Galbani® Baked Mac & Cheese
25 min
PREP TIME
15 min
TOTAL TIME
Easy
COOKING SKILL
8
SERVING SIZE
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. + 2 tsp. Kosher salt
- 1 lb. Elbow macaroni
- 3 Large egg whites
- ½ cup Unsalted butter, plus more for greasing ramekins
- ½ Medium onion, finely chopped
- ⅓ cup All-purpose flour
- 3 ½ cups Whole milk
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1 Sprig fresh thyme
- 9 Black peppercorns
- ¼ tsp. Ground nutmeg
- ½ cup Galbani Mascarpone
- 6 oz. Galbani Premio Mozzarella
- 6 oz. Galbani Parmesan, grated
- 6 oz. Galbani Bel Paese
- 6 oz. Galbani Pecorino Romano
- 1 cup Garlic bread crumbs (recipe follows)
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Truffle oil, for drizzling
Garlic Bread Crumbs
- 5 oz. Country-style white bread, crusts removed (about 3 thick slices)
- 2 Large garlic cloves, minced or pushed through a garlic press
- ½ tsp. Kosher salt
- ¼ tsp. Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 ½ tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Butter 4 ramekin bowls. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Bring a large pot of water with 1 tablespoon of salt to a boil. Add pasta and stir just until water returns to a boil. Cook until just al dente, drain, shaking well. Meanwhile, beat egg whites to stiff peaks with an electric hand mixer.
- To begin making cheese sauce (steps 3 – 5), melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook until softened. Sprinkle flour over onion and stir constantly for 2 minutes. Don’t allow flour to brown. Add 1 cup of milk a little at a time, stirring constantly. Stir until smooth, then add bay leaf, thyme, peppercorns, remaining 2 teaspoons of salt, and 2 ½ cups of milk.
- Increase heat to medium-high and continue stirring frequently until liquid reaches a boil. Don’t let it boil over. Boil for 1 minute, then reduce heat to low so milk barely simmers, and continue to cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes more.
- Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes, and then strain through a sieve into a very large bowl, working onions back and forth with a rubber spatula to extract all the liquid possible. Immediately stir in plenty of pepper, the nutmeg, and all cheeses, stirring until just melted.
- Stir cooked macaroni into the cheese mixture, then fold in beaten egg whites. Spoon mixture into ramekins, mounding slightly, and top each with a big pinch of bread crumbs.
- Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, until cheese is quietly sizzling and bread crumbs are golden. Let cool for 5 minutes, drizzle with truffle oil, and serve.
Garlic Bread Crumbs
- Pulse bread in a food processor until it becomes coarse crumbs.
- Toss crumbs with garlic, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl until thoroughly combined. Add olive oil and work vigorously with a rubber spatula to force oil into crumbs.