Here’s a genius method for upping the crunch game of your favorite Mac & Cheese recipe-use a sheet pan! Instead of baking your Mac & Cheese in a deep casserole dish, which will steam and boil it more, a sheet pan will spread the dish out to allow maximum crunchiness when it bakes. When cooking dinners and sides on a sheet pan I would normally use parchment paper to assist cleanup but Mac & Cheese recipes are saucy and the paper would disintegrate while the dish would leak to the sides of the pan anyway. And this is actually the point, to allow maximum caramelization on the bottom and sides of your dish-It’s worth the extra cleanup.
Lets Cook!
I pass along below a very easy Mac & Cheese recipe from AMANDA HESSER from food52.com that I think you’ll like, unless of course you already have a favorite. This recipe uses 2 kinds of cheddar and whole milk, while many popular ones mix fancier cheeses and use half & half or heavy cream. Mac & Cheese is rich enough with this recipe and works well without piling on the cost, and guilt! You can find the original recipe page here. Enjoy the crunch!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 12 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
- 12 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
- 1 pound pasta spirals (or other small shape)
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne, plus more as garnish
- Salt
- 2/3 cup whole milk
Directions
- Heat oven to 475° F. Use butter to grease a 11- by 17-inch rimmed baking sheet. Mix grated cheeses, reserving 2 heaping cups for topping.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 6 minutes (if using spirals; otherwise, cook for 2 minutes less than the instructions on the box). Drain.
- In a large bowl, mix the pasta, cheeses, cayenne, and salt to taste. Spread the mixture in the baking sheet and evenly pour the milk over the surface. Sprinkle the reserved cheese on top, garnish with a little extra cayenne, and bake, uncovered, until golden and crisp, about 15 minutes.
