Homeroom's Ultimate Macaroni And Cheese Recipe

Macaroni and cheese has been around for a good long while, but back in the day, it seemed to be something that people mostly ate at home. In the 20-teens, however, it became super-trendy to the point where there were even restaurants dedicated to the stuff. One such restaurant is Oakland, California's Homeroom, an establishment that kindly shared its classic mac and cheese recipe with us back in 2015. While credit for the recipe belongs to Homeroom's Erin Wade and Allison Arevalo, it's being prepared here by developer Katie Rosenhouse. Rosenhouse says that her household consumes a lot of macaroni and cheese, but remarks that this particular recipe, when she made it, "was a hit all around." 

Béchamel may sound like something fancy and difficult to prepare, but it's actually a pretty basic white sauce, and the one in this recipe, Rosenhouse says, "came together quickly for a creamy, cheesy mac and cheese rich in flavor and texture." She raves about the mixture of cheeses as well, saying that these make the dish "creamy and indulgent, but with more depth of flavor than your typical mac and cheese." This dish is even pretty versatile in that it can be prepared in two ways: either entirely on the stovetop or finished off in the oven. Rosenhouse opts for the latter method here in order to get the full experience of the baked version in all its crunchy-topped goodness.

Homeroom's macaroni and cheese is made using elbow macaroni, as is the case with many such recipes. It also includes other typical ingredients like milk, butter, flour, salt, and cheddar, plus it adds Pecorino Romano cheese for extra flavor. If you're making the baked version, you'll also need panko breadcrumbs for the topping.

Heat the milk in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until it just comes to a simmer. Turn off the heat and set aside.

In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.

Add the flour and whisk constantly until the mixture turns light brown in color, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

While whisking constantly, slowly add the hot milk to the flour mixture until evenly combined and smooth. It will get very thick when you first add the milk, then thin out.

Return the saucepan to medium-high heat and while whisking constantly, cook until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir in 1 tablespoon of the salt, taste, and season with additional salt if desired. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until it's almost al dente (just on the edge of being undercooked).

Drain and rinse pasta with cold water; set aside.

Place the reserved saucepan of béchamel over medium heat and stir in both cheeses just until melted and smooth.

Add the pasta and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is heated through and steaming, about 2 to 4 minutes.

If baking, transfer to a 5-quart baking dish, sprinkle with the panko, and bake on the middle rack of an oven preheated to 400 F until bubbling and brown on top, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Serve immediately.

One obvious advantage of making the stovetop version of Homeroom's macaroni and cheese is that it is ready in a shorter amount of time than the baked one. The cooking time given here, 55 minutes, is for the latter version, but it only takes 30 minutes for the kind cooked in a pot. There are a few other reasons why you might opt to finish the dish on the stove, one being that you'll have fewer dirty dishes and the other is if you prefer a smooth and creamy texture.

While Rosenhouse tells us, "I love a good stove top version of mac and cheese." She feels that "adding a panko topping is such an easy way of taking this nostalgic weeknight meal to the next level." She also notes that if you opt for the baked version, it allows you the ability to make it ahead of time. As she tells us, the macaroni and cheese can be refrigerated in its unbaked state for up to 2 days before you cook and eat it.

Rosenhouse tells us, "This mac and cheese is hearty enough to be served up as a main course," but she feels that it "would also make a great side dish." She suggests that it would go well with meatloaf or rotisserie chicken, or you could pair it with our recipes for roast chicken or smoky and sweet beef short ribs. Speaking of ribs, macaroni and cheese is also a classic barbecue side along with such dishes as cornbread, coleslaw, and potato salad. 

If you're serving it on its own, you could always add a little extra protein in the form of crumbled bacon, shredded chicken, or pulled pork (perhaps from a slow cooker). Another option would be to pair this mac and cheese with a hearty chef salad. For a lighter salad alternative, consider a green bean and tomato panzanella.

While this recipe makes a generous eight portions, Rosenhouse says you can scale this recipe up or down as desired. If you do have leftovers — or if you're hoping to make a large batch in advance — you're in luck: This recipe is perfectly suitable for make-ahead cooking.

Leftovers can be refrigerated in a sealable container for up to 3 days. If you want to freeze your leftovers, consider doing so in individual portions via freezer bags, or sealable containers with a layer of plastic wrap resting over the casserole, in order to avoid freezer burn.

If your intention is to make this in advance and enjoy another time, you can prepare the casserole up to the point of baking it, tightly wrap it in foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Just thaw and proceed with the recipe when you're ready. It might help in this case to add another 1/2 cup milk or so when making the béchamel, as the pasta will absorb some liquid as it freezes.