Macaroni cheese, or mac n cheese as it’s now commonly known, is pure comfort food. While many associate the dish with American cuisine, the first recorded versions of the modern rendition can be found in English cookery books. They call for a béchamel sauce made with Cheddar cheese, which is then mixed with macaroni.
While the dish is named for the tube shaped pasta, it’s possible to use any small, short pasta shapes to make macaroni cheese. Once cooked, the pasta is combined with a creamy cheese sauce and, often, topped with a crumb before heating through to serve.