Personally I’m not a fan of the pasta texture of baked mac and cheese, but I’ve definitely sauced the cooked pasta, topped with cheese, and broiled it. That’s fast, and you could spread it across multiple pans so it has more surface area. I suspect a blow torch could also work?
Edit to add: I’m also very much a fan of panko toasted in butter in a pan as a topping. Can be made in advance and left in a bowl next to the mac and cheese for everyone to use however much they want.
Personally I’m not a fan of the pasta texture of baked mac and cheese, but I’ve definitely sauced the cooked pasta, topped with cheese, and broiled it. That’s fast, and you could spread it across multiple pans so it has more surface area. I suspect a blow torch could also work?
Edit to add: I’m also very much a fan of panko toasted in butter in a pan as a topping. Can be made in advance and left in a bowl next to the mac and cheese for everyone to use however much they want.