Description
A rich, baked macaroni and cheese with three cheeses, sour cream, and a buttery panko breadcrumb topping.
Ingredients
- 16 oz cavatappi noodles
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups half & half
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (room temperature) + 2 Tbsp
- ¼ cup all‑purpose flour
- 2 cups sharp yellow cheddar, shredded
- 2 cups Monterey Jack, shredded
- 2 cups Gruyère, shredded
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp seasoned salt (e.g. Lowry’s)
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- ½ tsp black pepper
- For the topping:
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- ½ tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 °F. Butter a 4‑quart casserole dish (bottom and sides) with 2 Tbsp room temperature butter; set aside.
- In a large pot, boil cavatappi noodles for 8 minutes (to al dente). Drain and return to pot.
- While noodles boil, in a large saucepan over medium‑high heat, melt remaining ¼ cup butter. Whisk in flour until fully combined and lightly browned.
- Slowly pour in whole milk and half & half, whisking constantly to avoid lumps.
- Add Dijon mustard, seasoned salt, dried parsley, and black pepper. Cook for 6–8 minutes, whisking, until sauce thickens.
- Remove from heat and stir in shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses in ~1 cup portions, whisking until smooth.
- Pour cheese sauce into the pot with noodles and stir to coat evenly.
- Spoon half the cheesy noodles into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle 1½ cups of Gruyère over them. Dollop sour cream over the Gruyère and smooth into an even layer.
- Add remaining cheesy noodles over sour cream, and top with the remaining ½ cup of Gruyère.
- In a bowl, combine panko, melted butter, dried parsley, and kosher salt for the topping.
- Sprinkle the topping mixture evenly over the mac & cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown and cheese sauce is bubbly.
- Let the casserole rest 10–15 minutes before serving to allow the sauce to set.
Notes
- You may use all whole milk or all half & half; using all half & half makes it richer.
- Cook pasta to al dente so it doesn’t become mushy during baking.
- Grate your own cheese rather than using pre-shredded, for better melting.
Nutrition
- Calories: 871 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 1320 mg
- Fat: 55 g
- Saturated Fat: 33 g
- Unsaturated Fat: (monounsaturated + polyunsaturated) 18 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 58 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 37 g
- Cholesterol: 161 mg
