Estate Comforts
Baked Mac and Cheese
The Strategy:
A masterfully engineered casserole that refuses to compromise on texture. By incorporating cubed mozzarella and pepper jack alongside the smooth cheddar béchamel, you create internal pockets of violent, molten stretch, all housed beneath an aggressively thick, butter-soaked crust that shatters perfectly upon serving.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces dried elbow macaroni, about 2 cups
- ½ cup butter (1 stick), divided (half for the sauce and half for the topping)
- 1 small white or yellow onion, peeled and minced, about ¼ cup
- ¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 12 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated, about 3 cups (save 1 cup for topping)
- 4 ounces pepper jack cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes, about 1 cup
- 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes, about 1 cup
- ½ cup sour cream
- 4 slices bread, pulsed into crumbs, about 2 cups
- 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated, about ½ cup
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°.
- Coat the bottom and sides of an 11 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish with vegetable oil spray.
- Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling salted water until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain through a colander. Place the cooked macaroni into the baking dish.
- Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a pot over medium heat. Save the rest for the topping.
- Add the onion and cook until soft, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the flour, mustard, and paprika until smoothly combined. Pour in the milk and season with salt and pepper.
- Continue to stir over medium heat until the sauce thickens, about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and stir in 2 cups of the cheddar cheese about ½ cup at a time until the cheese has melted into the sauce. Save the rest of the cheese for the topping.
- Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and toss to combine. Stir in the cubes of cheese and sour cream. Top all this cheesy goodness with the grated cheddar cheese you saved when making the sauce. (By the way, if you forgot to save the cheese and instead put all of it into the sauce … don’t worry about it. Just keep going!)
- Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter in a bowl in your microwave oven (or in a pot on your stove top). Stir in the breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. Scatter these buttery crumbs over all the cheesy sauce and pasta.
- Bake until the casserole is bubbling, and the cheese has melted, about 35 to 40 minutes.
Thing to Note:
Do not skip pulsing your own breadcrumbs from fresh slices of bread. Store-bought, dry breadcrumbs will absorb the butter instantly and turn to sand in the oven. Fresh, coarse breadcrumbs will toast unevenly, creating a spectacular, highly textured, shattered glass-like crust.
The full recipe lives in the Vault
Ingredients, method and every chef-tested detail are in the Vault. Join the Estate Registry for $79 a year: six printed dinner-party editions mailed to you, and the Vault opens as our gift.
Become a Member · $79What’s included · Member Sign In
The Heart of the Table
This is the definitive, heavy-duty American classic. It is designed to be the undisputed centerpiece of a large holiday buffet or a boisterous family Sunday dinner. By layering smooth sauces, melting cheese cubes, and a fiercely crunchy topping, you ensure that every single spoonful contains a complex, deeply satisfying variety of textures.
Neighborly Grace
- THE PRESENTATION: Bring the heavy, blistered baking dish directly to the table while it is still actively bubbling. Use a large, heavy silver spoon to break through the crust, serving generous, messy portions onto dark plates to highlight the golden-orange cheddar.
- THE POUR: A vibrant, fruit-forward Pinot Noir or an oaked California Chardonnay. You need a wine with enough body and weight to stand toe-to-toe with the profound richness of the cheese and sour cream without being completely overwhelmed.
- THE VIBE: Loud, incredibly generous, and deeply nostalgic. This dish commands a large table, excellent conversation, and a fiercely relaxed environment where guests feel encouraged to return for a second scoop.
