Caramelized Onion Mac and Cheese
Servings: 4 - 6 people
Ingredients
- 300 grams pasta I used pipe rigate
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 250 grams bacon cut into small pieces
For the onions
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter (or use 2 tbsp oil)
- 4 - 5 small onions (my 5 were 850 grams in total before cut)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1.5 tablespoons balsamic glaze
For the panko topping
- 1.5 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 70 grams butter melted
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves roughly chopped
- 1 zest of a small lemon (optional)
For the cheese sauce
- 70 grams butter
- 60 grams plain flour (½ cup)
- 900 mls milk (approx 3 ¾ cups)
- 350 grams cheese (I used a split of gruyere, mozzarella and Parmesan but see notes for details)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
For the caramelized onions
- Get the onions going first, they take the longest. While they cook you can boil the pasta, make the topping and fry the bacon.
- Trim both ends off the onions then cut in half lengthways, peel, then lay each half flat and slice into ¼-inch thick half circles
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a heavy bottomed skillet or Dutch oven over a medium heat and cook the onions for 10 minutes until softened.
- Mix the salt through then lower the heat down to low and continue cooking for 40 minutes until golden and super soft. It needs to be stirred often so they don't catch and burn. The video below will really help!
- Add the balsamic glaze, mix well and continue cooking for five minutes then set aside.
For the pasta
- Boil your pasta, undercooking by 2 minutes from package instructions. Drain and then toss with a knob of butter to stop it sticking and overcooking.
For the panko topping
- Melt the butter and mix with the panko crumbs, rosemary and lemon zest and set aside.
Fry the bacon
- Heat ½ tablespoon of olive oil in large skillet and fry the bacon until crisp and golden, about 10 minutes.
- Set aside.
For the sauce
- Preheat your oven to 350f (180c).
- Make the cheese sauce in a large oven-proof skillet (I used a 32cm Le Creuset shallow casserole), or make it in a saucepan and mix everything together before transferring to a casserole dish to bake.
- Heat the butter over a medium heat and when sizzling, add the flour.
- Whisk or mix vigorously for a minute to cook the flour off.
- Lower the heat and add half of the milk in a slow stream, whisking the whole time and making sure you are getting all the flour mixture from the bottom and sides of the pan.
- Once all the flour mixture is incorporated add the rest of the milk and whisk really well. I often add the milk a cup at a time.
- Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring until it thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon. It should never be boiling.
- Remove from the heat and add the cheese in three separate lots, whisking and letting it mostly melt before adding the next lot.
- Add the cooked pasta, bacon, and half of the onions. Mix through gently.
- Check for seasoning, I added 1.5 teaspoons of black pepper and 1 teaspoon of salt. It will depend which cheeses you used.
- Pour into your baking dish and top with the remaining onions, then sprinkle the panko crumbs in an even layer over the top.
- Bake in the oven for 25 minutes until bubbling and golden.
- Let it sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
Cheese - I used a mix of gruyere, cheddar and a little bit of mozzarella (mainly for the cheese pull factor!) For an exact split I did 150 grams gruyere, 100 grams cheddar and 100 grams mozzarella). You could use any combination you like, make sure you grate the cheese fresh yourself.
Consistency - I have designed this to be quite a creamy sauce, not a slice-able mac and cheese. The cheese you use will make a difference here too. More mozzarella will mean a thicker sauce.
Pasta - I used pipe rigate but macaroni, elbows or any short pasta shape will work.
Make ahead - Assemble up to the baking stage, cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Bring it out from fridge for 20 minutes then cover with foil for first 10 minutes of baking. It may need an additional 10 mins from the 25 stated in recipe.
Seasoning - Seasoning will vary depending on the cheeses you use, saltier cheeses like Gruyère or cheddar may mean you need very little extra salt, while milder options like mozzarella will require you to taste and adjust.
Bacon - This can be substituted with pancetta for a richer and smokier result.
Baking dish - I used a 32cm enameled cast-iron shallow casserole/braiser. Any oven-proof skillet or medium casserole dish will work.