Ingredients (~6 servings)
- 2 1/2 cups dried penne pasta
- 3 Tbsp salted butter
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
- 1/8 tsp white pepper
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk
- 1 cup Boar’s Head white American cheese, grated
- 1 3/4 cups Cabot extra sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
- 1/4 tsp dry mustard
- Tabasco sauce to taste
Cook the Pasta Just Under Done
Boil the pasta in salted water for 1 minute less than the package directions call for.
You want it slightly firm since it’ll finish cooking in the cheese sauce.
Drain but don’t rinse – the starch helps the sauce stick better.
Make a Roux with Butter and Flour
In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat until it gets foamy.
While the butter melts, mix the sea salt, white pepper, and garlic powder with the flour in a small bowl.
Sprinkle this mixture into the foamy butter and whisk constantly for ~1 minute to cook out the raw flour taste.
Build the Cream Base
Turn the heat down to medium and slowly whisk in the heavy cream.
Once that’s smooth, repeat with the whole milk, then sprinkle in the dry mustard and add a few dashes of Tabasco.
Keep the heat at medium – you don’t want this to boil or it’ll break.
Whisk constantly for ~5-7 minutes until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Melt in the Cheeses Gradually
Turn the heat to low and gradually whisk in the American cheese, one handful at a time.
Wait for each handful to melt completely before adding more.
Once all the American is melted, repeat the same process with the cheddar.
The American melts smoother while the cheddar gives you that sharp flavor.
Taste and add more salt or Tabasco if needed.
Fold in the Pasta and Serve
Add the cooked pasta to the cheese sauce and fold it in with a large spatula until everything’s evenly coated.
This mac and cheese tastes best served immediately – it gets gluey when you reheat it.
If you need to hold it for a bit, keep it on the lowest heat and stir occasionally.
Panera Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
Ingredients (~6 servings)
- 2 1/2 cups dried penne pasta
- 3 Tbsp salted butter
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
- 1/8 tsp white pepper
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk
- 1 cup Boar’s Head white American cheese, grated
- 1 3/4 cups Cabot extra sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
- 1/4 tsp dry mustard
- Tabasco sauce to taste
Instructions
- Boil pasta in salted water 1 minute less than package directions.
- Melt butter in skillet over medium-high heat.
- Mix salt, pepper, garlic powder with flour and whisk into foamy butter for 1 minute.
- Reduce heat to medium and slowly whisk in cream, then milk.
- Add dry mustard and Tabasco.
- Whisk 5-7 minutes until sauce thickens.
- Turn heat to low and gradually melt American cheese, then cheddar.
- Fold cooked pasta into cheese sauce.
- Serve immediately.