A gooey cheesy macaroni and cheese straight from the oven is a surefire crowd pleaser.
If you’re looking to indulge ASAP, the New York Times Cooking section has a tried-and-true recipe for you. One of their most popular recipes comes from Pulitzer Prize-winning food writer Julia Moskin.
Her creamy macaroni and cheese recipe has one “powerful advantage” for home cooks – you don’t need to boil the pasta. Instead, the pasta cooks straight in the dish, absorbing all the cheesy goodness in the oven.
Thousands of cooks – and that’s no exaggeration, there are over 15,000 reviews – are fans of the recipe. It’s held onto its five-star rating, with reviews going back seven years.
The most upvoted review says it’s their “go-to” macaroni and cheese but with just one change – omitting the added salt. It reads: “It was way too salty with it. Here is a helpful hint: if you combine all ingredients in your baking dish in the morning, and let it sit in the fridge during the day, it will cook in half the time.”
Creamy macaroni and cheese
By Julia Moskin via NYT Cooking
Ingredients
Serves: 6 to 8 people
- 2 tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (225g) cottage cheese (not low-fat)
- 2 cups (470ml) milk (not skimmed)
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- Pinch of ground cayenne
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound (450g) sharp or extra-sharp Cheddar, grated
- 1/2 pound (225g) elbow pasta, uncooked
Method
- Heat oven to 190C/375F degrees and position an oven rack in upper third of oven. Use one tablespoon butter to grease a 9-inch round or square baking pan.
- In a blender, purée cottage cheese, milk, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg and salt and pepper. Reserve ¼ cup grated Cheddar for topping. In a large bowl, combine remaining grated Cheddar, milk mixture and uncooked pasta. Pour into prepared pan, cover tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes.
- Uncover pan, stir gently, sprinkle with reserved cheese and dot with remaining tablespoon butter. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes more, until browned. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.