Penne, gruyère, cheddar, cheese sauce, chipotle powderīake for twenty minutes and you’ve got creamy, gooey, melty mac and cheese. Top it off with some shredded cheddar and Gruyère and then sprinkle a little chipotle powder over it. Mix the pasta with the cheese sauce and spread it in a baking dish. Cook the pasta as you normally would, but drain it two minutes earlier because it will continue to cook when you bake it. Since the sauce recipe makes four cups and the mac and cheese recipe only calls for two cups, I saved half of it for later (another batch of mac and cheese won’t hurt anybody). You can make the cheese sauce ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for up to three days in an airtight container. Whisking the flour into the butter to make a roux It adds a dimension of spice and smoke to the dish. I didn’t have chipotle powder, but I found some in the bulk spice section of my local Whole Foods. It is lightly seasoned with some garlic powder and chipotle powder. When the sauce is hot and thickened, the cheeses are stirred in and you have your cheese sauce. This version of mac and cheese is based on a bechamel sauce made of butter, flour, and milk. So when I see a recipe titled “World’s Best Mac and Cheese”, I’m eager to put it to the test.Ĭheddar, jack, butter, flour, salt, chipotle powder, garlic powder, whole milk And I like penne over elbow macaroni because elbow macaroni is squirrely.

I tend to prefer the creamy versions that have a baked crust of cheese and bread crumbs. That’s probably because I’ve been eating at better restaurants and they put things like lobster in their mac and cheese. It wasn’t until the last decade that I’ve begun to enjoy mac and cheese.

Growing up, I was aware of two kinds of mac and cheese: Kraft mac and cheese and the kind that you got in school cafeterias. Mac and cheese is like chocolate cake for me – I’m always on the prowl for the best recipe. What I’m preparing at home mimics this oscillation: salads and springy foods to soups, bakes, and comfort foods. We are basically following the rhythmic swing of a pendulum between snow and sun.

Easy mac and cheese recipe for two