Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Baked macaroni and cheese doesn’t have to be complicated with layers of ingredients to be the soul-warming food you crave. This homemade baked macaroni and cheese is my most favorite and has pleased crowds, small families, kids and picky eaters alike–give it a try and you’ll see why.
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Key Takeaways
- Stir constantly so the sauce doesn’t split and keep the heat down low.
- Use strong flavored cheeses like Swiss and sharp cheddar grated from a block and never bagged pre-shredded.
- Make sure to taste the sauce before baking and adjust with more salt or a dash of red wine vinegar to your preference.
- You can make this mac and cheese up to three days in advance and bake it later.
- It will get dry and mushy in a slow cooker. I don’t recommend one.
- Prep and bake later: Just let it cool down, put some plastic wrap right against the surface of the mac and cheese (to keep it from forming a skin) and stick it in the fridge. When ready to bake, cook until the edges are bubbling and the center is warm.
- To freeze: Can’t freeze it.
Other tips:
- Never stop stirring your milk once it hits the pan. If your skillet is too hot or you walk away and for a minute you could scorch the white sauce and it will curdle. It doesn’t really hurt the taste, but it will look sort of clumpy. Some readers have called it “grainy”. It only takes 5 minutes. Just hang out and stir until that sauce is thick enough to coat the back of your spoon.
- Use good cheese in your baked macaroni and cheese. That means avoiding bagged, pre-shredded cheeses because they contain cellulose (an anti-caking agent) that can cause your cheese not to melt as it should.
- Try to choose a melting cheese and a flavor cheese for the best flavor and texture in your baked macaroni and cheese. Sharp cheddar and Swiss are my favorites but you can go as bold as you want!
- Taste as you go. Taste your cheese sauce before you add your pasta. Is it bland? That can be because of the cheese you used or even the kind of salt you seasoned with. If it doesn’t have enough flavor, add a pinch more salt, stir it in and taste it again until it suits you.
- Feel free to add more pasta if you want to. Some people say that this recipe doesn’t have enough noodles in it, but I’ve never had that problem. And yes, you should cook your pasta before adding it to the cheese sauce.
Try a dash of vinegar for more zing
Because of the fat in the dairy, mac and cheese often needs some acid to bring the flavors to life. I love adding 1-2 teaspoons of red wine vinegar to the sauce before stirring in the pasta. Avoid strong vinegars like apple cider or white distilled.
To measure the pasta: Please follow the volume instructions and measure your pasta dry in a measuring cup meant for dry items (not a liquid one). Small pastas like ditalini or little wagon wheels can go up to about 2 cups and be fine in the recipe, and large ones like bow tie or cellentani can as well. If you will stick to elbow pasta until you get the hang of things you’ll be better off.
To double, triple or quadruple: Simply multiply the recipe below (look for the 1x, 2x or 3x on the right side of the recipe to double or triple the ingredients). Then place it in a 9×13. The bake time should be close to the same. Just bake until the center is hot and the edges bubble.
Other macaroni and cheese recipes you’ll want to devour:
- Lobster mac and cheese
- Spicy baked macaroni and cheese
- Creamy ham and sage macaroni and cheese
- Three cheese stovetop ultra creamy mac and cheese
- The best baked macaroni and cheese with tomatoes
- Truly easy microwave easy mac and cheese
- Super Creamy gluten free mac and cheese
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups dry elbow macaroni shells or cavatappi
- 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 cups milk not skim
- 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
- 2 cups shredded cheese I like 1 cup each of sharp cheddar and Swiss
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil; add a generous sprinkling of salt the pasta.
- While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a skillet or pot large enough to hold the pasta when it’s done.
- Add the flour and stir over medium heat until the mixture is lightly browned; 1-2 minutes.
- Add the milk and whisk to remove any lumps and add the salt and pepper.
- Cook over medium-high heat until the sauce thickens and starts to bubble. About 6 minutes.
- Stir in the cheese and whisk until smooth and melted. Turn off the heat.
- When the pasta is almost done but still firm, drain it and add to the sauce.
- Stir the pasta into the sauce and bake in a greased 2 quart dish (or an 8×8 pan works pretty well) 20-25 minutes until browned and bubbly. You can also skip baking it if you want it super creamy and just put it under the broiler to brown the top (keep an eye on it) and then serve.
This mac and cheese was DELICIOUS! I used a three cheese bag mix and it made the mac and cheese have a great flavor. This is my first time making mac and cheese from scratch and I am so excited with how it turned out. I will be making thanksgiving dinner for the first time this year and this recipe will definitely be on the menu.
Well Shay let me first say Congratulations! You did it! Isn’t it a nice feeling to be able to make something for the first time and have it work AND taste good? You’ve done well. I will say that sometimes you have to watch the bagged cheese because it’s coated in cellulose (a type of sawdust!) to keep it from clumping and can make your mac and cheese grainy. I always recommend grating your own fresh from a block, but if your shredded worked then that’s fine. I just stay away from it. Way to go and thank you for letting me know!–Rachel
This looks great. Quick question, can you prepare this the night before and bake it the next day?
Yes you absolutely can. If it goes into the oven cold it may take a few more minutes to cook all the way but it will still work.
Hi, Rachel. I am a true novice in the kitchen when it comes to meals…thanks to my wonderful hubby! Will you please clarify for me? When measuring the 1 1/2 cups of noodles, are they cooked or uncooked? Thanks so much! I look forward to trying this…it looks delish!
That’s 1 1/2 cups dry pasta,(uncooked). I hope you enjoy it!
Rachel,
My family and I love this recipe. It’s a delicious one dish wonder! Your recipes are easy to follow, and a joy to put together in the kitchen with my kids. I like reading your funny stories! Keep working hard on your cookbook. The Gabbett family is rooting for you.
Thank you so much for your prompt reply! I can’t wait to try your recipe so I can take it to an upcoming “southern food” potluck supper. Even though mac and cheese is beloved by all regions and ages, I know it will be enjoyed by all!
Thank you for sharing!
Jan
Thank you Jan! I hope you love it. Write to me and let me know if it works out for you, okay? Fingers crossed–you’ll be proof that even a novice (on her way to kitchen mastery) can do it!! 😉
I apologize in advance if you have already addressed the following questions.
For this novice cook who wants to try your yummy looking recipe,would you please clarify a few things?
What temperature setting should I use to cook the butter/flour mixture?
About how long do I cook the mixture once the milk has been added?
Does the milk mixture need to be thick before adding the cheese or will that occur during the baking process?
If I use a Pyrex dish, does it need to be greased?
Thank you for your help!!
Hey Jan, Yep. Most of your questions are addressed in the instructions for the recipe but I don’t mind one bit to go over them again. For cooking the butter and flour together, go for a medium heat. Once the milk is added, cook until thickened and the mixture coats the back of a spoon and comes to a slight boil–that takes about 6 minutes or so over medium high heat. And yes, the milk mixture should be thick before adding the cheese. Just stir to melt it all in. And you can grease your Pyrex if you want to. It will come out okay either way but a little spray will make clean up easier. Let me know if you make it! I hope you enjoy it!! –Rachel
Hi! I am trying this recipe for the first time today and I am super excited. I found a recipe for macaroni and cheese “cupcakes” and loved having the individual serving sizes for the macaroni and cheese, but I wasn’t very impressed with the taste of the mac and cheese. Will your recipe work using a muffin tin and will the mac and cheese hold it’s shape? Thanks!
Hey Riley! Why is it that food tastes better in little packages? I’ve actually never made my mac and cheese in a muffin tin, but my first instinct is to tell you it may be too creamy to hold together when you unmold it. If you wanted to try it you could, you may just want to add a little more pasta to your sauce (like maybe 1/4 cup) so that it’s not as soft and creamy. That’s up to you though. I don’t know why anyone would want it to be LESS creamy! 😉 Good luck with it! –Rachel
How many servings does this yield?
Hey Eric–it serves about 5 adults but if you really want to go by 1/2 cup size official servings, there are about 8–but who just eats 1/2 cup of mac and cheese? 😉
Oh, this was so so yummy — I’m still picking at the pan, I should stop. Bless you for posting a two-pan recipe! It’s perfect for a hearty and filling meal that doesn’t make a huge mess in my kitchen. I love love love the idea of cooking in my cast iron as well!
Well I’ll just take a bow here and then congratulate YOU Adreinne on a job well done! I’m just glad you were able to make 1) a dish you liked and 2) something that didn’t take every dish in your house! That’s always a great feeling isn’t it?! I hope you’ll be back for plenty more recipes soon. I’m starting to adjust how I cook to help you make even more fast, easy dishes (so you can pick at the pan some more 😉 ) –Rachel
Hey Rachel! I made this for my family tonight. I added red onion and bacon and potato chips–sound weird? Well I caked for 20 minutes, then added a mixture of crushed potato chips, diced bacon, and finely diced red-onion to top it off! I like a nice crunchy top. BTW–it was tasty! Also, your recipe has been going pretty strong for a few years now! Pretty neat:-) Hope you have a good day, and if you’re a mother–Happy Mother’s day tomorrow. -Shawn Murphy from Humboldt County California
Hey Shawn! No that doesn’t sound weird because I’m 140% sure that you can put anything on macaroni and cheese and it will taste great. And yes, this recipe is still going as strong as ever for me. I’m glad too–it’s been very successful for lots of people. And thank you, my Mother’s Day was very nice. Thanks for letting me know the recipe worked! 🙂 –Rachel