I’ve had Martha’s Stewart’s Macaroni and Cheese on regular rotation for about 20 years. That said, ratios in her recipe always bugged me, and I have countless scraps of paper where I write out what I believe is the correct amount of cheese, and countless more scraps where I adjust the amounts and then halve the recipe and then write out ratios that are adjusted and halved (dizzy yet?).
In 2025 Martha’s Macaroni and Cheese recipe was finally posted on her website. Far and away the most common complaint about the online recipe is that the amount of cheese doesn’t work. So, despite the fact that I just changed the ratios and added some toasty cheese, I think my adaptation is worth sharing. It owes everything to Martha, but also, even Martha’s recipes can sometimes evolve. Super awesome photo of Toasty Mac and Cheese taken by my friend Anny De Lafont.
Notes
Note about cheese varieties
Medium or sharp white cheddar work best for this, and I recommend a mild gruyere if your kids are at all sensitive to “stinky cheese.” We all cut corners where we prefer, but freshly grated cheese is just so much better than pre-grated. I promise, it’s worth it if you have the time.
Note about making toasty baked mac and cheese ahead of time
If you’re going to freeze this and make it later or keep it in the fridge for more than half a day, then the best thing to do is to do everything but make the bread crumbs. The bread crumbs are best when freshly added right before you cook it in the oven. (That said, you can totally freeze it with the bread crumbs and no one will complain). If you freeze this, make sure to thaw it over-night in the fridge before baking. To bake from the fridge preheat oven to 350 and bake covered in tinfoil for 30 minutes, then remove the tinfoil and bake uncovered for about another 30 minutes until it’s cooked through.
Key Ingredients
unsalted butter
whole or 2% milk
all-purpose flour
ground nutmeg
cayenne pepper or paprika
grated sharp cheese
Gruyere
macaroni pasta
Toasty Baked Mac and Cheese – Recipe
This version makes one 8×8 pan which is more than enough to feed my family of 5. I would say that this serves 6 as a main and 8 as a side. It doubles beautifully to a 9×13 pan.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3-4 slices good quality white bread hard crusts removed (softer crust can remain)
- 2 ¾ cup whole or 2% milk
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons diamond kosher salt or 1 teaspoon table salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- A few cranks of ground black pepper
- A pinch of cayenne pepper or 1/8 teaspoon paprika
- 2 and 1/4 cups shredded sharp cheese (just under 7 ounces)
- 1 cup shredded Gruyere (3 ounces)
- ½ pound medium or large macaroni
- 1 small handful flat leaf parsley or green onions to garnish (if your kids will allow it)
Step One
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Set enough salted water in a pot to boil ½ pound of macaroni. Heat on high.
Step Two
While you wait for water to come to a boil:
1) use ½ tablespoon of butter to grease your 8×8 pan. Set pan aside.
2) cut white bread into roughly 1/2 inch squares. Put bread in a medium sized bowl. Melt 1 and ½ tablespoons of butter and pour over the bread and toss bread to coat in butter. Set buttered bread squares aside.
3) Using a food processor or a box grater shred the cheddar and shred gruyere cheese. Fully mix the two cheeses together. Set cheese aside.
Step Three
Once water is boiling cook pasta 2-3 minutes short of al dente. My kids like softer pasta so I usually go with 2 minutes less then recommended on the package. If, however, if I’m making this dish a day or two ahead, I will under-cook it by 3 minutes. Once pasta is cooked to desired doneness drain pasta and rinse in cool water to stop cooking. Set pasta aside.
Step Four
Make the cheese sauce (Sauce Mornay if you’re fancy).
1) Measure out ¼ cup of flour and set aside ready to hand.
2) Warm milk in the microwave safe pitcher until it is hot but not boiling, set aside for just a moment.
3) Heat the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter on medium in a deep sauté pan or a wide bottomed pot. Once it starts to sizzle, whisk in the ¼ cup of flour. Allow flour to cook for about 60 seconds.
4) Next, slowly add a drizzle of milk (about 3 tablespoons) and whisk milk into flour mixture until incorporated. Then add about 1/3 cup more milk and whisk again. Then add about ½ cup and whisk in, then add 1 whole cup and whisk in, then you can add the remaining milk, whisk until there are no more clumps.
5) Continue whisking the sauce gently, without taking any long breaks, for about 8 minutes or until sauce thickens and bubbles. Once sauce thickens remove from heat, whisk in salt, black pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper.
6) Then add 2 and ½ cups of the mixed cheeses into the cream sauce and mix until cheese is fully incorporated.
7) Pour the ½ pound of Macaroni into the cheese sauce and stir until combined.
Step Five
Pour your Cheesy-Mac mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle half of the remaining cheese over top of the macaroni, then spread the bread crumbs over that, and top the bread crumbs with the remaining bit of cheese. Bake immediately for about 30-35 minutes until top has a golden crust and the middle is heated through. (if after 30 minutes it looks super bubbly and cooked through, you don’t have a golden crust yet, you can broil for a minute or two).
Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Keeps for about 4 days in the fridge.