Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Cook the Pasta
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Bring a 5-quart stockpot of heavily salted water to a boil.
- Cook the macaroni until just shy of al dente, about one minute less than package directions. It finishes cooking in the oven. Drain well and set aside.
Undercook the Pasta: Pull the pasta a minute before al dente. It finishes cooking in the oven, and overcooked pasta in mac and cheese turns to mush.
Make the Béchamel Sauce
- Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and stir constantly for 2 minutes until the mixture smells slightly nutty and the raw flour taste is cooked out.
- Gradually pour in the whole milk and heavy cream, whisking constantly as you add the liquid to prevent lumps. Once all the liquid is incorporated, cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Cook the Roux: Two full minutes of heat before the milk goes in. Skip this and the sauce will taste like raw paste no matter how long you cook it afterward.
Add the Cheeses and Seasonings
- Reduce the heat to low. Add the Gruyère and smoked cheddar in stages, stirring between each addition, reserving a small amount of each cheese for the topping. Stir until fully melted and the sauce is smooth.
- Stir in the Dijon mustard, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Low Heat for Cheese: Adding cheese to a sauce that is too hot will break the emulsion. Keep the heat low and add the cheese gradually.
Combine Pasta and Sauce
- Add the drained macaroni to the cheese sauce. Stir until every piece is fully coated.
Bake the Mac and Cheese
- Transfer the mixture to a buttered oval baker (about 2 to 3 quarts). Spread evenly. Scatter the reserved grated cheeses over the top.
- Toss the panko breadcrumbs with 1 tablespoon of melted butter until every crumb is coated. Spread evenly over the cheese layer.
- Bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes, until bubbling around the edges and the top is beginning to color.
- Switch the oven to broil. Move the rack up and broil for 2 minutes, watching constantly, until the panko crust is deep golden brown and crisp.
Butter the Panko: Tossing panko in melted butter before it goes on top means every crumb browns evenly under the broiler instead of sitting there dry and pale.
Rest and Serve
- Remove from the oven and rest for 3 minutes before serving. The sauce will tighten slightly and hold its shape on the spoon.
- Garnish with chopped fresh parsley. Serve family style directly from the baker.
Rest Before Serving: Three minutes lets the sauce tighten slightly so it holds its shape on the spoon instead of pouring off the plate.
Notes
Plating: Serve in individual oval bakers straight from the oven, each on a warmed underliner at the place setting. Crust golden and unbroken across the top, no serving spoon until the table sees it. Flat-leaf parsley chiffonade scattered across the top in one pass, about a tablespoon for a full baker. Cracked black pepper across the crust at the pass, two twists. Alternative plating (pick one, not all): portion into individual 6-ounce ramekins, crust intact on top, one parsley pinch and a single pepper crack per ramekin, for a plated-course setup.
Alternative plating ideas (pick one, not all): individual six ounce ramekins for a plated service look, cast iron mini skillets for a rustic feel, or scoop and top with a fried egg or shaved cured meat if you want to move it from side to small plate.
Wine: This is a rich dish with a lot of dairy and smoke. Go Chardonnay. Something with a little oak and butter to mirror the sauce but enough acidity to cut through it. A white Burgundy if the occasion calls for it. A good California Chardonnay if you want something easier to find.
Prep ahead: Build the dish through the pasta and sauce stage, cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight. Pull it out 30 minutes before baking. Add the cheese topping and panko just before it goes in the oven, and add five minutes to the bake time.
Scaling for service: To 8: double cleanly in a 9x13 baker, bake time goes up 8 to 10 minutes, watch for bubbling edges and a 165°F center. To 12 as a side: triple exactly. Make the béchamel in two batches if the pot is not large enough, a triple béchamel in a small saucepan is how sauces break. Top with cheese and panko right before it goes in the oven, never ahead, or the panko loses its crunch. Hold 15 minutes max in a 200°F oven before serving or the pasta dries at the edges.
Dietary swaps: To make it GF: sub a 1-to-1 GF flour blend in the roux (step 2) and GF elbow pasta (Jovial or Banza). The bechamel holds, cook the pasta 1 minute shy of al dente since GF pasta keeps softening in the bake. Top with GF panko (Ian's works). Not easily dairy-free. This is a dairy dish, milk, cream, Gruyere, smoked cheddar, and a roux built on butter. A coconut-cream bechamel with vegan cheese exists as a different recipe, do not try to sub one-for-one here. Vegetarian as written. Nut-free as written.