I have a pretty good mac-E cheese recipe. I also quite like the Kraft boxed kind, with canned peas mixed in.
Why do I call it mac-E cheese? Well, why do you call it Mac-N cheese? I’ll wait.
Why This Mac-E Cheese Is Awesome
I find that a lot of mac and cheese recipes are kind of overwhelming in their cheese sauce, to the point that the noodles are soggy and it feels like you’re eating glue.
With this recipe, the noodles are firmer, almost crispy, and the sauce is stringy but not overwhelming. I made this recipe to emulate a local restaurant with out-of-this-world mac and cheese.
Mac-E Cheese
Ingredients
Bread crumb topping
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch of salt
Pasta
- Salt
- 12 ounces cavatappi noodles
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 clove of garlic minced
- 3 oz Parmesan cheese shredded. See note 2
- 1 oz cheddar cheese shredded. See note 3
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Bread crumb topping
- Heat a small saucepan over low heat. Add the 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, and wait for the butter to melt.
- Add the ½ cup panko bread crumbs, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and a pinch of salt. Stir until toasted and golden brown. Remove from heat.
Pasta
- Fill a large soup pot with water, enough so the water is filling half the pot. You'll use less water than is normally used when boiling pasta, only enough so the pasta will be covered by 1 inch of water.
- Cover pot and set over high heat. Once the water is boiling, uncover and add enough salt to the pot so it tastes like sea water. Add 12 ounces cavatappi noodles.
- Cook the pasta for about 8 minutes, so it's al dente. Use a ladle or measuring cup to remove 1 cup of pasta water from the pot. Drain the pasta, place in a medium bowl, and cover with a lid or plate so it doesn't dry out.
- Place the soup pot back on the burner, and set the heat to medium. Add the 3 tablespoons butter, and once they're melted add garlic. Cook for 1 minute or until fragrant, then turn off the heat.
- Add cooked pasta, 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water, shredded Parmesan and cheddar cheese, 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Stir until cheese has become stringy. Add more pasta water if you prefer. Taste and add more salt and freshly ground black pepper if needed.
- Serve with breadcrumb topping and more chopped parsley.
Notes
- To shred the cheese, I use a rotary grater so I don’t hate my life. I highly suggest getting one–you can use it for apples, carrots, walnuts, cheese, anything that needs shredding!
- For the Parmesan, you can use Pecorino Romano if you want to emulate the traditional Italian recipe cacio e pepe, which this recipe is inspired by.
- For the 1 oz of cheddar cheese, you can substitute with Parmesan, Montgomery Jack, or whatever cheese you feel like trying.
Chef Selfie
