Take your Cast-Iron Mac n Cheese to a whole new level by cooking it on the grill over your campfire.
What’s Mac n Cheese
While we think it’s a North American dish called mac n cheese, mostly due to a brand name version in a box, the United Kingdom also claims this dish calling it simply, macaroni cheese.
Toasted Breadcrumbs
While not everyone will enjoy toasted breadcrumbs on their mac n cheese, that is totally fine. Leave them off! We enjoy the light crunch they offer against the creamy, rich mac n cheese.
To save time you can toast your breadcrumbs at home before you leave for camping. Store in a plastic zip up baggie. Do this with your cheese.
Cast-Iron mac n cheese doesn’t get the broiler treatment to crisp up the top while camping, however toasting the breadcrumbs first offers the crispy bits we sometimes crave.
Use a pan over the fire to toast the bread crumbs before adding on top for extra texture. Once you make this version of mac n cheese, you will want it every time you go camping, it’s really that
This Cast-Iron Mac n Cheese took trail and error a few times to perfect. It curdled, the milk was too cold, and other challenges. We kept at it and it now comes out beautifully.
Leftovers are optional but when there are we heat them up in a buttered pie iron ensuing crunchy bits on both sides.
PRO TIPS:
- Toast breadcrumbs in advance
- Use whole milk and let warm up first
- Any combination of cheese works, grate in advance
- Use butter, not margarine
- Have patience
Other Camping Recipes we love
- Baked Beans. Great for a crowd or as a side to meals.
- Campfire Baked Brie. This could be my dinner every night.
- Sausage Tin Foil Dinner. I grew up camping and eat this meal. It’s one of my favourites.
If you make it let us know! Share on social media with the hashtag #Bakersbeans.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs toasted
- 450-500 gram box macaroni
- 3-4 tbsp butter
- 3-4 tbsp flour
- 3 cups whole homogenized milk
- 1/2 tsp old bay spice
- 2 cups medium cheddar shredded
- 1.5 cups smoked Gouda cheese shredded
- butter to grease pan
- salt and pepper
- butter
Instructions
- Take your milk out of the cooler or trailer fridge to let warm up on the table.
- Cook your pasta 1-2 minutes less than what it says on the box. Strain, put back in pot, add a little butter, mix and set aside to cool.
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once it’s melted, add your flour to the butter and start whisking. Let the flour cook out for at least 3 minutes.
- Slowly whisk in one cup of milk. Once thickened add in the remaining 2 cups. Keep your heat down as you do not want it to boil but instead come to a light simmer. Once thickened slowly add in handfuls of the cheese, stirring (not whisking) after each addition until all the cheese is melted in. Mix in a pinch of salt, pepper and old bay seasoning. Turn the heat off.
- Using your fingers (like our mother's before us) take some butter and rub it all over the bottom and insides of the cast iron pan.
- Add cooked macaroni to cast iron pan.
- Pour in your cheese sauce and stir to combine.
- Top with bread crumbs. I grated a little extra Gouda on top.
- Cover with tin foil and place right on campfire grate or barbecue over low flame or indirect heat.
- Let cook for 20-30 minutes until bubbling. It should form a nice brown (not burnt) crust on the bottom. Everyone fights over these bits!
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