Béchamel Macaroni Cheese

Béchamel-based mac-n-cheese with Tillamook Extra Sharp Cheddar with some shredded mozzarella on left. on the right is a dairy + gluten free version with Vegan Mozzarella. Both went in the oven and came out creamy and tasty.

Diets

[x] Flexitarian + Omnivore
[x] Vegetarian
[x] Pescatarian
[x] Gluten Free: use gluten free Béchamel sauce and gluten free pasta
[x] Vegan: use oil for Béchamel sauce and vegan cheese
[O] Weight maint
[O] Mediterranean: nope
[O] Keto Diet
[O] Lectin Avoidance: egg, milk products
[x] Oxalate Avoidance
[x] Purine Avoidance

Béchamel Macaroni Cheese

A rich, béchamel-based macaroni cheese casserole.

5 from 2 votes

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Course: Lunch

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Béchamel and pasta, Béchamel Macaroni Cheese, mac-n-cheese, pasta disehs

Servings: 8 cups

Calories: 519kcal

Author: Patty

Equipment

• Pot for pasta
• Sieve for draining
• Big bowl
• Skillet
• Whisk or wooden spatula
• Grater
• Casserole dish
• Serving spoon

Ingredients

Pasta

• 4 C macaroni pasta 
• 1 T Kosher salt
• 1 gal water

Béchamel 

• 2 oz AP flour
• 2 oz unsalted butter
• 1.25 C whole milk
• 1 t Kosher salt
• 1 t White pepper
• 4 C extra sharp cheddar cheese  (add any kind of left over cheese to this dish for a more luxurious mouth feel and taste)

Instructions

Pasta

• First, boil the pasta in salted water, drain, and set aside. Usually I just follow the instructions on the package in terms of cooking time. It is okay if a little undercooked since I will also go in the oven.

Béchamel Sauce

• Gather all the ingredients and measure them out (milk, butter, flour, salt, white pepper and gather the utensils (pot, whisk, spatula). The reason is you do not want to leave the sauce unattended while cooking, so put everything within reach.
• Warm up the milk (not scald) in a pan on the oven or in a microwave in a glass measuring cup. ( did it for 2 minutes and it worked okay in a 2C measuring cup.)
• Place the heavy-bottomed saucepan on the burner to heat up. Melt the butter in the pot, and whisk in the flour. Stirring constantly, until the paste no longer smells like butter or flour, but a combined nutty smell. You do not want this sauce dark so keep stirring and monitoring.
• Add the warm milk, continuing to whisk as the sauce thickens. Bring it close to a boil, but do not boil. Add a the salt and pepper, lower the heat, and cook, stirring for ~3 minutes more.
• Remove from the heat and it will continue to thick. Add the cheese and mix well. Then pour into the bowl with the pasta and mix again. Taste and adjust seasoning or cheese as required.
• Pour into the casserole dish, add some cheese on top and place in the oven to broil and turn brownish on top. Serve.

Video

Notes

This sauce adds the creamy, silky texture to any dish or gravy. The first time I tried Béchamel sauce in mac-n-cheese I was amazed at the texture, taste, and pure luxuriousness of the sauce. Although in a class, I almost licked the bowl in front of Chef Olive (who is in the video above)! Of course with all that cheese I could not eat a lot of it.

I have posted this video of Chef Olive with his permission.

Nutrition

Serving: 1C | Calories: 519kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 1606mg | Potassium: 234mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 805IU | Calcium: 485mg | Iron: 1mg