alternatives to bread crumbs to make mac n cheese crispy

Transfer the panko to a paper towel–lined plate and season with ½ teaspoon of salt. Once the butter has melted, add the panko and stir until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish or 3-quart baking dish with ½ tablespoon of butter.Īdd 3 tablespoons of butter to a large pan over medium heat. While you could eat it as soon as the pasta and sauce gets mixed together, I prefer to bake mine with a blanket of crispy panko for some textural contrast.ĥ cups roasted cauliflower (from 1 large cauliflower)ġ 16-ounce box of rigatoni, cooked according to package instructions until al dente

I don’t believe in feeling guilty about eating indulgent food, but the addition of roasted cauliflower does make this mac & cheese feel a bit more rounded out. The béchamel is infused with garlic, smoked paprika, and ground mustard for depth of flavor, and I’ve added turmeric to get that classic Kraft orange color. In this version, I’ve added three cheeses - cheddar, Gruyère, and Parmigiano-Reggiano - which add the perfect balance of meltiness, saltiness, and nuttiness. It’s the mac & cheese I’ve compared all other versions to, and the one I’ve based my own recipe on from memory. Once a year, my mom would make Martha Stewart’s baked mac & cheese, which always felt like a special occasion. I didn’t grow up in a mac & cheese household - I don’t think I tasted the Kraft version until I was well into my 20s. Making bread is fun, right? Find more of my copycat recipes for famous bread here.As I was sitting by the fire last night lamenting about the sun setting at 4:45, I had an unrelenting craving for mac & cheese. So if you like Bob Evans Banana Nut Bread Loaf, you'll love this new recipe hack.

This upgraded recipe calls for old-school wholesome ingredients, and it produces a moist, delicious banana bread loaf that tastes like the real thing-and maybe even a little bit better. But I have to assume that there was once a time when these delicious loaves were made with more real banana, and with real butter instead of the less expensive margarine that is used in the loaves today. So the banana taste in the loaf appears to come from artificial banana flavoring. In fact, banana is the second-to-last ingredient, just before water. When I checked out the ingredients for the Banana Nut Bread Loaf-the most popular baked item at Bob Evans Farms-I was surprised to discover that the banana bread has very little real banana in it.

Alternatives to bread crumbs to make mac n cheese crispy