Sheet pan mac and cheese
Creamy mac and cheese spread thin on a sheet pan so every scoop gets a crispy, cheesy, golden edge.
- 50 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 6
- About $1.31 a serving
- 710 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 6 servings.
- ¼ cup butter, divided
- 3 cups cheddar cheese, grated, divided
- 1 lb elbow macaroni
- 3½ cups milk
- ½ tsp ground mustard
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp salt, plus 1 tsp
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Each serving has about 710 calories, 29 g protein, 72 g carbs and 33 g fat, and costs about $1.31 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No cheddar cheese? Shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese or Mexican blend cheese works.
- No elbow macaroni? Penne works.
- No milk? Half-and-half works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 425°F and rub a with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon salt, and over high heat.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Sheet pan. A sheet pan is a flat metal baking tray with a low rim all the way around. The rim catches juices, and the wide surface lets food spread out and brown.
How you’ll know: Everything fits in one layer with a little space between the pieces.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
the cheddar while the water heats.
Grate. Grating means rubbing food across the holes of a grater to make fine shreds or flakes. It spreads cheese, garlic or ginger evenly through a dish so it melts right in.
How you’ll know: Even shreds fall off the back of the grater, and you stop while the piece is still big enough to hold.
Cook the macaroni 2 minutes less than the package says, then it.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
High heatTimer: 6 min
the rest of the butter in the empty pot over medium heat, whisk in the flour, and cook 1 minute, .
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Medium heatTimer: 1 min
Slowly pour in the milk, the whole time, and cook 6 to 8 minutes, whisking often, until it bubbles and .
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Thicken. Thickening means cooking a sauce or soup until it’s less runny, by simmering it down or adding something like cornstarch. A thicker sauce clings to food instead of pooling on the plate.
How you’ll know: It coats the back of a spoon, and a line drawn through it with your finger holds its shape.
Medium heatTimer: 7 min
Dolly’s tip: Add the milk a little at a time at first and whisk it smooth. That’s all it takes to stop lumps.Take the pot off the heat and stir in 2 cups cheddar, the mustard, garlic powder, smoked paprika, pepper and 1 teaspoon salt until smooth. Stir in the macaroni.
Spread it in an even layer on the . the panko with the oil and scatter it over the top with the rest of the cheddar.
Sheet pan. A sheet pan is a flat metal baking tray with a low rim all the way around. The rim catches juices, and the wide surface lets food spread out and brown.
How you’ll know: Everything fits in one layer with a little space between the pieces.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
15 to 18 minutes, until the edges are crispy and deep .
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Timer: 16 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: The edges are the prize. If they’re still pale, give it a couple more minutes.Let it cool 5 minutes, then cut into squares and serve.
Timer: 5 min
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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