The Best Pasta Shapes For Mac And Cheese

Mac and cheese make a legendary team. The combo has an undeniably comforting quality that will warm your belly, whether you're young or old. There's much debate over which cheeses are perfect for this classic dish. According to Pure Wow, cheddar is a great place to start. If you could only include one cheese in your mac, this is the one you want to use. It's both melty and sharp, but remains creamy and smooth. Monterey Jack is another great option. It's extremely melty and marries well with other cheeses that have more pungent flavors. Martha Stewart reported that when selecting cheese for your pasta, you should never opt for the pre-shredded variety. They don't pack as flavorful of a punch as what you would shred yourself on a box grater, and they often contain additives.

Mac and cheese may have macaroni in the name, but that doesn't mean you should feel limited to a single pasta shape. However, there is a trick to choosing the right pasta for your perfect mac.

Making perfect mac and cheese isn't as simple as melting cheese over boiled pasta. Once you have selected your cheeses, you must decide whether to go the classic route with macaroni pasta, or change things up with a different shape. Macaroni remains the standby because its cylindrical shape grips the cheese and holds it inside, per Substitute Cooking. Macaroni also creates a perfect bite with its small shape.

But other types of pasta can accomplish this as well. Look for something with grooves and lots of surface area for cheese to cling onto. De Cecco's Gnocchi No. 46 is one example. This gnocchi does not precisely mimic regular gnocchi, according to The Takeout. Instead, this shape has a semolina base and a ribbed, hollow shape that can act as a little cup for the cheese in your mac and cheese. Another cup-shaped alternative is orecchiette, which is also a great size for mac and cheese.