Get Alton Brown's Baked Macaroni and Cheese from Good Eats on Food Network, a classic recipe made with cheddar cheese and topped with buttery breadcrumbs.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

elbow macaroni

butter

flour

mustard

milk

yellow onion, finely diced

bay leaf

paprika

cheddar,

salt

black pepper

panko bread crumbs

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.

Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

Remember to save leftovers for fried Macaroni and Cheese.

Used this recipe a few years ago, totally blew it.  100% sure my errors were made in the sauce thickening area.  You really have to follow the directions, use low heat after getting things to a simmer and KEEP IT MOVING!  I didn't know what tempering an egg was so I looked it up.  Not that hard.  I've gotten the techniques down this time and it turned out AWESOME!  After getting it down, my improvisations have been: 1) use 1/3 smoked gouda with the cheddar to give a rich smoky taste, and/or 2) use some bacon grease along with butter to make roux and add cooked bacon pieces to mix before baking.  LOVE IT!!! Got lots of Thanksgiving complements.  

Best Mac and cheese ever. I've made this so many times I've lost count. I omit the onion and sometimes the powdered mustard. And I usually don't do the breadcrumbs. Sometimes if I run out if bay leaf or paprika I don't use them either and still turns out fine . For the people who got a brown or burnt sauce, you need to stir it a lot and don't walk away. Also, be patient, after you add the milk I let it simmer and keep stirring for a bit longer than stated. It will help make it thicker and creamier. If it gets too thick you can add a bit of milk. And I also don't use the cheese on top at the end. I just add a bit more to the recipe in the beginning. Hope this helps .  

I made this Mac &amp; Cheese for the first time this Christmas. I typically don’t try a recipe for the first time on a major holiday, but I needed a side that would feed 15 people including several children. I doubled the recipe as well. It turned out AMAZING! Not only was it enjoyed by my grandchildren but was also loved by the adults. The small amount left over was devoured during lunch the following day. Pay very close attention to the instructions and you will have no problem preparing this dish

This was very easy to make. My cooking-challenged husband separated the ingredients and I assembled. I doubled up on the ingredients to feed our group of 12. I followed the directions to a T except for using 2% milk and a mix of sharp cheddar and smoked gouda (per some suggestions in the reviews... 2/3 cheddar and 1/3 gouda.) It came out delicious!! The flavors worked so well together. If I could make one suggestion to readers, it would be to shred your own cheese from blocks. Bagged/pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking agents in it-- it doesn't melt or taste as well (in my opinion). We used the shredder attachment on our Kitchenaid mixer and were able to shred 24oz of cheese in less than 5 minutes. Would definitely make again. 

<div>Since I cannot leave well enough alone, I sautéed the onion and a tablespoon of minced garlic in the butter and then <span>stirred in</span> the flour and mustard then followed the recipe as written. Next time I am definitely trying the 1/3 smoked gouda 2/3 cheddar mix and possibly using it all in the body of the casserole while sprinkling grated parmesan on top with the bread crumbs and butter.</div>This one is a keeper!

I will preface my review with the fact that my husband heavily protested the addition of onions into Mac&amp;cheese ... So I omitted the onions and instead just used a smidge of onion powder in the sauce. This was a delicious recipe and am making it again for Thanksgiving :)

after two little tweaks I have to say best baked mac and cheese recipe I've tried... the two tweaks? 1.  al dente seems to be a judgement call I simply cooked for 1/2 the time called for on the box and 2.  added 4 strips of crispy bacon right before popping into oven... def making again

This recipe works out just great if you actually follow it.  Those that offer differing opinions after altering the recipe really aren’t judging this recipe, but rather their own concoction.  Thanks Alton!  You are my inspiration for being a good home cook.

My culinary class made this recipe and it was amazing!!! Thank you so much! 

https://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/baked-mac-and-cheese-0124787

Alton shares his secrets for making the perfect macaroni and cheese.

baked macaroni and cheese

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total: 1 hours, 5 minutes

Servings: 7

Author : Alton Brown

Ingredients

Instructions

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