Nan's Mac & Cheese

Name: Nan's Mac & Cheese
Total time: 2700 s
Yield: 10-12 people
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 T. butter; 2 T. flour; 3 c. whole milk; 1 T. Dijon mustard; 8 oz. mascarpone cheese; 4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled; 3 c. extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded; 6 oz. Manchego cheese, shredded; 1 tsp. garlic powder; Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste; 16 oz. box of pasta shells; 1 c. Panko breadcrumbs; 1/3 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese; 2 T. butter, melted

Maggie Conlon @WarsawNan

Orlando, FL

My sister and I seem to be on an endless quest for the "perfect" mac & cheese. Thought our search had ended one night when we devoured some her son had made only to find out he "just threw it together" and couldn't even tell us what cheeses he'd used. They were "whatever I had in my fridge." He's never duplicated it. So this is my attempt.

#GoldenApron23

Maggie Conlon @WarsawNan

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Ingredients

45 minutes

10-12 people

3 T.butter
2 T.flour
3 c.whole milk
1 T.Dijon mustard
8 oz.mascarpone cheese
4 oz.goat cheese, crumbled
3 c.extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
6 oz.Manchego cheese, shredded
1 tsp.garlic powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
16 oz.box of pasta shells
TOPPING INGREDIENTS:
1 c.Panko breadcrumbs
1/3 c.freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 T.butter, melted

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Steps

45 minutes

1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. and butter the bottom and sides of a 9"×13" baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and whisk in the flour. Cook, stirring for about 4 minutes, until blond in color. Gradually whisk in the milk. Turn the heat up to medium-high and bring the sauce to simmer, whisking frequently. Lower the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken. Stir in the mustard.
3

Reduce heat to low. Stir in the mascarpone cheese until melted. A handfulat a time, stir in the goat cheese, cheddar and Manchego cheese until everything is melted and smooth. Stir in the seasonings.
4

When the pot of salted water has reached full boil, stir in the pasta. Cook, stirring occasionally, until barely al dente, about 5 minutes (will fully cook when baking). Before you drain the pasta, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water and whisk it into the sauce. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper as needed. Remove from heat.
5

Add the drained pasta to the sauce and stir to combine well. Spoon into the baking dish. It will be quite saucy, but much will absorb into the pasta as it finishes cooking in the oven. Bake in 350°F oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Increase oven temperature to 400°F.
6

Mix together the TOPPING INGREDIENTS well so the butter coats everything. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the mac & cheese. Bake 10-15 minutes more to brown and crisp the top. Let sit at least 10 minutes before serving. In our house it's not mac & cheese without the crunchy panko topping!
7

Disclosure: This was really good, but it's still not the "OMG!!" we're looking for. I welcome your suggestions to help us reach mac & cheese perfection.

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Cooksnaps

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Maggie Conlon @WarsawNan

on August 17, 2023 22:38

Orlando, FL

My 5 siblings and I were raised in the 1950s and 60s midwest by a major foodie dad who was a great cook. We all learned to cook at a young age. I love to cook for my 2 daughters, 7 grandkids, 10 great-grandkids, and extended family. My 4 year old great-grandson makes my day when he says "Nan sure is a good cooker!". :-). I'm trying to get all my favorite recipes saved here so my family and friends all have easy access to them even after I'm gone. My Cookpad collection is their inheritance, so I try to add my comments and memories to each recipe; that way they'll remember me with a smile when they use the recipes years from now. Recently I've called on my grandkids (all adults and avid cooks) to send me their own favorite recipes, with their prep photos, so we can collect everyone's favorites together in one place.

Keywords

Mac And Cheese Mustard Manchego Parmesan Dijon Pepper Pasta Butter Mascarpone Cheese Garlic Goat Cheese Cheddar

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Nan's Mac & Cheese

Nan's Mac & Cheese

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