This pan fried mac and cheese recipe has it all: tender elbow macaroni, delicious cheesy sauce, and crispy browned edges that add extra flavor. Adapted from Zingerman's Roadhouse in Ann Arbor, Alton Brown named it one of the top ten comfort foods in 2010.
🧀Ingredients
Macaroni—elbow
Onion
Dairy—whole milk, heavy cream, butter, the best cheddar cheese you can find
Pantry—bay leaf, all purpose flour, Dijon mustard, olive oil, sea or kosher salt
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This is a very special, top-of-the-line mac and cheese recipe. It starts with the best ingredients, is nicely seasoned, and then browns for a Maillard reaction that makes all that great taste just pop.
Based on the Zingerman's Roadhouse recipe, I have simplified, expanded the instructions, and changed out the raw milk cheese.
👨🍳How to Make Roadhouse Fried Mac and Cheese—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
1. Cook pasta according to box instructions. Drain and set aside.
2. Chop an onion.
3. Saute the onion in melted butter with a bay leaf until it starts to clear—about 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.
4. Sprinkle flour into the butter and onion. Stir continuously to form a roux.
5. Now, slowly add the whole milk and then the heavy cream while stirring continuously. Continue to stir until thickened—about 3 minutes.
6. Reduce the heat and add Dijon mustard, salt, and cheddar cheese. Stir well and continue to simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the pasta and stir to combine.
7. Add olive oil to a large pan and heat over high heat until it starts to smoke. Add the pasta and cheese mixture.
8. Stir every few minutes until about 15-20% is dark brown. Do not stir continuously; give it some time to brown. Be sure to scrape any browned cheese off the bottom of the pan for serving.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
✔️Tips—making it right every time
Use the best ingredients to make the best mac and cheese. Although this is initially a fairly typical recipe, it uses quality ingredients. The final step is frying, which creates the Maillard reaction, which is the key to elevating this recipe above all others.
Use a large skill to have a large, hot surface area. Cast iron is an excellent choice, but it needs to be large. Get the pan and the oil very hot before adding the mac and cheese. Don't be shy; get it hot.
Pay attention not to burn, but don't stir continuously. Give the dish some time to brown between stirs.
Get at least 15-20% of the dish browned to your liking. I suggest very brown. The images don't quite convey that.
Be sure to scrape any browned cheese off the bottom of the pan. It is so good.
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🧀What cheese to use
Quality matters throughout this recipe. Great cheddar cheese goes a long way toward making this dish special, so get the best you can.
I generally use sharp Cabot's Cheddar, which is relatively cheap at Sam's. Similarly to cooking with wine, you shouldn't make this dish with cheese that does not bring a smile to your face when you eat it.
The restaurant uses aged raw milk cheddar. Since the doctor in me can not endorse raw milk for any reason, I recommend Cabot's.
📖Mac and Cheese Recipes
Check out my classic mac and cheese recipes, like One-Pot Mac and Cheese on the stovetop or Mac and Cheese with egg in the oven.
And don't miss my slow cooker mac and cheese recipes such as Uncooked Macaroni Crock Pot Mac and Cheese or Creamiest Crock Pot Macaroni and Cheese.
↕️How to make this a "for two" or "family size" recipe
The full recipe makes about four servings, perfect for our "for two" household as a main dish or four side dish servings.
- Use the recipe card and adjust the number of servings from 4 to the number desired.
- Use the amount of ingredients in the ingredient list, not the instructions—those do not adjust.
- Cook for the same amount of time.
❄️Storage and reheating leftovers
Store sealed in an airtight container. Refrigerate for 3-4 days, or freeze for 4 months.
If frozen, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before reheating it covered in the oven or the microwave.
📖The Recipe Card
Roadhouse Fried Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 lb macaroni - your choice
- 2 tablespoons sea or kosher salt - in water cooking pasta
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion - small diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons AP flour
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 pound cheddar cheese - the best you can get
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon sea or kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Cook 1 pound of pasta according to box instructions with 2 tablespoons sea salt. Drain and set aside.
- Dice a small onion.
- In a heavy saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat, then add one small chopped onion and one bay leaf. Cook until onion is soft and getting transparent. About 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.
- Slowly add 2 tablespoons flour to onion for about 1 minute while stirring continuously.
- Slowly add 1 ½ cups of whole milk while stirring continuously to avoid lumps. Now add ¼ cup of heavy cream in the same manner. Simmer for 2-3 minutes until thickening.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon of kosher or sea salt, and 1 pound of excellent cheddar cheese. Stir well and continue to simmer for about 5 minutes. Mix in the pasta and stir to combine well.
- Now, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large pan and heat over high heat until the oil starts to smoke. Add the pasta and cheese mixture and stir until about 15-20% is dark brown. Do not stir continuously; give it a few moments to brown between stirs, and be sure to use a metal spatula to scrape the bottom during stirs.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- Use the best ingredients you can get. This is not the time for cheap cheese.
- This is not a low-fat recipe; please use whole milk, heavy cream, and real butter.
The key points about frying:
- Use a large skill to have a large, hot surface area.
- Get the pan and oil very hot before adding the mac and cheese. Don't be shy; get it hot.
- Pay attention not to burn, but don't stir continuously. Give the dish a few minutes to brown between stirs. Be sure to use a metal spatula to scrape the bottom of the pot during stirs.
- Get at least 15-20% of the dish browned to your liking. I suggest very brown.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Listed as the top Mac and Cheese by Alton Brown on Food Network's "America's Best: Top 10 Comfort Foods". I have based this recipe on the original recipe from Zingerman's Roadhouse.
Editor's Note: Originally Published October 15, 2010. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Dr Dan says
Definitely using cast iron next time. I just wonder why I didn't this time. It was just setting there saying US ME but I had to use the All Clad.
Chris says
You are probably right about the cast iron. It makes a huge difference in so many dishes.
The mac and cheese looks "to die for" as they say in these parts. Don't worry, that's a good thing:)
Christine says
Dad brought this over to my house yesterday and it was a definite hit! It was flavorful and just amazing. I loved it and will make it myself.
The Zingerman's recipe doesn't state it, but on the Food Network they talked quite a bit about using a cast iron skillet to brown this. Dad had some browning, but not as much as he would have liked. We reheated it post-game for dinner by putting it in the oven at 375 for about 30 minutes I think, which was perfect. I reheated the extra little bit leftover today for lunch in the microwave, which made the cheese separate a bit and become oily (the mac and cheese was still yummy though). I think this is more a function of the microwave than the constant reheating. So, avoid the microwave and try the slow reheat in the oven instead.