In a small bowl, stir the breadcrumbs with the butter until the crumbs are moistened.
• Transfer the macaroni and cheese to the prepared baking dish and top with the buttered breadcrumbs. Bake until the dish bubbles around the edges, about 15 minutes.

Steps:

• Cook macaroni according to package directions but stop a minute or two short of fully cooked. Drain and rinse.
• Grease or butter an 8x12 or 13x9 baking pan. (A half batch can be made in a 9 inch square pan).
• Spread 1/3 of the macaroni in the pan. Top with 1/3 of the cheese slices. Salt and pepper to taste.
• Repeat twice, alternating the directions the slices run so as to fill all the gaps.
• Beat eggs into the milk.
• Pour into the casserole dish. You want this custard to come within about 1/2 inch of the top of the pan. The shape and size of the dish may require more or less -- just keep the proportion of 2 eggs per cup of milk.
• Bake at 350°F for 60-90 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean of custard (it might be a bit cheesy).
• Tip -- this is apt to overflow a little if you got the custard too far up to the top. Best to bake it on the upper rack with a baking sheet on the rack below to catch any drips.
• Variations -- Add things like leftover cooked chicken or turkey, leftover ham, cooked broccoli, VERY well-drained frozen spinach, peas, ?.
• You can also vary the cheese used. I've had it with cheddar, American, Swiss (extra good with ham and broccoli), and mozzarella.
• You can also try adding different herbs. IMO, nothing wakes up bland food like a dash of sherry or a pinch of celery seed. A bit of garlic, thyme, or Italian seasoning can be good depending on the cheese used.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the macaroni, and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain well.
• Melt 1/4 cup butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Whisk in milk and simmer, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.
• Turn off heat and stir in Cheddar cheese until the cheese is melted. Add the macaroni and stir to coat. Pour the mixture into a 9x13-inch baking dish. Mix the 1/4 remaining cup melted butter and crushed crackers together in a bowl; scatter the cracker mixture evenly over the macaroni mixture.
• Bake in preheated oven until golden brown on top, about 45 minutes.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 2 quart casserole dish. Place the bread crumbs into a small bowl and mix well with the melted butter; set aside.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain, then place into prepared casserole dish.
• While the pasta is cooking, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the minced onion and cook until the onion softens and turns translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the flour, pepper, salt, and dry mustard until incorporated, then pour in the milk and bring to a simmer. Simmer, stirring constantly until the milk has thickened, about 10 minutes. Take the milk off of the heat and stir in the Cheddar cheese until melted. Pour cheese sauce over the macaroni, then sprinkle evenly with buttered bread crumbs.
• Bake until the top is golden and bubbly, about 20 minutes.