Weekend Recipe: Baked Macaroni and Cheese

When it comes to comfort foods, mac and cheese sits squarely at the top of the food chain. This recipe from America's Test Kitchen maintains all the delicious cheesy flavor of traditional recipes but subtracts a significant amount of fat and calories.

There’s nothing quite like tender, bite-size pasta coated in a warm, gooey, cheesy sauce and baked with a crunchy topping of buttery bread crumbs. But with over 700 calories and a whopping 40 grams of fat per serving, the standard homemade mac and cheese is less than comforting to our waistlines.

Keeping all the cheesy flavor and creamy texture but losing a significant amount of fat and calories came down to a classic recipe makeover tactic: choosing the right selection of milk and cheese. After a number of tests, we hit on low-fat evaporated milk, which gave us a richer, more velvety texture than skim, 1 percent, or 2 percent low-fat milk. Thickening the sauce with cornstarch, instead of the usual roux (a combination of butter and flour), also helped to keep our numbers in check.

For the key ingredient, the cheese, we tried different varieties, ultimately landing on a good amount of shredded reduced-fat cheddar, which melted into a smooth coating for our pasta and allowed us to pack in big cheese flavor without a ton of fat. Panko bread crumbs, tossed with just a pat of butter, gave our mac and cheese a golden, crispy crown.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

1 cup panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
1 pound elbow macaroni
salt and pepper
3 (12-ounce) cans 2 percent low-fat evaporated milk
¾ teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon garlic powder
pinch cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch
12 ounces 50 percent light cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Using box grater, shred 12 ounces 50 percent light cheddar cheese. (You should have 3 cups.)

3. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in Dutch oven.

4. While waiting for water to boil, melt 1 tablespoon unsalted butter.

5. Place 1 cup panko breadcrumbs in 12-inch nonstick skillet. Toast over medium-high heat, stirring often, until well-browned, 5 to 10 minutes.

6. Transfer to bowl with melted butter and stir to combine.

7. Once water boils, add 1 pound elbow macaroni and 1 tablespoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until just al dente.

8. Once pasta is cooked, reserve ½ cup cooking water.

9. Drain macaroni and set it aside.

10. Combine 3 (12-ounce) cans evaporated milk, 1 teaspoon salt, ¾ teaspoon dry mustard, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, and pinch cayenne pepper in now-empty pot and bring to simmer.

11. In small bowl, whisk 1 tablespoon cornstarch into ¼ cup reserved pasta water until smooth.

12. Whisk mixture into pot.

13. Continue to simmer, whisking constantly, until sauce is slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.

14. Remove from heat and whisk in cheddar, a handful at a time, until melted.

15. Stir in cooked macaroni.

16. Add remaining ¼ cup pasta water as needed to adjust consistency of sauce. (It should be slightly soupy.)

17. Transfer mixture to 13 by 9-inch baking dish.

18. Season panko and butter mixture with salt and pepper to taste.

19. Sprinkle mixture over top.

20. Bake until sauce is bubbling around edges, about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

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