American
Creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Baked macaroni and cheese with elbow pasta, creamy cheddar-Colby-American sauce, mustard powder, and buttery crumbs.
8 servings · 25 minutes prep · 35 minutes cook
Ingredients
Main
- 1 lb elbow macaroni
- 1 tbsp kosher salt, for pasta water
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups whole milk, warm
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 12 oz sharp cheddar, grated
- 8 oz Colby Jack, grated
- 4 oz American cheese, chopped
- 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Directions
Make the Sauce and Bake
- Heat the oven to 375F. Boil macaroni in water seasoned with pasta-water salt until 2 minutes shy of al dente. Drain.
- Melt butter in a large pot. Whisk in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in milk and evaporated milk until smooth.
- Simmer until lightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Add mustard powder, sauce salt, black pepper, and cayenne.
- Off heat, stir in cheddar, Colby Jack, and American cheese until smooth.
- Fold in the drained macaroni and transfer to a buttered baking dish.
- Toss breadcrumbs with melted butter, scatter over the top, and bake until bubbling and browned, 20-25 minutes. Rest for 10 minutes.
