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Make-Ahead Macaroni and Cheese
This baked macaroni and cheese is designed to be prepped a day in advance. Heavy cream, fontina, and Monterey Jack create a rich base that absorbs into the pasta overnight. A quick homemade breadcrumb topping adds a crispy texture right before baking. It is a reliable choice for holiday dinners or entertaining when you need to save time in the kitchen.
Ingredients
- 10 oz. uncooked elbow macaroni
- 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
- 3½ cups heavy whipping cream
- ⅛ tsp. ground nutmeg
- 2 cups shredded fontina cheese, divided
- 1½ cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
- 1¼ tsp. kosher salt, divided, plus more for salting water
- 1 tsp. black pepper, divided
- 5 white bread slices
- 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
- 1Boil a large pot of salted water. Cook the elbow macaroni for 4 minutes so it remains partially uncooked. Drain the pasta and spread it out on a rimmed baking sheet to cool for 10 minutes.
- 2Coat a 13 by 9 inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon of butter.
- 3Put the cooled pasta back into the pot. Mix in the heavy cream, nutmeg, 1 cup of fontina, 3/4 cup of Monterey Jack, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 3/4 teaspoon of black pepper until thoroughly combined.
- 4Transfer the pasta mixture into the buttered baking dish. Scatter the remaining 1 cup of fontina and 3/4 cup of Monterey Jack evenly over the top. Cover the dish and chill in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours.
- 5Take the baking dish out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before you plan to bake it. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 6Put the white bread slices into a food processor. Pulse 6 to 8 times to create coarse crumbs.
- 7Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter in a microwave safe bowl on high power for about 30 seconds.
- 8Add the fresh breadcrumbs, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper to the melted butter. Toss the mixture to coat the crumbs evenly.
- 9Remove the cover from the baking dish and scatter the buttered breadcrumbs evenly across the top of the casserole.
- 10Bake the casserole in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes until the topping turns golden brown. Garnish with the chopped fresh parsley before serving.