Macaroni & Cheese with Mushrooms & Ham
Updated February 23, 2016 
This version of macaroni & cheese is a fairly sophisticated one–full of creamy cheddar and Gruyere cheeses, mushrooms, and ham–so it’s great for wintertime entertaining. Although it’s very good with classic elbow macaroni, try making it with curly cavatappi.
Serves6 to 8
Cooking Methodbaking
CostModerate
Total Timeunder 1 hour
Make Ahead RecipeYes
Kid FriendlyYes
OccasionBuffet, Family Get-together, game day
Recipe Coursemain course
Dietary Considerationegg-free, high-calcium, peanut free, soy free
Equipmentbaking/gratin dish
Mealdinner, lunch
Moodblue
Taste and Texturebuttery, cheesy, chewy, creamy, meaty, rich, savory, spiced, umami
Type of Dishdry pasta
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the dish
- ¼ cup unbleached all purpose flour
- 2 cups warm whole milk
- 2 cups (½ pound) grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 cups (½ pound) grated Gruyere cheese
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ cups diced onion
- ½ cup white or cremini mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
- ½ cup shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
- ½ pound cooked ham, cut into ¼-inch dice
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 pound elbow macaroni or cavatappi pasta
- 4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter a 2-quart baking dish.
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Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk in the milk until thoroughly blended. Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheddar and Gruyere cheeses, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper to taste.
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Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet and add the onion and mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until softened. Add the ham and cook, stirring, about 1 minute. Stir into the cheese sauce. Stir the cream into the sauce and stir to blend well.
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Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the macaroni until al dente. Drain and return the macaroni to the pot. Add the cheese sauce and stir to blend well. Spoon the mixture into the prepared dish and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. (The dish may be prepared up to this point and refrigerated, covered, up to 8 hours ahead of time. Bring to room temperature before baking.)
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Bake until the mixture is hot and bubbling, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove and turn on the broiler. Brown the macaroni and cheese under the broiler until the top is nicely browned, about 3 minutes. Serve at once.
2008 Barbara Scott-Goodman
