Description
This Baked Mac and Cheese with a crunchy Cheez-It crust is a comforting and cheesy twist on the classic mac and cheese. Creamy cheddar and Swiss cheese blend into a smooth sauce enveloping tender macaroni noodles, topped with a buttery, crispy Cheez-It cracker crust baked to golden perfection.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta
- 16 ounces uncooked macaroni noodles
Cheese Sauce
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (approximately 2 ¼ cups)
- 8 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded (approximately 2 ¼ cups)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, divided
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour (or substitute 2 tablespoons cornstarch)
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 3-4 dashes hot sauce (or ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper)
- 3 cups half and half (or whole milk)
Crust
- 2 cups Cheez-It crackers
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (part of the total ½ cup)
- ¼ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (reserved from above)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F to prepare for baking the mac and cheese.
- Cook Macaroni: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil on the stovetop. Add the macaroni noodles and cook according to the package directions until just tender. Drain the noodles and set aside.
- Shred Cheese: While the pasta cooks, shred the sharp cheddar and Swiss cheese and set aside.
- Make Roux: Place a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add ¼ cup unsalted butter and let it melt completely. Whisk in the ¼ cup all-purpose flour until it forms a smooth roux. Season with salt, black pepper, mustard powder, and hot sauce. Cook, whisking constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes to develop flavors.
- Add Dairy: Reduce heat to medium-low. Slowly pour in the half and half while whisking continuously to avoid lumps. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, stirring often to thicken the sauce.
- Melt Cheese: Stir in 2 cups of the shredded cheddar cheese (reserve ¼ cup for topping) and all of the Swiss cheese. Stir until all the cheese is fully melted and the sauce is creamy and smooth. Remove from heat.
- Combine Pasta and Sauce: Stir the cooked macaroni noodles into the cheese sauce until evenly coated. Transfer the mixture to a greased 9×13 inch baking dish, spreading it out evenly.
- Prepare Crust: Place Cheez-It crackers in a large zipper bag and crush them using a rolling pin or pulse in a food processor until finely crushed. In a medium bowl, melt the remaining ¼ cup of unsalted butter and combine it with the crushed crackers and the reserved ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese. Mix well.
- Add Topping: Evenly sprinkle the Cheez-It and cheese crumb mixture over the macaroni cheese in the baking dish.
- Bake: Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes until bubbly and the crust is golden.
- Optional Broil: For an extra crispy crust, switch your oven to broil on high for the last 2 minutes of baking. Watch carefully to prevent burning.
Notes
- You can substitute whole milk for half and half for a lighter sauce.
- All-purpose flour can be replaced with cornstarch (use 2 tablespoons) for a gluten-free roux.
- Adjust the amount of hot sauce or cayenne pepper to control spice level.
- Use freshly shredded cheese for better melting compared to pre-shredded cheese.
- For a vegetarian version, ensure the cheeses used are made without animal rennet.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated; add a splash of milk when reheating to restore creaminess.
