Baked Four Cheese Mac and Cheese With Crunchy Bread Crumbs
Baked four cheese mac and cheese with bread crumbs is the ultimate comfort food. A creamy cheese sauce made with Fontina, sharp cheddar, asiago, and parmesan coats tender pasta, then gets topped with golden, crunchy bread crumbs. Perfect for holidays, weeknight dinners, or served alongside barbecue ribs and chicken parmesan, this homemade mac and cheese is rich, cozy, and family‑friendly.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
Topping
- 3 slices dry sandwich bread with crusts
- ½ cup grated Parmigiana-Reggiano
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Pasta
- 1 pound Pasta
- 1 cup Parmigiana-Reggiano
- 1 cup grated sharp cheddar
- 1 cup grated Italian Fontina
- 1 cup grated Asiago
- 1 pound penne pasta
- 1 Tablespoon salt for water
- ½ teaspoon salt for sauce
- 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- 1 ½ cups half and half
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Start preheating the oven to 500℉.
Topping
- For the topping, pulse the bread in a food processor until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs; transfer to a small bowl and stir in the the parmigiana, salt and pepper and set aside.
Pasta
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season generously with salt.
- When the water reaches a boil, add pasta.
- In a large bowl, combine the cheeses and set aside.
- Take a small saucepan and melt the butter over medium-low heat.
- Whisk in the flour until no lumps remain, (about 30 seconds).Slowly whisk in the half and half and increase heat.
- Bring the mix to a boil and reduce to a simmer and cook for about 1 minute (to cook out the taste of the flour).
- Stir in the remaining salt and pepper and add the cheese.
- Stir until it is mixed and smooth. Turn off heat.
- When the pasta is completely cooked, Keep 1/4 cup pasta water.
- Drain the pasta and add to a large bowl with the pasta water.
- Add the cheese and cream mixture until the pasta is covered evenly.
- Pour into a 9x13 or 8x8 baking dish and sprinkle evenly with bread crumb mixture, pressing down lightly.
- Bake until topping is golden brown – about 7 minutes.