bacon
cheese
chicken
chives
dinner
fontina
fried chicken
horseradish
spicy
lunch
mac n cheese
onions
pasta
potato chips
sauces
sour cream
spinach
steak
This video is unavailable because we were unable to load a message from our sponsors.

If you are using ad-blocking software, please disable it and reload the page.
Playing The Only Macaroni and Cheese Recipe You Will Ever Need

The Only Macaroni and Cheese Recipe You Will Ever Need

This Video of Rach's Number One Feline Fan Watching Her Cook on …

Anthony Michael Hall Talks "Halloween Kills" Story: "It's classi…

You're Doing It Wrong: How to Burn + Extinguish Your Candles So …

How to Make Crispy Skin Chicken with 5-Spice and Sichuan Pepper …

How to Make Bifteki (Greek Burger Patties) | Rachael Ray

How to Tell if Someone's Been in Your House While You're Away, A…

First Makeover Back in the Studio is for a Deserving Woman Who's…

Jeremy Sisto Teases Loophole That Could Allow Him to Make an App…

How to Kick Out a Car Window If You're Kidnapped | Former CIA Of…

This 16-Year-Old Started Her Secret Identity Movement for All Wo…

How to Transition Back to "Real Clothes" with Comfortable Staple…

How to Make Chicken with Apples and Pears and Cheesy Potatoes | …

Why New York Times-Bestselling Thriller Writer Brad Meltzer Was …

Jennifer Tilly on Her Chucky Character Never Aging: "It's Really…

Family-Run Vietnamese Restaurant Lilly's Cafe Is Still a New Orl…

How to Make Corn Crème Brûlée | Richard Blais

How to Make Charred Radicchio Salad | Rachael Ray

How to Make Butter-Basted Ribeye Steaks | Richard Blais

How to Make Bucatini with Creamy Bacon and Onion Sauce | Rachael…

Please read this important message from General Mills regarding their recent flour recall: http://www.generalmills.com/flour

Add the mix-ins of your choosing to the base mac and cheese recipe. Try all three!

 

Ingredients

  • 1 pound elbow macaroni
For the Bechamel Cheese Sauce
  • 5 tablespoons butter
  • 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups milk
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
French Onion Mix-Ins
  • 1/2 cup caramelized onions
  • 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • Toasted breadcrumbs and a few baby's handful of sliced chives
Southern Mix-Ins
  • 1 cup pimiento cheese
  • 1/2 cup cooked cold collard greens, chopped and drained of excess liquid
  • 1 cup leftover boneless fried chicken, chopped
  • Toasted breadcrumbs and chopped parsley, for topping
  • Jalapeño-infused vinegar, for serving
Steakhouse Mix-Ins
  • 1/4 cup leftover cooked spinach or even better, creamed spinach
  • 4 tablespoons bacon bits
  • 3 tar spoons sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon horseradish
  • 1/4 cup, chopped leftover steak or beef roast (optional)
  • 1/4 shredded Fontina or pepper jack cheese
  • Breadcrumbs, finely chopped chives and crushed up potato chips, for topping

Yield

Serves: 6

Preparation

Cook macaroni 1 minute shy of al dente in boiling, salted water. Drain and reserve.

For the Bechamel Cheese Sauce, melt butter and whisk in flour to make a dark blonde roux the consistency of wet sand. Whisk in the milk to combine thoroughly. Add the salt and nutmeg, and cook for 15 minutes—make sure to scrape the bottom of the pot periodically so the sauce does not burn. Add the cheese in handfuls, stir to melt and remove pan from heat.


Preheat broiler.

Add the reserved macaroni to the sauce and gently fold all together. Fold in the mix-ins of your choice then pour everything into a large casserole dish. Top with appropriate toppings and place under the broiler until bubbly and brown.