The Secret To Better Mac And Cheese Is Probably Already In Your Pantry

There are tons of different ways to enjoy mac and cheese. If you're a crispy top lover, then you've probably done some experimenting with breadcrumbs to get that perfect texture atop your luscious bed of cheesy noodles. But the key to making the crispiest possible mac and cheese requires not just any store-bought crumb — panko-style breadcrumbs are your best bet. This Japanese style of breadcrumbs comes from crustless loaves, which are steamed, broken down into flakes, and go through a drying process. This treatment, and the coarse, shard-like texture, allow them to retain their flakiness and not clump together as much as finely ground traditional breadcrumbs.

In many recipes, panko and breadcrumbs are interchangeable, since they can both be used as coatings or binders. However, when it comes to creating a perfectly crispy topping, these two ingredients yield very different results. Panko brings a crunchy textural dimension that you just don't get with more standard American-style breadcrumbs. Conveniently, you can just treat panko like you would normal breadcrumbs when sprinkling them on top of mac and cheese. We personally like mixing our panko with some melted butter and seasonings like paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder, then liberally distributing them over the top of our mac before baking. It will brown up beautifully and get you that perfectly crispy top.

If you want to take something like this classic three-cheese mac and cheese recipe to the next level, you can do a few more things to your panko breadcrumbs, too. First, add parmesan cheese. This will melt down and create a crispy, delicate, almost lattice-like crust in addition to the more robust crunch from the panko itself. The browning will also give the parmesan more depth of flavor, and who can really have too much cheese in mac and cheese anyway? Other hard, flavorful cheeses like Pecorino Romano and Asiago work well too. For a flavor boost, try adding fresh parsley, dried oregano, nutritional yeast, lots of black pepper, lemon zest, or some crushed red pepper flakes.

We suggest baking your mac and cheese at around 350 degrees Fahrenheit and then finishing it off under the broiler if your topping hasn't gotten crispy enough for your liking. You'll know it's done when the panko has turned golden brown in color and the edges of the mac and cheese begin to bubble. Just make sure you're keeping a close eye on your mac, especially when it's under the broiler. Panko is pretty delicate and can burn quickly, so you can go from that perfectly golden crust to a burnt crisp in a blink. Once you try mac and cheese this way, though, we'd be willing to bet you won't go back to your old breadcrumbs again.