Macaroni and Cheese

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Show: Everyday ItalianEpisode: Pasta Potluck

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (559)

Cook Time:
25 min
Level:
Easy
Yield:
6 servings

Times:

Prep: 10 min
Inactive Prep: 10 min
Cook: 25 min
Total:: 45 min

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Ingredients

Butter, for greasing dish
12 ounces wide egg noodles
2 cups heavy cream
2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for pasta water
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups (packed) grated Fontina
3/4 cup (packed) finely grated Parmesan
3/4 cup (packed) grated mozzarella
4 ounces cooked ham, diced, optional
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Butter a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Drain well, but do not rinse.

Whisk the cream, milk, flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper in large bowl to blend. Stir in 1 cup Fontina, 1/2 cup Parmesan, 1/2 cup mozzarella, ham, if using, and parsley. Add the noodles and toss to coat. Transfer the noodle mixture to the prepared baking dish. Toss the remaining 1 cup Fontina, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and 1/4 cup mozzarella in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the noodle mixture. Bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheese melts and begins to brown on top, about 20 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Macaroni and Cheese
Gail Arlington Heights, IL 02-08-2010
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Yummy Mac and Cheese
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I made this dish for a Super Bowl party and it was a hit. My only changes were to make it with elbow macaroni because that's... what I had on hand; and I added about 1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar which I mixed into the dish and sprinkled on top for color. I believe I added about 5 minutes to cook time, but watch closely as it could burn quickly at 450 degrees. It's a winner! Thanks, Giada.Read more
recipe Macaroni and Cheese
JAMIE Plantation, FL 01-30-2010
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bluck
Rated: 1 stars out of 5

Terrible...
recipe Macaroni and Cheese
Sarah Fowlerville, MI 01-26-2010
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FIrst homemade mac-n-cheese I liked
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Followed the recipe up until the cheeses only because I couldn't afford the Fontina cheese. I ended up using a 6 cheese... finely shredded Italian blend including mozzarella, provolone, asiago, fontina, parmesan, and romano. I used 4 cups of cheese instead of the 3 1/2 the recipe calls for though I did it only because of the other reviews saying that they added more or that it needed more but after cooking I don't think I actually needed to add the extra cheese. I do think it would have turned out better if I had the cheese in grated form but I worked with what I had. Will definitely make this again! Read more
recipe Macaroni and Cheese
PATRICIA TUSTIN, CA 01-26-2010
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AMAZING
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

THIS IS THE BEST MAC AND CHEESE EVER I TOTALLY RECOMMENDED 100%. I MADE THIS FOR MY FIRST FAMILY DINNER AND EVERYBODY... LOVED IT!! Read more
recipe Macaroni and Cheese
Sean Cypress, TX 01-20-2010
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Not your ordinary, but EXTRAORDINARY!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

We made this for our family for thanksgiving and all we heard during prep and cooking was that it did not look like mac and... cheese and we were met with resistance. However, after dinner we noticed, of course after everyone loved it, there were NO leftovers of the mac and cheese. It was an amazing hit, easy to make and taste incredible! You must try this recipe!!!Read more
recipe Macaroni and Cheese
Deneane WHITING , NJ 01-19-2010
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Excellent - easily made gluten free too
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I have recently been diagnosed with Celiac disease in the last year. The only way to get my young daughter to eat Tuna was... to make tuna casserole - I used to use actual KD with mushroom soup and cheese...the easy way. The thing is this was the quick dinner before soccer. Now it seems any tuna casserole I have made takes forever to make from scratch...it is no longer the quick dinner before soccer practice..until now. I was skeptical with all the milk and so little flour but I trust you Giada...and good thing I did. This was quick and easy - I added tuna instead of ham and some peas....everything else right to the recipe. Unbelievably good. My husband wasn't hungry and had a bite of my daughters....all of a sudden had an appetite and ate almost 1/3 of the dish. He isn't a big eater. Top Notch. I have never rated a recipe before but this one take first prize. Thanks GiadaRead more