Check out this ridiculously creamy homemade mac and cheese recipe that features real cheese yet doesn't separate when reheated!
What is more Wisconsin than homemade mac and cheese? Well, beer I suppose. And cheese curds. And perhaps brats. Ehh, never mind. Who asked you anyway?
If you have ever made mac and cheese from scratch you know the biggest downfall of all: It separates into a gritty oily goo when reheated. It no longer tastes like homemade mac and cheese; it tastes like gritty buttered noodles.
Why Does Mac and Cheese Separate?
The problem is when it is reheated the cheese melts at too high of a temperature causing the oil to separate. Some people recommend reheating slowly in the oven or on low in the microwave, however, this only provides marginal results at best. I have tried multiple reheating methods and though they do minimize ‘some’ of the oil, the mac and cheese never resumes its once creamy goodness.
To prevent homemade mac and cheese from separating, you need a secret ingredient: Velveeta {Collective GASPS}, or Cream Cheese both work well.
I know, I know. No one hates Velveeta more than me, but Velveeta provides the binding power needed to keep all of the real cheeses together in your recipe. The key is to only add enough Velveeta for its binding power and not to take away from the flavor of the real cheeses in the recipe. Otherwise, I have also had great success using cream cheese instead.
What is the Best Cheese for Mac and Cheese
Many macaroni and cheese recipes simply use cheddar cheese. Though I firmly believe cheddar is essential for any classic mac and cheese, using it alone makes the dish far too one-dimensional. You NEED more than one cheese to provide a more rounded, complex, flavor.
A mixture of sharp cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack cheese makes the best mac and cheese. Why? Sharp cheddar provides that sharp tang that you would expect from a good mac and cheese and Monterey Jack cheese provides the mellow creaminess that gives you that classic comfort food feeling. Their combination is pure poetry.
How to Reheat Mac and Cheese
So you’ve made the mac and cheese, served it with dinner and somehow you have leftovers. No problem! Just scoop out the portion that you want to reheat, place it in the microwave (affiliate link) for ~1 minute, or until starting to get warm and then take it out and stir a couple of splashes of milk into it (I use about 2 tablespoon milk per bowl). The reason you are adding milk is because as the mac and cheese cools it soaks up a lot of the moisture that was in the cheese sauce. As a result, when you reheat it the sauce will still taste good but there will not be enough moisture in it to be creamy again. Adding milk will return it to its creamy form.
Just remember, the key when adding the milk is to add a little bit at a time as you stir it in. You can always add more if needed. Once it is creamy as you desire put it back in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until it is heated through.
If you know you are going to be reheating it, feel free to keep breadcrumbs on the side until it has been reheated.
Homemade Mac and Cheese Recipe that Doesn’t Separate when Reheated
Ingredients
- 16 oz elbow macaroni
- 8 tablespoon butter (divided)
- 6 tablespoon flour
- 2 cup milk
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar (8oz)
- 1 ½ cups shredded Monterey Jack (6 oz)
- 4 oz Velveeta (or substitute cream cheese)
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper (white pepper is ideal if you want it to blend into the sauce)
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan Cheese
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Bring large pot of salted water to a boil and add macaroni. Cook until al dente then drain and set aside.
- Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a pot and slowly add flour to make a light blond roux, about 4 minutes. Stir continuously to prevent burning.
- Gradually add milk and cream to roux. Once all milk is blended with flour, add cheeses in small batches at a time, ensuring each batch is melted into the sauce before more cheese is added. Finally, melt Velveeta into the sauce, stiring to combine.
- Add seasonings to the sauce and stir in cooked macaroni.
- Place breadcrumbs and 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan on medium heat and stir to ensure crumbs are coated with butter. Cook until crumbs are starting to brown. Remove from pan and mix with shredded Parmesan cheese.
- Sprinkle buttered breadcrumbs and Parmesan mixture over mac and cheese and place under broiler in oven safe pan until crumbs brown.
- Remove from oven, let cool briefly and serve.
Notes
Nutritional Information
This post was originally published on FoxValleyFoodie.com November 29, 2014.
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Kim
When you say cream what do you mean? My mom (from the south) cream is evaporated milk. I’ve also used heavy whipping cream? Which should I use?
Fox Valley Foodie
Heavy whipping cream is correct. Thanks for bringing that to my attention, I updated the recipe for clarification.
Erin
Followed direction to a tee and my sauces is not thick!
Fox Valley Foodie
I have never run into an issue with the sauce being too thin, however it is a pretty easy fix. If you just simmer the sauce longer before adding the noodles it will thicken as moisture cooks out of it.
Dan from Platter Talk
Loving the combos of cheese in this comfort classic! Now, a beer and a brat would make this meal complete!