Recipe Background
What makes a cozy evening? A warm blanket? A comfy chair? Your favorite sweater? Well, yes, yes, and yes... but you'll need some Cozy Mac & Cheese, too! This is mac and cheese at its best — a mix of melty, smoky, creamy, sharp cheeses transformed into a rich, tangy sauce that coats your favorite tender pasta! Don't forget the crunchy, buttery breadcrumbs on top! Let Cozy Mac & Cheese make you comfortable!
What makes a cozy evening? A warm blanket? A comfy chair? Your favorite sweater? Well, yes, yes, and yes... but you'll need some Cozy Mac & Cheese, too! This is mac and cheese at its best — a mix of melty, smoky, creamy, sharp cheeses transformed into a rich, tangy sauce that coats your favorite tender pasta! Don't forget the crunchy, buttery breadcrumbs on top! Let Cozy Mac & Cheese make you comfortable!
Ingredients
For the breadcrumb topping:
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
For the mac and cheese:
- 1 stick unsalted butter plus more, to taste, for greasing the casserole dish
- 7 ounces Swiss cheese grated
- 1 ounce Comté cheese grated
- 5 ounces raclette cheese grated
- 3 ounces cheddar cheese grated
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt plus more, to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 (16-ounce) box small shell pasta
- fresh chives optional, to taste, chopped, for garnish
Directions
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 1/2 stick of the butter.
- Add the breadcrumbs and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt to the melted butter and mix until the breadcrumbs are thoroughly coated. Set the breadcrumb mixture aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Using the extra butter, grease a 6-quart casserole dish.
- In a bowl, add the Swiss cheese, the Comté cheese, the raclette cheese, and the cheddar cheese and toss to combine. Set the cheese mixture aside.
- In a medium pot over medium heat, melt 1 stick of the remaining butter.
- Add the flour to the melted butter and cook, while stirring, until the raw flour smell disappears, about 1 minute.
- In two increments, slowly add the milk to the butter mixture, while stirring continuously, until combined and smooth.
- Cook the milk mixture, while stirring, until it thickens slightly, about 2-3 minutes.
- Turn off the stovetop heat.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the remaining salt, 1 teaspoon of the black pepper, the paprika, the garlic powder, and the Dijon mustard to the milk mixture and stir to combine.
- Reserve 1/2 cup of the cheese mixture.
- Add the remaining cheese mixture to the milk mixture and stir to combine until smooth.
- Taste the cheese sauce for seasoning and add the extra salt and the extra black pepper, as needed
- Cover the cheese sauce with a lid and keep it warm.
- In a large pot of salted, boiling water, add the pasta and cook until al dente, according to the package directions.
- Drain the pasta and immediately rinse it under cold water.
- Drain the pasta again.
- Add the pasta to the cheese sauce and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Add 1/2 of the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish.
- Sprinkle 1/2 of the reserved cheese over the pasta mixture layer in the baking dish.
- Repeat the layers once.
- Top the final cheese layer with the breadcrumb mixture.
- Bake until the mac and cheese is bubbling and golden-brown on top, about 40-45 minutes.
- Serve topped with the chives.
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