No dish feels more like a big hug than baked mac & cheese. It’s perfect for bringing a cozy warmth to a cold winter’s day and not out of place when the air has just a wisp of chill. Endlessly versatile and decadently creamy, it’s a sure crowd pleaser, so why not make it every chance you get? Weekend meals, holidays, or just because, you don’t really need a reason to make mac & cheese. Did I mention it’s also perfect for leftovers?
But you already knew this, didn’t you? That’s why you’re here. And that’s why I wrote this mac & cheese recipe.
Years ago, I was in search of a baked mac & cheese that I could make my own. Something that was both new and familiar at the same time. Something that would eat like a meal, but also feel like a heavenly, savory dessert.
Enter baked mac & cheese with Swiss chard and pancetta.
I started with developing a cheese sauce you’d want to eat straight from the pot, and of course that starts with pork belly! Pancetta to be exact, but you could use bacon as well (or even prosciutto). The point here is to use small chunks of fatty, flavorful meat to be the base of your sauce. From there, you build upon that base by adding onion, garlic, and crushed red pepper.
(Optional) You can also step your base up even more at this point by adding a tablespoon of tomato paste, stirring for a minute, and then deglazing the pan with ¼ cup of dry white wine and simmering until almost all the liquid is gone.
Now it’s time for the roux. This one is a bit different from a typical roux because there are already ingredients (and fat) in the pan, so it’s a bit difficult to make the proportions exact. With that said, many recipes make a roux in this manner, especially sauces that start with sautéing ingredients.
For this type of sauce, you’re looking for a blonde roux. You want just enough color on it to ensure that the flour is cooked, nothing more. Once your roux is ready, slowly pour in your milk. This should start off looking very thick and become like a creamy soup by the end.
Cheese time! I like using three cheeses of varying texture and flavor for added complexity. In this recipe, there’s a smokey, a sharp, and a creamy cheese, but you can change these up to suit your desires. Just throw them in, stir until melted, and season. Then mix in your choice of cooked pasta. I usually go with elbows or small shells.
I love adding a leafy green to this for two reasons: it makes it a more rounded meal and putting it in the middle makes for a fun visual. To get the proper effect, it’s best to use a deep, glass baking dish that’s around 9″x9”.
You’ll want to lightly grease the baking dish with butter or oil so it won’t stick to the pan. Then pour in half of the pasta mixture, smooth the top, and add some shredded cheddar. Now comes the blanched, chopped leafy greens. The rest of the pasta mixture goes on top of that.
From the side, you should see some nice stratification. Now, just top it with a layer of toasted breadcrumbs. I like to use panko to keep it on the lighter side. I also stir in some parsley and parmesan after it’s toasted. After topping the dish with the breadcrumbs, I sprinkle on some whole cumin seeds for an extra zing.
Basically everything in this recipe can be subbed for another based on preference, season, and availability. And that’s part of the fun! You should definitely change up the cheese, the greens, add different herbs, etc. That way, it will never get boring and you can practice building favor profiles as well.
Mac & Cheese with Pancetta and Swiss Chard
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons butter, divided
- Kosher salt
- 1½ pounds Swiss chard, stems and center ribs removed
- 1 pound pasta
- 1½ cups panko
- ½ cup Italian parsley, chopped
- 4 ounces pancetta, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup onion, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 3½ cups (or more, if needed) whole milk
- 2 cups smoked cheddar, divided
- 1¼ cup grated parmesan, divided
- 10 ounces brie, cubed
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter/oil a deep, square glass baking dish.
- Step 2 Blanch chard in a large pot of boiling, salted water until tender, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chard to a plate to cool. Reserve the pot of water. Once cool, squeeze water from chard and chop finely.
- Step 3 Bring the reserved water to a boil. Cook pasta until just tender, but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain well. Return pasta to pot.
- Step 4 Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add panko and stir until very light golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Stir in parsley and ¼ cup of parmesan.
- Step 5 Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pancetta and sauté until crisp, about 6 minutes. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add crushed red pepper and garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Step 6 Stir in 3 tablespoons butter and allow to melt, then add flour and stir for 2 minutes to develop the roux. Gradually whisk in 3 ½ cups milk. Simmer until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Step 7 Whisk in all cheese but ½ cup of the cheddar. If needed, whisk in more milk to make the sauce thick but pourable. Stir in nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper.
- Step 8 Add cheese sauce to pasta and toss to coat.
- Step 9 Place half of the pasta mixture into the baking dish and smooth the top. Top with the remaining ½ cup of cheddar. Add the chard. Top with remaining pasta mixture and spread evenly.
- Step 10 Sprinkle panko mixture evenly on top. Sprinkle cumin seeds on top. Bake until heated through and the topping is golden brown, about 30 minutes.
