Description
Experience the pinnacle of comfort food with this luxurious stovetop mac and cheese. Using a precise roux-based technique and high-quality aged white cheddar, this recipe produces a velvety, restaurant-grade sauce that perfectly coats al dente shells. It is a sophisticated, decadent dish that avoids common pitfalls like greasy emulsions or chalky textures, ensuring every bite is rich, creamy, and deeply flavorful without the use of any pork or alcohol.
Ingredients
16 oz medium pasta shells
4 cups white cheddar cheese, freshly grated
1 cup heavy cream
1.5 cups whole milk
4 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp mustard powder
Sea salt to taste
White pepper to taste
Instructions
Boil a large pot of salted water and cook pasta shells until slightly firmer than al dente.
Drain the pasta, reserving one cup of the starchy cooking water.
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat.
Whisk the flour into the melted butter and cook briefly to create a smooth roux.
Slowly whisk in the heavy cream and whole milk until the mixture is smooth and begins to thicken.
Remove from heat and gradually fold in the grated white cheddar and mustard powder until fully melted and velvety.
Season the sauce with salt and white pepper.
Fold the cooked shells into the cheese sauce, adding reserved pasta water as needed to reach desired consistency.
Notes
Always grate your cheese from a block rather than using pre-shredded bagged cheese to ensure the sauce melts smoothly. Reserve extra pasta water to loosen the sauce if it thickens too much upon standing. For an extra flavor profile, consider adding a hint of Gruyere.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 15
- Category: Baking
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 680
- Sugar: 7g
- Sodium: 750mg
- Fat: 38g
- Saturated Fat: 22g
- Carbohydrates: 52g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 28g
- Cholesterol: 115mg