You can sub cheddar and Colby jack for any good melting cheeses. Make sure you grate whatever cheese you're using, they're at room temp and you add them slowly. Also, don't add to a piping hot mixture or the cheese will separate. Let the dish cool! Store in a container covered in the fridge for a week. You can sub Frank's for your favorite hot sauce. If you can't get Vegeta, you can leave it out. If you can get your hands on it...use it!
My Ultimate Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 lb elbow macaroni
- 32 oz chicken stock
- ½ tablespoon Vegeta seasoning optional
- salt and black pepper to taste
- a few dashes of Frank's Red Hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground mustard seeds
- ¾ cup sour cream room temperature
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese room temperature
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 2 cups whole milk
- 3 whole eggs
- 20 oz grated cheese blocks of sharp cheddar and colby jack or your choice of a mix
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 sticks 8 oz unsalted butter
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- drizzle olive oil
- Parmesan cheese to grate on top
Instructions
- Add a half tablespoon of Vegeta seasoning to the chicken stock. Bring the chicken stock up to heat and boil the noodles in the stock for about eight minutes.
- Drain the noodles, reserving about a tablespoon of the stock. Pour the reserved stock and macaroni into a large bowl and set aside.
- Add in the butter a few pads at a time and mix. Add the paprika, salt, black pepper, ground mustard seeds, garlic powder, hot sauce and mix until combined. Add in the sour cream and cream cheese all at once and mix until just combined. Lastly, add in three cups of cheese, a cup at a time. Mix between each cup. Make sure you don't overmix.
- Once the mixture is all combined, make sure you taste it macaroni mixture. It's vital! Make sure you like how much seasoning is in there and add more if you feel it's necessary.
- Grate the cheese and toss in a bowl with the cornstarch until combined. Set aside.
- Combine the eggs with the heavy cream and milk in a large measuring cup and whisk until combined. Set aside.
- Butter your casserole dish really well. Preheat your oven at this point.
- Pour ⅓ of your macaroni mixture into the prepared pan and spread the mac as best as you can. Add a few pads of butter. Sprinkle a handful of cheese over the top. Pour ⅓ cup of the egg/milk mixture evenly over the top. Repeat the layers two more times. So, there should be three total additions of the cheese, milk mixture and macaroni mixture throughout the whole dish. On the last layer, season with some more salt, pepper and paprika over the top, if needed. Top the last layer with panko breadcrumbs evenly. Drizzle some olive oil over the top.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 275°F for 30 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil, uncover the mac and cheese and turn the heat up to 400°F and cook for 10 more minutes. Broil for last couple of minutes. Make sure you watch it when you're boiling the top. The panko and cheese can burn really quickly if you're not careful. This is optional but out of the oven, I like grating some Parmesan cheese over the top.
- Let the dish cool for about 15-20 minutes before serving.