Voted best Mac and Cheese in Boulder, this homemade Bechamel Mac and Cheese Sauce is rich, creamy and downright mind blowing. If you want to make heads turn this potluck this season, this is the mac and cheese recipe you’ve been looking for. The rich, velvety creamy cheese sauce and pasta with its crunchy topping is the ultimate comfort food.
And if you’re looking for another unique mac and cheese recipe, don’t miss my recipe for Hatch Chile Macaroni and Cheese. It’s a great way to add some excitement to your next Mexican meal.
What You Can Expect From This Recipe
First of all, this isn’t one of those super easy stove-top mac and cheese Recipes, like my recipe for Stove Top White Cheddar Mac and Cheese. This is a recipe where layers of flavors are built to make a Bechamel sauce that is truly an impressive special occasion sauce.
Once the sauce is made, the cheese and the cooked macaroni are added in, then into a casserole dish to oven bake.
This is an award winning macaroni and cheese recipe from a gastro pub in Boulder, Colorado.
After nine years of operating, West Flanders closed its doors August, 2022. While it served a lineup of popular pub food, its focus was on Belgian style beers. Mac and cheese was a featured specialty serving clever combos like Broccoli and Mushroom Mac and Cheese and Cheeseburger Mac and Cheese.
Thanks to Jessica at First Bite Boulder, for providing me with its famous Bechamel Macaroni and Cheese Sauce Recipe. Now you can make this award winning mac and cheese at home.
What is Bechamel? Bechamel is a white sauce using milk and white roux. Chef Auguste Escoffier, a great mentor of French cuisine, codified and tried to simplify the idea of sauce making by identifying most sauces as derivatives of Five Mother Sauces. Bechamel is one of those. Source: Culinary School
Let’s take that classic French Bechamel and turn it into a rich creamy mac and cheese sauce with layers of flavor that will turn your world upside down.
So What Makes this Creamy Mac and Cheese Sauce so Special?
- Taking the time to make a proper Bechamel sauce is not only rewarding but actually pretty easy. You’ll feel like a professional chef once you’re done.
- Using grated nutmeg from a real nutmeg seed with change your outlook on nutmeg completely. The seed contains more oils which are responsible for the intense and more natural nutmeg flavor.
- Topped with a crunch of Panko bread crumbs brings a crispy golden brown texture experience to this creamy casserole, making it simply indescribable.
Let’s take a look:
Ingredients To Make Bechamel Sauce:
- Whole Milk
- Heavy Cream
- Garlic Powder
- Flour
- Onion, sweet onion or yellow onion
- Bay Leaf
- Black Peppercorns
- Dried Thyme
- Brandy
- Neutral Oil, such as Canola Oil or Vegetable Oil
- Butter
- Nutmeg Seed
Ingredients For The Mac and Cheese:
- Cheddar Cheese
- Bechamel Sauce
- Parmesan Cheese
- Chicken Broth
- Panko Bread Crumbs
- Macaroni
- Butter
Ingredient Substitutions:
- Cheese: This recipe calls for both cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese. Switch out the cheddar for any type of good melting cheese. White cheddar, sharp cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack or Muenster would work well. I wouldn’t substitute anything out for the Parmesan. Parmesan brings a special earthy flavor to this macaroni and cheese and also contributes to the crunchiness and saltiness of the Panko topping.
- Broth: Substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth. I do not recommend substituting beef broth, as this is a “white based” mac and cheese recipe.
- Macaroni: Have fun with the shapes for this recipe. Elbow macaroni is a classic shape for macaroni and cheese, but Cavatappi and shell macaroni are good choices.
Pro Tip: Purchase good quality cheese and grate it yourself. Pre-grated cheese in bags includes additives to keep it from clumping, which will also compromise the melting factor. Grating cheese from a block of cheese will result in a creamier and more consistent melting experience. Plus, it’s less expensive.
Step by Step Instructions:
- Step 1: Make The Roux: Melt butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Once melted, whisk in the flour. Stir constantly until blended and the color turns blond. This will only take 2 – 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Step 2: Heat a medium-sized saucepan over medium high heat. Add oil. When oil is hot, add the chopped onions and cook until just translucent. Deglaze the onions with the brandy, stirring. Cook off the brandy until you do not smell raw alcohol any longer.
- Step 3: Using a square of cheesecloth place the bay leaf, thyme and peppercorns in the middle.
- Step 4: Pull up the edges and and make a satchel tying the top with twine.
- Step 5: Add heavy cream, whole milk, salt, black pepper, ground nutmeg, and the herb satchel to the sauce pot and bring to a boil. After it boils, turn the cream mixture down to medium low and cook at a simmer for ten minutes, stirring often so it doesn’t scorch on the bottom of the pan.
- Step 6: Slowly whisk in the roux and stir until well blended. Continue to cook on a slow boil for another five minutes, or until the béchamel is smooth in texture and thickened.
- Step 7: Remove the sauce from the heat, remove the spice satchel and using an emersion blender, blend the sauce until smooth.
- Step 8: Cook the two cups of dried macaroni according to package instructions. Save out ½ cup of pasta water before draining. Add the cooked macaroni to the Bechamel sauce. Add the chicken stock, half of the Parmesan cheese and the shredded cheddar. Stir until noodles are blended with the sauce and nice and shiny. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- Step 9: Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray. Turn the macaroni mixture into the casserole pan and using the back of a spatula, spread the macaroni level.
- Step 10: In a medium fry pan, melt butter. Once the butter is melted add the panko bread crumbs and stir until just starting to turn a golden brown.
- Step 11: To make Mac and cheese with panko topping. Sprinkle the toasted panko bread crumbs and remaining Parmesan cheese over the mac and cheese casserole. Bake 350 degrees for 20 – 30 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions:
A roux is basically a way to thicken a sauce. Fat and flour come together in order to make a thickening agent, then its cooked to activate it. Why do you need it? It simply kicks up the creamy and luscious element to this recipe.
Yes. Keep in mind that once pasta sits in a cheese sauce, it will continue to absorb some of the liquid, potentially drying out after stored in the refrigerator. Wait to sprinkle the Panko and Parmesan until ready to bake. Store the mac and cheese well covered in the refrigerator. Preheat oven, add a little more milk or cream to the top of the casserole and using a spatula, move the pasta around so the liquid will seep down inside. Sprinkle on the cheese and Panko and bake per instructions.
Tips for Success:
- Make sure you cook the macaroni al dente. Remember, the macaroni will spend some time baking in the oven. Cooking al dente will insure that the baked macaroni doesn’t become overcooked and mushy after baking.
- Why is pasta water good for pasta sauce? Don’t throw all of that pasta cooking liquid down the drain, It’s liquid gold. It’s a must to add to any sauce for any pasta dish. It’s high in starch and this salty starchy water helps the sauce cling to the pasta while helping to thicken the sauce. It turns any pasta dish into a luxurious pasta dish.
- Using room temperature milk and cream will make this Bechamel sauce for mac and cheese blend easier and quicker.
Variations:
You can also experiment with different types of cheese to add extra flavor, or you can add chopped bacon or ham for a more substantial dish. If you’re feeling particularly indulgent, you can even add truffle oil for a luxurious twist.
Storing Mac and Cheese:
Any leftovers need to be refrigerated and covered tightly. This mac and cheese will keep for up to 4 – 5 days. To reheat, add a little more milk or cream to the top of the casserole and using a spatula, move the pasta around so the milk will seep in.
I like the microwave for reheating pasta. Cover partially with plastic wrap and cook in 30 second increments, gently stirring after each 30 seconds.
In Conclusion:
Macaroni Bechamel is a versatile dish that can be enjoyed on its own, or as a side dish with any main course protein. Try it with grilled chicken, it’s great with flank steak and even this fancy sauced pasta would be a great compliment to the humble burger.
Related Recipes:
And if you love pasta as much as we do, don’t miss my Pasta Category. You’ll finds lots of creamy cheesy side dishes as well as some main course pasta recipes like this one for Fettuccine Mio Amore. And don’t miss the most popular pasta recipe on my site for Smoked Mozzarella Penne Pasta Salad (Whole Foods Recipe).
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Bechamel Mac and Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
- For The Roux
- ¼ Cup Unsalted Butter
- ¼ Cup Flour
- For The Bechamel
- ¼ Cup Canola Oil
- ½ Cup Sweet Onion chopped
- ¼ Cup Brandy
- 1 ½ Cups Whole Milk
- ½ Cup Heavy Cream
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg from a whole nutmeg seed
- ½ teaspoon garlic grated
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- The roux from above
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
- To Finish The Mac and Cheese
- 2 Cups Dried Elbow Macaroni cooked according to package instructions
- ¾ Cup Chicken Stock
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ½ Cup Parmesan Cheese grated, divided
- 1 Cup Cheddar Cheese shredded
- ½ cup Panko Bread Crumbs
- 4 Tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Make The Roux: Melt butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat. After the butter is melted, whisk in the flour. Stir constantly until blended and the color turns blond. This will only take 2 – 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
- For The Bechamel Sauce: Using a square of cheesecloth place the bay leaf, thyme and peppercorns in the middle. Pull up the edges and and make a satchel tying the top with twine.
- Heat a medium-sized saucepan over medium high heat. Add oil. When oil is hot, add the chopped onions and cook until just translucent.
- Deglaze the onions with the brandy, stirring. Cook off the brandy until you do not smell raw alcohol any longer.
- Add heavy cream, whole milk, salt, black pepper, ground nutmeg, and the herb sachet to the onions and bring to a boil.
- After it boils, turn the cream mixture down to medium low and cook at a simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often so it doesn't scorch on the bottom of the pan.
- Slowly whisk in the roux and stir with a whisk until blended. After the roux is blended, continue to cook on low for another 5 minutes, or until the sauce is thickened.
- Remove the sauce from the heat, remove the spice satchel and using an emersion blender, blend until smooth.
- To Finish The Mac and Cheese: Cook the two cups of dried macaroni according to package instructions. Save out ½ cup of pasta water before draining.
- Add the cooked macaroni to the bechamel sauce. Add the chicken stock, half of the Parmesan cheese and the grated cheddar cheese. Stir until noodles are blended with the sauce and nice and shiny. Add in a little of the pasta water if the mixture seems dry. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- In a medium fry pan, melt butter. Once the butter is melted add the panko bread crumbs and stir until just starting to turn a golden brown.
- Spray a 1 ½ quart or 2 quart casserole dish with non-stick spray. Turn the macaroni mixture into the casserole pan. Top with the golden brown panko crumbs and the remaining shredded Parmesan cheese.
- Bake 350 degrees for 20 – 30 minutes or until casserole is bubbly.
Notes
- Make sure you cook the macaroni al dente. Remember, the macaroni will spend some time baking in the oven. Cooking al dente before baking will insure that the pasta doesn’t become overcooked and mushy after baked.
- Why is pasta water good for pasta sauce? Don’t throw all of that pasta cooking liquid down the drain, It’s liquid gold. It’s a must to add to any sauce for any pasta dish. It’s high in starch and this salty starchy water helps the sauce cling to the pasta while helping to thicken the sauce. It turns any pasta dish into a luxurious pasta dish.
- Using room temperature milk and cream will make the bechamel sauce blend easier and quicker.
- Save some pasta water from the cooked pasta to moisten left over mac and cheese when reheating.
Nutrition
Bechamel Mac and Cheese Sauce … It’s What’s For Pasta
Why Trust These Recipes? Lea Ann Brown has lived, worked and played in Colorado for 45 years. She has immersed herself in the Colorado Culinary space, is a Culinary School Graduate and publishes her Colorado food Blog, Cooking On The Ranch.
I’m making this for dinner tonight with baby back ribs.
Thanks? Lea Ann
Sure looks like a winner from here, First time I’ve seen the Panko toasted before the oven and I like the idea.