Before Thanksgiving this past year, I experimented with baking stuffing on a jelly roll pan. Many of you, I imagine, understand the thought process: Why limit the best part of the stuffing to a single layer? Why not make the entire stuffing taste like the crispy bits bobbing at the top? The stuffing came out well — not well enough to share with you — but I’m hoping to have that taken care of before this November. The experiment, however, made me want to bake everything (within reason — bread pudding, pasta gratin, etc.) on a sheet pan and thus far, I’ve had one success: this mac n’ cheese. And when I tell you there’s no going back, I mean it. When baked on a sheet pan, the ratio of topping to noodles increases by at least half, ensuring that buttery breadcrumbs fill every bite. In this mac n’ cheese, blistered cubes of mozzarella peek through a golden, herb-speckled topping, stretching with every pull of the fork, clinging relentlessly to the layer of crispy crumbs. It tastes — not that this was the goal — surprisingly light and looks surprisingly elegant or as elegant as macaroni and cheese can. It’s the slab pie, the brownie edge, the grilled cheese frico of mac n’ cheese, and I think you and any Super Bowl guests you find at your house this Sunday will approve.
Are you not feeling so daring? If so, this is a more traditional mac n’ cheese, my favorite before discovering the sheet pan variation. It’s a no-boil recipe and super easy to throw together.
5 from 4 reviews
