Miso Mac and Cheese

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I will never say no to mac and cheese. Boxed or homemade, stovetop or baked — I won’t discriminate. Give me all that gooey, cheesy, carb-filled goodness.

As you can imagine, recipe testing countless versions of mac and cheese gave me little to complain about. However, I did find it surprising that when it comes to this dish, simple really is better. I experimented with different cheese combinations, but nothing was quite as good as the classic sharp white cheddar and gruyere combo. Don’t fix what ain’t broke, right?

And though I will eat a meaty mac and cheese, I also found that most mix-ins like lobster or bacon tend to distract rather than elevate this classic crowd-pleaser. As a general rule, I’d stay away from mix-ins, that is, with the exception of miso paste.

Miso paste is a magical ingredient. It is subtly flavored, salty, mildly sweet, and umami all at the same time. The miso’s flavor elevates the savoriness of the cheeses without overpowering or distracting from the cheese. There’s a natural slight nuttiness in white miso that also plays well with the nuttiness and funk of gruyere. Adding miso just turns up the cheesy flavors a few notches.

Also, as with any great mac, this one has a buttery, crunchy, bready topping. Personally, I’m partial to buttery crumbled Ritz crackers, so that’s what we have here. It crisps up perfectly and is quick - it takes all of 2 minutes to melt the butter, crush the crackers, and stir everything together.

I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we do! And please do try it with a sprinkle of Ichimi Togarashi on top — I promise it won’t disappoint.

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The Recipe

Makes one 2-quart casserole (4 main servings or 6 side servings)

Ingredients

Ritz Cracker Topping (🔥Crunchy Crust)

1-1½ sleeves of Ritz crackers (~35 crackers)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Mac and Cheese

4 tablespoons (54 grams) unsalted butter (🔥Seasoned to Perfection)

2 ¼ cups (532 milliliters) milk — non-fat, skim, 1%, 2%, whole, any will work here

¼ cup (30 grams) all-purpose flour

6 ounces or 170 grams (~2½ cups) sharp white cheddar, grated (🔥By Weight)

6 ounces or 170 grams (~2½ cups) gruyere, grated (🔥By Weight)

1-3 tablespoons (15-45 grams) white miso paste (🔥Mighty Miso)

½ pound (8 ounces or 226 grams) elbow macaroni or shells

Ichimi Togarashi to finish (🔥Perfect Pair)

Instructions

Make the topping

1. In a bowl, roughly crush the Ritz crackers, leaving some of the pieces as large as dimes.

2. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Then drizzle over the Ritz crackers and stir to distribute the butter. Reserve for later.

Partially cook the pasta

1. Boil a pot of water BUT DON’T SALT IT! (🎩For Real)

2. Cook the pasta for 3 minutes, then drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. The pasta should still be quite underdone. Reserve for later.

Make the miso-cheese sauce

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven, then preheat the oven to 375°F. Measure out about ⅓ of the cheese (about 50/50 gruyere and cheddar); reserve it for the topping.

2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Once the butter is completely melted add the flour, then stir to combine. Cook the flour and butter mixture for 1 full minute, stirring frequently to prevent burning (🎩Flour Power).

3. Add the milk then continue to cook, stirring frequently. You’re looking to heat the milk so that it’s ALMOST to a boil. It’s ready when the mixture has thickened, like a pancake batter, about 5-7 minutes. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the saucepan frequently to prevent burning which will ruin the flavor of the sauce!

4. Turn off the heat then immediately add 2 tablespoon of miso paste; stir or whisk to fully break up the large chunks as best you can, a little lumpy is ok. Taste the mixture. If you want more miso flavor, add up to 1 more tablespoon of miso paste.

5. Add the remaining cheddar and gruyere, stirring until the sauce is smooth. You may need to turn the heat up again to melt the cheese. Once smooth, kill the heat.

Assemble, and bake

1. Add the pasta to the cheese sauce, then stir to fully combine. Pour the mac and cheese into the casserole dish, then sprinkle the reserved cheese on top in an even layer, followed by the Ritz cracker topping.

2. Bake for 30 minutes, then broil for 2-3 minutes to crisp the top. Remove from the oven and cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

3. Top with a hearty sprinkle of Icimi Togarashi

Enjoy!

Storage and reheating: Mac and cheese can be stored in the refrigerator covered for up to 1 week. To reheat, cover with foil then bake in the oven at 300°F for 15 - 20 minutes. Then uncover and broil for 2 minutes to crisp up the top.

Hot Tips 🔥

• CRUNCHY CRUST — If you’re a big a fan of buttery Ritz cracker toppings, feel free to 1.5x the topping. Trust me, double topping is too much.

• SEASONED TO PERFECTION — Keep in mind that miso is a salt-rich ingredient. To ensure you don’t over-salt the dish, be sure to use unsalted butter. If you only have salted butter, use a maximum of 2 tablespoons of miso.

• BY WEIGHT — To ensure the correct cheese amount, grate 8 ounces by weight. If you are unable to weigh or estimate the weight, you can shoot for about 3 cups of packed grated cheese but results may vary.

• MIGHTY MISO — White miso is the mildest and least salty of miso pastes; it is the miso I prefer to use. However, if you like a more robust miso flavor, feel free to swap in a different miso. Just be sure to start with 2 tablespoons and taste for salinity before adding any more.

• PERFECT PAIR — I highly highly suggest getting yourself some Ichimi Togarashi, especially for this dish. It really does round out the flavors beautifully. Also, I bet you’ll want to put it on everything once you try it… However, if you want a more “classic” flavor, sprinkle a little ground nutmeg and cayenne on top (a little goes a long way for these spices so be stingy) and finish with a light drizzle of hot sauce.

Tricks 🎩

• FOR REAL — For real, do not salt it or you WILL regret it. Again, the miso has plenty of salt in it, so if you salt your water your mac and cheese will be way too salty to enjoy.

• FLOUR POWER — Super important that you cook the flour for at least 1 full minute to ensure that the flour flavor will be cooked off.