Baked Bechamel Mac and Cheese with Herb Breadcrumbs
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This cheesy baked mac and cheese is stuffed with gooey cheese, creamy sauce and crunchy homemade breadcrumbs seasoned with herbs to taste like your favorite Thanksgiving stuffing!
This is — dare I say — an elegant baked mac and cheese recipe that will stand out on the table during the holiday season, or anytime you need some serious comfort food.
It combines any short pasta shape with an Italian-style besciamella sauce and two kinds of cheese. The dish is baked with an herby fresh breadcrumb topping that adds a crunchy counterpoint.
There’s no doubt about it — whenever I make macaroni and cheese from scratch, my family goes absolutely bonkers for it, but I have to admit that my pasta recipes are the ultimate comfort food.
Bechamel: A thick and creamy cheese sauce
The first step to making the creamy base for baked macaroni and cheese is to make a basic white sauce — a bechamel — with butter, flour and milk. I recommend using whole milk because it makes a richer, thicker sauce than lower fat milk.
Breadcrumbs seasoned like classic stuffing
Along with the pasta and the white, cheesy, creamy sauce coating the pasta, it’s the crunchy breadcrumb topping that could be my favorite part of this recipe.
The crumbs are inspired by the herby seasonings of the traditional Thanksgiving stuffing my grandma used to make. You’re probably already familiar with the classic combo of fresh rosemary, sage, and thyme. That trio of herbs instantly reminds you of fall and the holidays.
In this recipe, the herbs release their piney, aromatic fragrances and flavors into the breadcrumbs after they’re toasted in butter. They pair perfectly with the luscious white sauce.
When you’re ready to bake the dish, mix the par-boiled pasta with the sauce and half of the fontina cheese. 
Transfer to a 3-quart baking dish, top with the remaining cheese and the toasted herbed breadcrumbs. 
Bake about 20 minutes and serve hot from the oven.
Pasta shapes I like for baked mac and cheese
- Cavatappi: Resembling elbow pasta noodles, they’re only a bit longer and have an extra curl or two.
- Fusilli: Because of its curly shape, corkscrew pasta is one of the BEST pasta shapes to use for making baked mac and cheese.
- Shells or orecchiette: With ridges on their surface, little cup-shaped pasta captures the cheesy sauce on the outside as well as the inside. It’s so good!
Baked Bechamel Mac and Cheese with Herbed Breadcrumbs
Ingredients
- 1 pound (450 g) cavatappi pasta, shells or elbows
Herbed breadcrumbs
- 5 tablespoons (75 g) unsalted butter, divided
- 1 ½ cups (162 g) fresh breadcrumbs, or panko
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Creamy bechamel sauce
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups (375 ml) whole milk
- 1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream
- ¾ cup (75 g) grated Parmesan cheese
- 8 ounces (225 g) Fontina cheese, shredded on a box grater
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 (190C) degrees.
Prep the breadcrumbs
- Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a 12-inch skillet. Add 1 ½ cups fresh breadcrumbs and stir to coat with the butter. Cook 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until the crumbs are golden and smell toasty. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Set aside. (Breadcrumbs can be made ahead. Store in a covered container at room temperature up to 3 days.).
Make the bechamel sauce
- Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan set over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour and whisk to blend with the butter. Cook 2 minutes, until the flour mixture looks smooth and creamy. Pour in 1 ½ cups whole milk and ½ teaspoon salt.
- Cook over medium-high heat until you see small bubbles forming on the outside of the pan. Keep stirring until the sauce starts to thicken — this happens in just a few minutes so be sure to keep your eye on it. Cook 3-5 minutes, or until the mixture has the texture of a thick smoothie. Stir in 1 cup heavy cream and ½ cup of the Parmesan and remove from the heat. Note: The sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated 1-2 days.
Assemble and bake
- Boil 1 pound cavatappi pasta in plenty of salted water exactly 6 minutes, or about half the time that your pasta box directions call for. This will ensure that the pasta doesn’t overcook and turn mushy in the oven. Drain.
- Add ½ cup of the Fontina cheese to the pasta. Pour the milk mixture over the pasta and stir to coat. Transfer to a 3-quart baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining Fontina and ¼ cup Parmesan cheeses over the pasta and top evenly with the breadcrumbs.
- Bake 20-25 minutes, until the crumbs are golden brown and the sauce is bubbling at the edge of the dish. Serve hot.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- Breadcrumbs can be made ahead. Store in a covered container at room temperature up to 3 days.
- To make your own fresh breadcrumbs, cut 2 or 3 slices of crusty bread into cubes. Pulse in a food processor until they form coarse crumbs.
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.