The Best Homemade Mac and Cheese

When we went to Seattle in January, we went to Purple, and I had the absolute best lobster mac and cheese! On Monday, I was having some serious cravings for that lobster mac, but since we couldn’t make a one day trip back I decided I was going to make my own. Unfortunately, the lobster mac idea was axed, and I had to compromise with husband. We settled to have lobster, and mac and cheese.

Now, I’ve attempted to make different variations of mac and cheese, but what I created Monday was by far the best homemade mac and cheese I have ever made. It was so yummy, cheesy and creamy- I ended up saving it to have as LEFTOVERS. By the way, the only thing I’ll eat leftover is pizza, so it was that good!

Here is the recipe for the best homemade mac and cheese:

Print Recipe

The Best Homemade Mac and Cheese

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time45 mins

Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 lb cavatappi noodles
• 4 cups whole milk
• 8 tablespoons butter divided
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups extra-sharp white cheddar cheese shredded
• 1 1/2 cups Cave aged Gruyere Cheese grated
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Add olive oil to large pot of boiling salted water.
• Add pasta to boiling water, and cook pasta to the directions on the package. It is best to cook the pasta al dente, which means taking a minute or two off the cooking time. Drain well.
• Meanwhile the pasta is boiling, heat milk in a saucepan on low heat.
• At the same time, in a large pan, melt 6 tablespoons of butter on low heat.
• When butter is melted, add a spoon full of flour at a time, and whisk until all flour has been added and all clumps are gone.
• While still whisking, add the hot milk, and cook until the mixture is thickened and smooth.
• Remove mixture off heat, and add Gruyere and white cheddar a little at a time, while mixing to avoid clumps.
• Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to the sauce mixture.
• Add the cooked pasta, and stir well. Place mixture in baking dish.
• Melt the 2 remaining tablespoons of butter, and combine them with the italian breadcrumbs. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top of dish.
• Bake for 30 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and breadcrumbs are browned on the top.

Want to make this dish absolutely amazing? Add cooked lobster to the sauce and noodle mixture before putting it in the oven!

Here are some items that will help make this dish:

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