A Recipe for Macaroni and (Blue) Cheese with Caramelized Onions

When it comes to macaroni and cheese, it’s hard to go wrong.

As long as the cheese is melted, gooey, and real (no cheese food or powders please), the pasta tender but not mushy, and the sauce nicely seasoned, you’re pretty much guaranteed a chorus of accolades from your group of happily fed friends. It’s a forgiving recipe, whatever recipe you use.

Even so, there are some mac and cheeses that are decidedly even more delectable than others, and this is one of them. The combination of tangy blue cheese and creamy parmesan intermingled with sweet, brown, caramelized onions makes a memorable casserole that will enthrall even the most blasé cheese-eater you know. Serve it as the centerpiece of a meatless meal, as a side dish to roasted chicken or grilled steak, or by itself in all its oozing glory. And don’t bank on any leftovers; that’s just not the way it goes when it comes to mac and cheese.

Mac and (Blue) Cheese with Caramelized Onions
Serves 6 to 8

1 pound dry macaroni, cooked and drained
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 very large Spanish onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 dried bay leaf
2 ounces of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)
8 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
½  teaspoon salt
½  teaspoon black pepper

For the bechamel sauce
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
¼ teaspoon kosher salt

For the topping
¼ cup coarsely chopped pine nuts
1 ounce of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated (about 1/4 cup)
3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1. Preheat the oven to 450° F. Grease a 2-quart gratin dish and set aside.

2. Heat a large skillet, then add the oil and let heat until the oil is shimmering but not smoking. Add the sliced onion and bay leaf and sauté over medium heat until caramelized and brown, about 10 minutes. Season with a little salt and pepper and discard the bay leaf.

3. While the onion cooks, make the bechamel sauce.  In a medium saucepan melt 4 tablespoons of butter. When the butter is melted, whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes over medium heat, continuously whisking (do not let the mixture begin to brown). Slowly whisk in the milk until it is completely incorporated.  Continue whisking and bring the mixture to a simmer and cook and whisk until the sauce is the consistency of heavy cream, about 2-3 minutes. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and the black pepper.

4. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, onion, béchamel, blue cheese, and½ cup parmigiano. Scrape the pasta mixture into the prepared gratin dish.

5. In a small bowl, toss together the pine nuts,¼ cup parmigiano, and breadcrumbs. Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the pasta mixture. Cut 2 tablespoons of butter into small pieces and dot over the topping. Bake until the topping is crisp and golden, about 30 minutes.

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