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Up close shot of baked mac and cheese with breadcrumbs.

The Ultimate Baked Mac and Cheese Gratin

This is the ultimate baked mac and cheese recipe! This "au gratin" style mac and cheese is creamy without any gritty cheese sauce, which is often in so many mac and cheese recipes. It's topped with homemade smashed croutons for a nice creamy, crunchy balance.
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*Easily adjust serving size to your liking by clicking the number under servings or with the boxes below in the ingredients section.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
cooling time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American, French
Servings 10 as a side dish
Calories 675 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound Small Shell Pasta 1 box
  • ½ cup Butter 1 stick, divided
  • 4 tablespoon All-purpose flour
  • 2 cups Whole milk
  • 8 ounces Cream Cheese 1 block
  • 3 cups Heavy Cream
  • 1½ teaspoon Kosher Salt or to taste, plus more for boiling pasta
  • ¼ teaspoon white pepper
  • ⅛ teaspoon Nutmeg fresh grated
  • 6 cups Fontina cheese (about two 8 oz blocks) grated, divided, see note 8

For the Smashed Croutons

  • 4 cups Sourdough Bread sliced, about 3-4 slices, cut into ½ inch cubes
  • ¼ cup Olive Oil
  • 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning or Herbs de Provence

Instructions
 

  • Make the Croutons: Preheat the oven to 375℉ (190℃) and adjust the rack to center. Cut the bread into ½-inch cubes and spread them on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Using clean hands, gently squeeze the oil and seasoning into the bread cubes. Arrange them in a single layer and bake for 15–20 minutes, flipping halfway through, until they are golden and crisp. While the croutons cook, make the pasta.
    How to make croutons for the crispy topping.
  • Cook the pasta: Cook the pasta according to package directions, but just slightly under al dente, it should have a nice bite without tasting raw (it will cook more with the sauce in the oven.) Immediately drain, dry, and allow the pasta to cool slightly to prevent carry-over cooking. See note 7.
    Cooling pasta in a casserole dish.
  • Make the cream sauce: In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, saute ¼ cup butter and ¼ flour over medium heat to make a pale roux. While whisking, cook for at least 1 minute to remove the raw flour taste, but don't allow it to brown. While whisking continuously, slowly add the milk and cook over medium until it bubbles and thickens. It should coat the back of a spoon without running.
    Making roux in a Dutch oven and cream sauce.
  • Add cream cheese: Working quickly, cut the cream cheese into chunks, add to the sauce, and whisk until smooth.
    Adding cream cheese to cream sauce.
  • Add cream and season: Add heavy cream and drop the temperature to medium-low.  Whisk for 1-2 minutes or until the sauce coats the back of a spoon without dripping. (You don't want it too thick as it will thicken when cooked with the pasta.) Turn the heat down to low and whisk in the salt, white pepper, and nutmeg.  Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. See note 2. Then, remove from the heat.  
    Adding cream and spices to cream sauce and showing how thick it should be on back of a spoon.
  • Put it together: Grate the cheese. In a 9x13 baking dish, using clean hands, mix the cooled pasta with 3 cups of shredded fontina cheese. See note 5. Carefully pour the cream sauce over the pasta. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix to ensure all the pasta is covered in the sauce.
    Mixing cheese with pasta and pouring cream sauce over the pasta in a baking dish.
  • Top and bake: Add the croutons to a zip lock bag and gently smash with a meat mallet or rolling pin. In an even layer, top the mac and cheese with 3 cups of cheese, then the smashed croutons. Finally, top with small pats of the remaining ¼ cup butter. Bake at 375℉ (190℃) for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly and golden.  Cool for 10 minutes before serving. 
    Smashing breadcrumbs and topping the baked mac and cheese with cheese, croutons and butter.

Notes

    1. Cook the pasta just shy of al dente. Taste the pasta while it boils. Make sure it has a little salt flavor, if not, add more salt to the pasta water. It's ready when it has a little bite but no longer tastes raw. It will cook more while it bakes.
    2. Season well. - season both the pasta water and cream sauce well.  The cream sauce should taste a little saltier than you would normally want. The pasta will absorb some salt during the baking process.
    3. Don't skip the cream cheese. The cream cheese thickens the cream sauce but also binds the sauce together. Cream sauces can break (turn into oily messes when cooked at a high temperature), using the cream cheese ensures the sauce will stay creamy when baked in the oven without getting oily and chunky.
    4. Don't skip the heavy cream. Part of what makes this recipe so good is the extra heavy cream used in the sauce.
    5. Mix the cheese with the pasta, not with the sauce. This is one BIG secret to creamy mac and cheese without a gritty texture.
    6. Make your croutons. You can use store-bought croutons, but they won't be as good. Trust me, take the time to make the croutons. It only takes a few extra minutes and is well worth your time.
    7. If you think you may have overcooked your pasta, drain it right away, then spread it out on a sheet pan or two to cool quickly. (The more spread out the pasta, the faster it cools.) When doing large batches of this mac and cheese, I put the sheet pans of pasta in front of a fan to cool even faster. 
    8. The cheese you use matters! I have found that a semi-soft fontina cheese works the best in the recipe. Many cheeses don't melt well and will ruin the texture of your mac and cheese. See cheese recommendations below for a few more ideas. Use cheese in blocks or wedges and grate it yourself. Pre-shredded cheese is covered in anti-caking agents and can create a gritty texture.
        • Semi-soft fontina (domestic): The one I always use for this recipe! It's mild in flavor and super creamy. There is zero gritty texture with this cheese. You can find it at Trader Joe's. It has a red wax coating. I find it's the best quality for the price.
        • Medium cheddar or mild cheddar. Don't use sharp cheddar, unless you just put it on top. Sharp cheddar can get gritty.
        • Colby Jack
        • Monterey Jack
        • Semi-soft Swiss.
  1. MAKE AHEAD INSTRUCTIONS: Cook the pasta and prepare the cream sauce. Prepare as directed in step 6, but don't top or bake it yet. Cover and Refrigerate: Place the unbaked gratin in a tightly covered, oven-safe dish and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When ready to bake, remove from the refrigerator, continue at step 7, then bake as directed.
  1.  

Nutrition

Serving: 4ozCalories: 675kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 33gFat: 39gSaturated Fat: 29gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 22gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 226mgSodium: 1198mgPotassium: 345mgFiber: 2gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 2443IUVitamin C: 0.4mgCalcium: 587mgIron: 2mg
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