Martha's Mac and Cheese

Macaroni and cheese is one of my all-time favorite foods, so I take it very seriously. Listen to me when I tell you this Martha Stewart recipe is the Gold Standard. Don't believe me? Do a google search for Martha's Mac and Cheese and you will see the superlatives pile up. There are simpler recipes, and cheaper recipes and healthier recipes; I use those often. But this is what I make for special occasions.


Although this is not a difficult recipe, there is a lot of technique here that's worth talking about, so I am breaking this waay down. Don't be scared by how long this is!

Team Photo: Pasta, Good White Bread, Butter, Cheddar Cheese, Parmesan Cheese, Whole Milk, Salt, Dry Mustard, Cayenne Pepper and (missing) Nutmeg

About the ingredients:

Pasta: You can obviously use the traditional macaroni or any other compact shape of pasta. Shapes that have places for the sauce to hide are ideal here, and ridges in the pasta will grab even more sauce. I used these shells for a change of pace, and it turned out to be my new favorite.

Good White Bread: You can substitute bread crumbs here (panko would be particularly well-suited) but the crouton-like chunks on top are my kids' favorite part of this dish, so I am required to buy special bread for this recipe.

Cheeses: Martha says that sharp white cheddar gives the smoothest texture and I believe everything she says. That said, I don't mind my cheese sauce a little on the grainy side, so I often use extra sharp cheddar for the flavor. I also like to use orange cheese for this recipe sometimes, despite otherwise thinking it's creepy. Here I compromised and combined 2 cheddars, but you should do what your heart tells you. Or what Martha says. Just grate it yourself, please! You don't want to go to all this trouble and use waxy, flavorless cheese.

As far as the parmesan goes, that's another departure from the recipe, which calls for Gruyere (expensive) or Romano (what I normally use, but for some reason I had parmesan on hand instead) Use what you have. Just make note of the different measurements for the different cheeses.

One final note on the cheese: This is a very cheesy recipe. Taste the sauce as you add the cheese to make it to your taste.

Spices: I swear to you I have a brand new jar of nutmeg in my house, but I tore all my cabinets apart and can't find it! So I left it out, but I missed it. Add it even if you think it's weird; it's delicious. 

Also, I like a little dry mustard in my mac & cheese, so I added  about 1/4 tsp. It's not necessary, so don't buy it special, but it does add a nice flavor to the cheese sauce. 

Cayenne pepper, you say? It's only a little, so it won't be spicy. I don't particularly notice the flavor, but I'm trusting Martha. She knows stuff. 

As always, salt and pepper are to taste. Just keep in mind the cheese will be salty, so wait until you add the cheese to add the salt.

Okay, let's start! Whenever I make a dish with multiple components, I like to be conscientious about my prep. You don't want your sauce scorching while you're trying to shred the last bit of cheese. Take a minute and get everything ready, like a chef.

Cut your butter into fourths; one of these (2tbsp) goes into a large bowl for melting and tossing with bread cubes. The other three go into a large, deep skillet to begin your sauce. Start your pasta water. (I'm not giving you any more instructions about cooking the pasta. Just make it alongside the sauce, cooking it a little less than you normally would. Whenever it's done, drain it, rinse it with cold water, and set it aside.)

Cut the crusts off 6 slices of bread, but save them! You'll see why later. Slice them one way and then the other to make small cubes. Alternatively, you could tear it by hand so it's less uniform. (I do a combination of both.) Toss the bread with the melted butter. Set it aside.

Last bit of prep: grate the cheese, warm the milk and grease the pan. I decided to split the recipe in 2 small pans and freeze half for later.  I lined one of the pans with foil to make that process easier. (More on that later.)

This recipe is built on one of the classic "mother sauces" of French cooking-- Bechamel sauce, aka white sauce. Consider this an opportunity to learn or practice some basic kitchen techniques. There's no reason to be intimidated; these are easy steps to follow, and once you've mastered them, you will be able to make more complicated recipes. If you already know how to make a white sauce, skip ahead, because we will delve into a little Cooking 101 here.

To make a Bechamel sauce, we start with a roux, a combination of butter and flour that works as a thickener. (We want sauce, not broth, right?)

Melt the butter over medium/medium high heat. When it is all melted and foaming subsides a little, sprinkle in the flour.

Stir it around with a spoon or a whisk. It will form a thick paste. For a white roux, you only need to cook for a few minutes, just to get rid of that raw flour taste. (There are darker roux for other purposes, like gumbo for example.)

I couldn't get a picture of the next step because it takes two hands. Slowly pour in the warm milk while you whisk constantly. This is where you will get out all the clumps, so make sure you scrape the bottom and sides while you whisk. Keep cooking and eventually, the sauce will bubble and thicken up enough to coat the back of a spoon. 

This is Bechamel sauce, congratulations!

When the sauce is thickened, stir in the spices, then the cheeses, a handful at a time, stirring until each batch is melted before adding more. Reserve 1/3 of the cheese for the topping.

Go get your bread crusts! This is the best way to snack on test your sauce. Now is the time to correct the seasonings. Go ahead and call everybody in for a taste, you have plenty of bread!

Add the drained and rinsed pasta to what's left of the sauce. You will think it looks way too soupy. Don't worry, the pasta will absorb sauce in the oven.

Pour the mixture into the pan(s) and top with the remaining cheeses and bread. Bake for 30 minutes. Put the pan(s) on a baking sheet to catch drips, just in case. When it comes out of the oven you have to let it sit for a few minutes to set. Be strong.

Here's the one we ate for dinner.

When the other one was cool, I covered it and stuck the whole thing in the freezer. A day later, I popped the foil-wrapped brick out of the pan and put it in a ziplock bag. When I am ready to reheat it, I will defrost it, and just put it back into the same square pan to bake.

The Recipe 

Copied here exactly from MarthaStewart.com

Serves 12
6 slices good-quality white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
5 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar
2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyere or 1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) grated pecorino Romano
1 pound elbow macaroni

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread pieces in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into the bowl with bread, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.

2. Slowly pour hot milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.

3. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup pecorino Romano. Set cheese sauce aside.

4. Fill a large saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 fewer minutes than manufacturer's directions, until outside of pasta is cooked and inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.

5. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar and 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup pecorino Romano; scatter breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes; serve.