No-Boil, One-Pot Mac and Cheese
We’re not going to lie: Cooking gets messy. So messy, in fact, that cleaning all the dirty pots and pans afterward may dissuade us from actually cooking anything at all. If this sounds familiar, invest in a cast-iron skillet for your one-pot needs — especially if you want to make anything as simple and delicious as this mac and cheese recipe.
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Create a roux from melted butter, onions, flour, and milk. Add the macaroni and stir. Turn down the heat, and add in sharp white cheddar and Gruyere. Mix until it’s creamy and all the macaroni looks plump from the surrounding starch. Sprinkle the Parmesan breadcrumbs on the cheesy pasta, and place in the oven for two minutes to toast the top.
Traditionally you would need the stockpot to boil the pasta, the colander to drain it, and the baking dish to combine the pasta and the cheese in the oven. Now, conventional mac and cheese is worth the pots, pans, and time it takes to make it — but why not enjoy the empty sink and extra time this recipe allows?
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 small yellow onion, diced small
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups 2% milk
3/4 pound elbow macaroni, uncooked
3 cups grated sharp white cheddar
1 cup grated Gruyere
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper
1. Heat broiler. In a large straight-sided, oven-safe skillet, melt butter. Remove 1 tablespoon butter and combine with breadcrumbs and Parmesan.
2. Add onion to skillet and cook until softened. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Very gradually whisk in milk and bring to a simmer. Add macaroni and cook, stirring constantly and scraping bottom of pan, until tender, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in remaining cheeses and the mustard, and season with salt and pepper. Top with breadcrumb mixture and broil until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes.
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