Twisted Macaroni and Cheese

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword macaroni-and-cheese-recipes, twisted-mac-and-cheese

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 40

Stand time 5

Total Time 1 10

Servings servings

Calories 536kcal

Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush a 12 inch cast iron skillet with 1/2 Tbsp softened butter, reserving remaining 1 1/2 Tbsp for top. Set aside. (Alternately, bake in any similar size oven safe skillet or 13 x 9 inch baking dish)
Cook macaroni in salted water per the package instructions until al dente. Drain well, then add to a large mixing bowl.
Meanwhile, in a 4 quart heavy bottomed saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter over medium heat. Add flour, mixing until flour is absorbed. Cook for 1 minute, while stirring.
To the saucepan add, Dijon, salt, pepper, paprika, nutmeg and a dash or two, of hot sauce. Mix well. Gradually whisk in milk.
Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Immediately turn the heat to low. Simmer gently bubbling for 5 minutes. Stir periodically to prevent sticking.
Toss together all three varieties of shredded cheese. Add 4 cups to sauce. Mix until completely melted, remove from heat.
Pour cheese sauce over cooked pasta in mixing bowl, mix until evenly coated.
Pour half macaroni into buttered cast iron skillet. Sprinkle with 1 cup shredded cheese blend. Pour remaining macaroni evenly on top.
Sprinkle macaroni with remaining 1 cup shredded cheese. Dot the top with reserved 1 1/2 Tbsp butter.
Bake for 35-40 minutes until bubbly and golden.
Let stand on counter for 5 minutes, then serve.

Don't Overcook the Twisted Macaroni - One of the most important things to remember when cooking macaroni is to aim for al dente, or slightly underdone. If you overcook the macaroni noodles initially, it could become too mushy when baking.
Sauce Tip - When making the homemade cheese sauce, cook the white sauce until it's thickened to the point of a thin pudding. When adding the shredded cheese, it will thicken further.
Pasta - You can use twisted macaroni or cavatappi pasta for this dish. Preferably with ridges to really grab onto the sauce.
Cheese - As with any macaroni and cheese recipe you can adapt using any variety of cheese that you enjoy. This version works particularly well with the blend called for of cheddar, colby jack and creamy fontina cheese. Monterey jack cheese or mozzarella cheese would also be tasty.
Optional Topping - If you'd like a crispy top, sprinkle with Italian style buttered Parmesan breadcrumbs, crushed ritz crackers or panko breadcrumbs prior to baking.
Stand Time - Allow a few minutes of stand time at the end of baking, to give the sauce time to thicken to perfection, before serving.