Cheddar Baked Mac & Cheese
Sharp cheddar béchamel with bay leaf and mustard, baked under a toasted Parmesan-panko crust. The evaporated milk keeps the sauce stable through the full bake — no breaking, no drying out.
Ingredients
Pasta
- elbow macaroni
Cheese Sauce
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- evaporated milk (12-oz can)
- whole milk, warmed
- 1 bay leaf
- sharp cheddar, grated
- ½ tsp mustard powder
- kosher salt (~4g)
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Topping
- panko breadcrumbs
- 2 Tbsp Parmesan, grated
- 1½ Tbsp unsalted butter
Instructions
Heat oven to 375°F and butter a 2-quart baking dish. Boil the macaroni in well-salted water 2 minutes short of al dente — it finishes in the oven. Drain and set aside.
Melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until it smells nutty but stays pale, 1–2 min.
Gradually whisk in the evaporated milk and whole milk, a splash at a time at first to prevent lumps. Add the bay leaf and cook, whisking often, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, about 5 min. Remove the bay leaf.
Off the heat, whisk in the mustard powder, salt, and pepper. Add the cheddar in handfuls, stirring until smooth. Keep the pan off direct heat so the cheese doesn't break.
Fold in the drained pasta — it should look loose and saucy. Scrape into the baking dish and level the top.
In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and toast the panko, stirring, until evenly golden, 3–4 min. Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan. Scatter evenly over the assembled dish.
Bake at 375°F for about 30 min, until bubbling at the edges. The panko is already toasted, so tent loosely with foil if the top darkens before the center is hot through.
Rest 8–10 min before serving so the sauce sets.
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