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This season is full of good tidings of comfort and joy, and bellies full of comfort food. Putting together a menu for the holidays is akin to drawing up a “Best Of” list for all of our soul soothing favorite dishes. There might be a ham, or another crack at making a roast turkey. There will definitely be pies, cookies and cakes enough to send your system into a sugar shock. There will be myriad confections of chocolate, vanilla and even caramel--enough to put your dentist on high alert. There will be passed hors d’oeuvres in puff pastry and cheese trays enough to make you think twice before stepping on the scale in the morning. It is a season in which one needs no excuse to indulge.
For all the normal excess of comfort food during this time of year, this is no normal year. Christmas might be a little sparse on the material gifts this year, so the gift of a warm, comforting meal is an even more welcome present. And for all the good intentions of the holidays, the stress of present buying (especially when money is tight), relatives, and travel can be overwhelming, distracting from the spirit of the season.
So having a recipe or two on hand for a simple comfort food dinner, outside of the usual holiday fare, is the perfect antidote to the stress of the season. When you need something quick to whip up for the family before racing the kids off to Nutcracker rehearsals, nothing is much more comforting than a crowd pleasing bowl of macaroni and cheese. Not a classic holiday dish by any means, but for those weekday meals for the next few weeks before Christmas, having a stovetop recipe for Mac and Cheese that doesn’t require opening up a blue box might make this a holiday season classic after all.
There does not appear to be an archetypal form of Mac and Cheese. The varieties of ways to mix cooked noodles with cheese are as diverse as there are kinds of cheese, types of pasta, methods of cooking, and possible seasoning.
A very good friend of mine in Los Angeles, Nicole, is such a master of the art of Mac and Cheese that she travels with most of the necessary ingredients in her hatchback, including a disposable baking dish, just in case she is at a party or a friend’s house and the crowd gets an inkling for a taste of her famous dish.
Nicole likes a mix of sharp white cheddar and mild yellow cheddar melted into a roux thickened milk sauce. She flavors the sauce with any mix of cayenne, paprika, dry mustard, minced onion, and sometimes some fresh herbs. She mixes the sauce with cooked brown rice pasta which she prefers over white flour pasta for its texture once baked. She tops the whole thing with cubed buttered Challah bread for a crusty top when it comes out of the oven.
Nicole’s recipe is certainly one of my favorites, but I am also always in search of the best way to make the cheesy goodness on the stove, without having to resort to the box. One of my favorite restaurant versions of Macaroni and Cheese was at the now defunct Bora Bora in Manhattan Beach, CA. There the chef disclosed to me his secret to a stable stovetop Mac and Cheese with the right creamy consistency was a mix of five cheeses including--gasp!--Velveeta.
For my stove top Mac and Cheese I like the ideas of Nicole crunchy topping, a mix of cheeses like Bora Bora’s (minus the processed cheese), classic seasonings, and ham to make it a complete meal. Making a roux with melted butter and flour is an essential starting point to the stovetop recipe. It thickens the milk, making a basic white sauce to which paprika, dry mustard, cayenne and onion powder can easily be mixed in with the cheese. For the cheese, I will use any interesting combination of available cheese from mild cheddar, to sharp aged white cheddar, to the wonderful melting cheese, gruyere.
To achieve a similar crunchy topping to the baked mac and cheese, I make croutons by toasting cubes of bread tossed with olive oil and seasoning. After mixing the ham and cooked pasta in with the cheese sauce, I spoon up heaping bowls of piping hot Mac and Cheese topped with crisp croutons for what might be the perfect bowl of comfort, and maybe even joy.
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/amy-powell/810-gourmet-mac-and-cheese/
Tidings of Macaroni Comfort and Cheesy Joy
This season is full of good tidings of comfort and joy, and bellies full of comfort food. Putting together a menu for the holidays is akin to drawing up a “Best Of” list for all of our soul soothing favorite dishes. There might be a ham, or another crack at making a roast turkey. There will definitely be pies, cookies and cakes enough to send your system into a sugar shock. There will be myriad confections of chocolate, vanilla and even caramel--enough to put your dentist on high alert. There will be passed hors d’oeuvres in puff pastry and cheese trays enough to make you think twice before stepping on the scale in the morning. It is a season in which one needs no excuse to indulge.
For all the normal excess of comfort food during this time of year, this is no normal year. Christmas might be a little sparse on the material gifts this year, so the gift of a warm, comforting meal is an even more welcome present. And for all the good intentions of the holidays, the stress of present buying (especially when money is tight), relatives, and travel can be overwhelming, distracting from the spirit of the season.
So having a recipe or two on hand for a simple comfort food dinner, outside of the usual holiday fare, is the perfect antidote to the stress of the season. When you need something quick to whip up for the family before racing the kids off to Nutcracker rehearsals, nothing is much more comforting than a crowd pleasing bowl of macaroni and cheese. Not a classic holiday dish by any means, but for those weekday meals for the next few weeks before Christmas, having a stovetop recipe for Mac and Cheese that doesn’t require opening up a blue box might make this a holiday season classic after all.
There does not appear to be an archetypal form of Mac and Cheese. The varieties of ways to mix cooked noodles with cheese are as diverse as there are kinds of cheese, types of pasta, methods of cooking, and possible seasoning.
A very good friend of mine in Los Angeles, Nicole, is such a master of the art of Mac and Cheese that she travels with most of the necessary ingredients in her hatchback, including a disposable baking dish, just in case she is at a party or a friend’s house and the crowd gets an inkling for a taste of her famous dish.
Nicole likes a mix of sharp white cheddar and mild yellow cheddar melted into a roux thickened milk sauce. She flavors the sauce with any mix of cayenne, paprika, dry mustard, minced onion, and sometimes some fresh herbs. She mixes the sauce with cooked brown rice pasta which she prefers over white flour pasta for its texture once baked. She tops the whole thing with cubed buttered Challah bread for a crusty top when it comes out of the oven.
Nicole’s recipe is certainly one of my favorites, but I am also always in search of the best way to make the cheesy goodness on the stove, without having to resort to the box. One of my favorite restaurant versions of Macaroni and Cheese was at the now defunct Bora Bora in Manhattan Beach, CA. There the chef disclosed to me his secret to a stable stovetop Mac and Cheese with the right creamy consistency was a mix of five cheeses including--gasp!--Velveeta.
For my stove top Mac and Cheese I like the ideas of Nicole crunchy topping, a mix of cheeses like Bora Bora’s (minus the processed cheese), classic seasonings, and ham to make it a complete meal. Making a roux with melted butter and flour is an essential starting point to the stovetop recipe. It thickens the milk, making a basic white sauce to which paprika, dry mustard, cayenne and onion powder can easily be mixed in with the cheese. For the cheese, I will use any interesting combination of available cheese from mild cheddar, to sharp aged white cheddar, to the wonderful melting cheese, gruyere.
To achieve a similar crunchy topping to the baked mac and cheese, I make croutons by toasting cubes of bread tossed with olive oil and seasoning. After mixing the ham and cooked pasta in with the cheese sauce, I spoon up heaping bowls of piping hot Mac and Cheese topped with crisp croutons for what might be the perfect bowl of comfort, and maybe even joy.
Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese with Ham and Crouton Topping
Made with pasta, ciabatta bread, olive oil, salt and pepper, butter, flour, dry mustard, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt
Made with pasta, ciabatta bread, olive oil, salt and pepper, butter, flour, dry mustard, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt
Serves/Makes: 4
- 1 pound small pasta such as macaroni or small penne
- 1 loaf ciabatta bread
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon ground dry mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 2 cups packed grated cheese, mix of cheddar, gruyere, swiss or other good melting cheeses
- 1 cup diced ham
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. When water is boiling add pasta and cooked according to package directions for al dente.
Meanwhile slice ciabatta in 1/2-inch slice in then into 1/2-inch by 1/2-inch cubes. Toss bread with olive oil, some salt and pepper. Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in oven for about 10 minutes, tossing once during cooking, until toasted.
While pasta is cooking and bread toasting, make the cheese sauce. In a medium pot melt butter over low heat. Add flour and whisk to get lumps out. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes until bubbly. Whisk in mustard, paprika, cayenne, and 1/2 tsp salt. Add milk and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium heat until slight bubbly and mixture has thickened, whisking constantly. Stir in cheese, whisking until smooth and melted.
Drain pasta thoroughly once cooked. Stir pasta into cheese sauce along with diced ham. Cook for another two minutes to reheat pasta and coat all ingredients thoroughly in sauce.
To serve, dish up a large portion of pasta and top with a handful of croutons.
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©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/amy-powell/810-gourmet-mac-and-cheese/