Dolly Parton’s Baked Mac and Cheese with Golden Crust Step-by-step instructions

Before you start

Set everything out before the water boils: cheese grated, butter and flour measured, milk warmed in the microwave or a small pan for about a minute so it steams but does not boil. Butter the 9x13-inch baking dish now, so assembly is quick later.

Fill the large pot with water, salt it well and put it over high heat. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) at the same time, so it reaches temperature while the sauce comes together. With the pasta draining and the sauce finishing within minutes of each other, the whole assembly takes less than five minutes.

Instructions

Phase 1: The pasta

1. 1Boil the pasta
   Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it generously, until it tastes like the sea. Add the elbow macaroni and cook for one minute less than the package directs, stirring now and then so the pieces do not stick together. Drain in a colander and set aside while the sauce comes together.
   Look for The pasta should be just shy of tender, with a faint white dot at the center of each piece.
   Tip Undercooking by a minute keeps the pasta from turning mushy during the bake.

The macaroni should be drained and sitting in the colander, just shy of tender, with a faint white dot at the center of each piece. Taste one — it should have a definite bite, not a raw crunch.

If the pasta finishes well before the sauce, toss it with a teaspoon of the melted butter from the measured amount or a small splash of the sauce base to keep the pieces from sticking together while they wait.

Phase 2: The sauce

2. 2Start the cheese sauce
   Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk constantly for about two minutes, until the mixture smells faintly nutty and looks like wet sand. Do not let it darken; a pale roux keeps the sauce sweet and lets the cheese flavor lead.
   Look for The roux should bubble gently and smell like toasted shortbread, never burnt.
   Tip Whisk the whole two minutes; an unstirred roux catches on the bottom and tastes pasty.
3. 3Add the milk
   Pour in the warmed whole milk a cup at a time, whisking after each addition until the sauce is completely smooth before adding more. Keep the heat at a steady medium and whisk until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about five to seven minutes altogether.
   Look for The sauce should steam, not boil, and leave a thick, even film on the whisk.
   Tip Warm milk blends in without lumps; cold milk from the fridge can seize the roux.
4. 4Melt in the cheese
   Take the pan off the heat and stir in the salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add the shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack one handful at a time, stirring until each addition is fully melted before adding the next. Keep stirring until the sauce looks glossy and falls from the spatula in a slow ribbon.
   Look for The sauce should be velvety and pourable, with no visible strands of unmelted cheese.
   Tip Off-heat melting prevents the sauce from breaking and turning grainy.

The finished sauce should be glossy, smooth and pourable, falling from the spatula in a slow ribbon and coating the back of a spoon. Taste it before assembling: it should taste slightly saltier than feels right on its own, because the pasta will mellow it during the bake. If any cheese strands remain visible, keep stirring off the heat for another minute until they disappear completely.

Phase 3: The bake

5. 5Fold and assemble
   Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Fold the drained macaroni into the cheese sauce with a spatula, turning gently until every piece is coated. Scrape the mixture into a buttered 9x13-inch baking dish and spread it into an even layer, reaching into the corners so the top bakes uniformly.
   Look for Every piece of pasta should glisten with sauce, with no dry pockets at the edges.
   Tip Butter the dish well; it helps the corners lift cleanly when serving.
6. 6Top and bake
   Scatter the remaining shredded cheddar evenly over the top — about a cup, reserved from the sauce amount — so it forms the golden crust. Bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is deeply golden and the sauce bubbles vigorously at the edges of the dish.
   Look for Look for strong bubbling around the edges and a crust with a few darker golden spots.
   Tip Bake on the middle rack so the bottom heats through without burning the crust.
7. 7Rest and serve
   Let the dish rest on the counter for five minutes before scooping. This short wait lets the sauce settle into the pasta, so portions hold together instead of sliding apart. Serve straight from the dish with a spatula, scooping all the way to the bottom for the full cheese pull.
   Look for The surface should look set but still glisten, and the sauce should move slowly when the dish is tilted.
   Tip Leftovers cool for at most two hours before going into the refrigerator.

Out of the oven, the top should be deeply golden and the sauce should bubble strongly at the edges — press the side gently with a spatula and watch the bubbles rise. The center should look set but glistening. Give it five full minutes on the counter before scooping; the sauce settles into the pasta during that rest, so portions lift cleanly with long cheese pulls instead of sliding apart.

Common mistakes

The three most common slips are all easy to avoid. First, overcooking the pasta: fully cooked elbows turn mushy in the oven, so pull them a minute early. Second, boiling the cheese sauce: high heat breaks the sauce and makes it grainy, so melt the cheese off the heat and keep the milk at a gentle simmer.

Third, under-seasoning: the sauce needs the full measure of salt, since pasta dilutes flavor as it bakes. Finally, do not skip the rest; cutting in immediately lets the sauce run loose across the plate instead of holding the scoop.

How to tell it’s done

The mac and cheese is done when the top is deeply golden with a few darker spots, and the sauce bubbles vigorously around the edges of the dish — that bubbling is the sign the center has heated all the way through.

A knife inserted at the center should come out hot to the touch after a few seconds. The surface should look set and glisten with sauce, not dry or cracked. After a five-minute rest, a scoop should hold its shape while the cheese still pulls in long strands.