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.
Covered or uncovered?
Uncovered Steve. That way your top will get all nice and brown 🙂
I am “challenged” in the kitchen to say the least. I made this recipe this weekend and it turned out perfectly. Easy directions and very delicious end result. Thank you for the help!!!
Tammy, girl–I got your back. You’ve done it and I know you’re proud of yourself–now you can baby step your way in to other recipes and if you need anything at all, I’m here to help you. 🙂 Just email me if you have questions. Way to go!!!
I am cooking for 30 people this weekend and was wondering if I should bake this in one pan or 2 since I will be making so much at one time and what size pan/pans so you suggest thanks.
Hi Kyle, that’s a lot of people! But, I’ve done it myself and here’s what I suggest: One 9×13 pan very full or two half full pans will be fine. If everyone eats 1/2 cup serving you’d want 15 finished cups of mac and cheese, so you’d want to triple if not quadruple my recipe to get near that. I also find that when you make a large batch it’s better to make quadruple the sauce and only triple the pasta so it turns out nice and creamy. If you have time to bake one large 9×13 you can expect it to take up to an hour to get done. If you are short on time, split it into two pans. I hope that helps and let me know how you like it! –Rachel
Hey Rachel I just wanted to say that I have made this recipie so many times that my whole family lives it! I am a teenager who absolutely loves to cook, and this yer my family is having a gathering and I’m finally able to bring something to the table and i chose this recipie because whenever I make it at home it’s always eaten up so quickly! It’s truly amazing how something so simple can be a big hit!? Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to add something so great to my very big and complex cook book. ?
I have a pretty big and complex cook book too 😉 How old are you Maddie? I love that you cook because I was ALWAYS in to food. I always said I wanted to be a chef but that changed to nursing as I got older. Nevertheless, I still love to cook. I hope your family loves the mac and cheese!
Thankyou for this post. Such a good recipe. I added a pinch of dry mustard and cayenne because that’s what my family likes. We all loved it!!
I’m so glad Melissa! I know you’re glad to have a dish that everyone likes. Here’s to not having to make everyone something different 😉
I usually add one teaspoon of dry mustard to my homemade mac-n-cheese. It adds a lot of depth to the flavor!!
Thanks for another recipe to add to my repertoire!!
Laura
Yep I know a lot of people do that Laura and that’s perfectly fine. I hope you enjoy it! –Rachel
Novice cook here with silly questions – I would like to add bacon to this recipe, at what point do i do that and should it be cooked or uncooked. Also if i add breadcrumbs to the top, do i do it when i first put it in the oven or after a certain amount of time. Also, do you have a recommendation on breadcrumbs or panko, etc.
No question is too silly Michele. I’m glad to help. This is a judgement free zone 😉 Cook your bacon before you add it to the recipe. Crumble it and stir it in when you add the noodles. Keep in mind that as it cooks it will soften some, but that’s okay. If you want it to be crispier, you can cook it until it’s almost crispy, crumble it and sprinkle it on top of your mac and cheese but you do run the risk of it getting a little too dark if you do that. And as for bread crumbs, I’d go with Panko or homemade. The canned regular ones are just so fine and sandy and, well, blah. The panko might need a tablespoon of melted butter in them to help them brown up but they’ll work great. I hope you enjoy the recipe! –Rachel
Could this be made in a crockpot?
Thanks 😉
Hey Angela,
Unfortunately, no. At least not with any kind of good results. It’s meant to be baked and that’s the only way I can say it works for sure. It can be made ahead and then baked when you’re ready if that help any though.
Like many others, this was my first home-made attempt at mac-n-cheese and WOW, it was absolutely the best! I doubled the recipe and it was still gone the next day (kids loved it). I forgot to Pin the recipe and when I went to make it again, I couldn’t find the link so I tried another recipe with Velveeta cheese…..NOT the same, my kids wouldn’t even touch it and I ended up throwing it out 🙁 SO glad I found your again and definitely saved it this time. My question is, do you know if you can freeze this? My kids love those easy mac things for an after school quit snack but this would be so much better. I have smaller cups and lids that I could use and throw into the freezer for them to grab-n-go, but just wondering if it would still taste ok after freezing and re-heating?? Thanks!!
Hey Kara! I am so proud of you! Way to go making your family a meal they love. Isn’t it great when everyone will actually eat the same thing? That’s a win for mom for sure 😉 Now about the freezing thing…those instant mac and cheeses use water and cheese powder then you microwave them. Unfortunately, this macaroni and cheese would never do that. You can make it ahead but not bake it and then just bake it in small containers when you need it (it would hold, unbaked in the fridge for about three days) but the microwave would be a big no-no here. You can even freeze it unbaked, but you’d have to thaw it overnight in the fridge and still need an oven. I wish there was another way to do this, but when you pull out all the funky stuff in instant food the quick cooking methods don’t always work. –Rachel
What size cast iron skillet did you use? I have several sizes and hate to end up having to change skillets in the middle of making it.
sounds great and can hardly wait to et sarted. thanks.
Hey Jackie! Mine was about 9 inches but only about an inch and a half deep–so not all that big. Hope that helps 🙂 ENJOY. It’s awesome and let me know how you like it, okay? –Rachel