Creamy Baked Shells and Cheese Recipe

A close-up shot of a casserole dish full of creamy shells and cheese and topped with golden-brown panko topping.

Creamy Baked Shells and Cheese Recipe

This creamy baked shells and cheese features a flavorful, silky-smooth cheese sauce surrounding medium shell pasta and topped with a garlicky, cheesy, panko topping. Or eat it straight from the stovetop if you prefer!

Course Side

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 30

Servings

Calories 650kcal

Author Jennifer Field

Ingredients

For the Roux

2 oz butter 4 Tablespoons
4 Tablespoons flour
1 ½ Tablespoons sweet smoked paprika 4 1/2 teaspoons
1 Tablespoon ground mustard
2 teaspoons garlic and herb seasoning I use Kinder's
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt I use Morton's. If using a different salt, weigh out 7.5 grams
½ teaspoon black pepper

For the Cheese Sauce

12 oz evaporated milk 1 can
12 oz half and half 1 1/2 cups
8 oz whole milk 1 cup
16 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese 1 pound, shredded at home with a box grater or food processor
8 oz Monterey jack cheese 1/2 pound, shredded at home with a box grater or food processor
8 oz full fat sour cream about a cup
4 oz cream cheese 1/2 block

To Finish

1 pound medium shells or your favorite short pasta shape

For the Panko topping

4 ½ oz panko 1 1/2 cups
3 Tablespoons butter melted
1 oz Parmesan cheese finely grated. Sub Gruyere or more cheddar
1 teaspoon garlic and herb seasoning I use Kinder's
pinch kosher salt

Instructions

Mise en Place to Make Your Life Easier

Measure the flour and all the spices into a small bowl or plate. Shred the cheddar cheese and Monterey jack cheese by hand or using the grating disc on your food processor. Pour half and half and whole milk into a liquid measure or pitcher for easy pouring.

For the Roux

In a wide saute pan or Dutch oven, melt the butter until just beginning to bubble.
Add the flour and spices and whisk and cook for about 2 minutes or until the mixture is sizzling. NOTE: The roux will be very thick and chunky at this point. Worry not. Just cook over medium-to-medium-high heat until the spices are a little toasted and the roux is sizzling.

For the Cheese Sauce

Slowly pour in the evaporated milk, about 1/3 at a time, whisking it in until the sauce is very thick with no more "chunks" of roux remaining.
Pour in the half and half and milk and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and keep at a very low boil/high simmer for about 5-7 minutes, or until slightly reduced. What you've made up to this point is a seasoned bechamel sauce.
Bring a 4-5 quart saucepan of water to a boil. Season it fairly liberally with salt, and then add the pasta. Cook for 1 minute fewer than called for on the package. I'm telling you to do this now rather than at some other point, because you want to put the cooked, hot pasta immediately into the cheese sauce rather than draining and rinsing it.
Preheat your oven to 375F and put a half sheet pan or a large sheet of foil on the middle rack to catch any drips.
While the water is heating and the pasta is cooking, take the bechamel off the heat. If you are using an electric stove, turn that burner down to low. Add a big fistful of shredded cheese (about a cup or so) and whisk it in until it is completely melted. If it seems like it's not melting anymore, put it back on the burner for a few seconds, whisking the whole time. The key to adding the cheese is to do it sssslllloooowwwwwlllly so it melts evenly. This is called Insurance. Starting with evaporated milk and then reducing the sauce for a few minutes after adding the other dairy is our first level of insurance for a creamy sauce that doesn't break or get grainy. Our second level is adding the cheese slowly and not letting it boil again until we want it to.
Continue adding the shredded cheese, a fistful at a time (about 6-7 additions) until it's all smooth and amazing, taking the pan off and putting it on the burner as necessary to keep the cheese melting. The only little "bumps" you should see are from the garlic and herb seasoning with little bits of garlic and whatnot.
Once the cheese is completely melted, add the cream cheese, whisking it in over low heat until it melts completely. Then whisk in the sour cream all at once.
As soon as the pasta is done, use a spider/strainer to scoop it out into the cheese sauce along with any starchy water held in the shells. The starch in the water is our third level of insurance for smooth and creamy sauce. It is also what allows us to bring everything to a boil again.
Turn the sauce and pasta mixture back up to high heat and bring it back to a boil, stirring constantly with a spatula. Once it comes to a boil, turn the heat to medium to keep it at a boil and cook for 2 minutes. What we're doing here is reducing the sauce down to the same consistency it was before adding the starchy water while leaving the starch in the sauce to keep it creamy. It's like magic!

For the Panko Topping

Evenly stir together the panko, finely shredded cheese, garlic herb seasoning, and salt in a small bowl.
Drizzle the melted butter over the panko and stir or use a clean hand to mix it well so all the panko is evenly moistened with the butter.

To Top and Bake

Carefully pour the shells and cheese mixture into a 9" x 13" baking dish and spread out evenly.
Top with a thick layer, even of panko.
Bake for 30 minutes, turning the pan after 15-20 minutes so it cooks evenly. If you'd like the panko a little more browned, finish up under the broiler for 1-2 minutes after baking. Cheese sauce will be bubbling all around the edges and maybe up through the center in a couple of places.
Let cool for 15-20 minutes before serving. Cool any leftover pasta and refrigerate, tightly covered, for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave and then finish under the broiler to keep the panko topping as crispy as possible.

Video

Notes

Half Batch

This amount should fit nicely in an 8" square baking pan.

For the Roux

1 oz butter
1 oz flour
2 1/4 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground mustard
1 teaspoon garlic and herb seasoning
3/4 teaspoon Morton's kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For the Cheese Sauce

6 oz evaporated milk (half a can)
3/4 cup half and half
1/2 cup whole milk
8 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese
4 oz Monterey jack cheese
4 oz sour cream
2 oz cream cheese

For the Panko Topping

2.25 oz panko
1 1/2 Tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 oz finely grated Parmesan (or Gruyere or cheddar)
1/2 teaspoon garlic herb seasoning
small pinch of kosher salt

Storing

Cool and then tightly cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days. If you need to make and then freeze it, make the sauce and pasta but don't bake or top it with panko. Wrap it well in plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw for at least 24 hours in the fridge and then top with the panko topping and bake.

Reheating

To keep your leftover shells and cheese sauce as creamy as possible, slice servings into 3-4 thin slices and lay them down in a single layer in a microwave-safe plate or bowl. Leaving dense mac and cheese in a big block is a recipe for a broken sauce, because it will take a very long time at high power for the center to heat up, leaving the outsides over-heated and no longer creamy and delightful.

Reheat on medium power in 90-second increments until heated through. Remember, melting the cheese into the sauce slowly is the way to go, so reheating slowly stands to reason.

If you want to make sure the panko is crispy, put the serving/s under the broiler, panko topping up, for 1-2 minutes or until crisped. In that case, you'll want to transfer servings to a metal baking sheet to go under the broiler.

Nutrition