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.
Jump to Recipe
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.
Thanks for the delicious recipe! I want to make this ahead for a big crowd. Any changes when multiplying the recipe by 5-6x?
Thanks!
Holy cow Vanessa you’re feeding as many people as I do! Haha!! If you want to make it ahead the only good way to do that is to make the sauce, add the pasta, stir it in and let it cool. Then put it covered in the fridge and take it out about a half hour before you want to bake it so it doesn’t go in the oven stone cold. I find that the sauce gets a little thick after it sits so you may want to stir in a 1/2 cup of milk before you put it in the oven to help it smooth out again. Other than that, you should be good to go. I hope everyone loves it!! Let me know, okay? –Rachel
So I made this for my cousins and I followed the recipe didn’t change anything. Idk if it’s just me but the Mac and cheese tasted bitter and they didn’t want to eat it .. is there a reason why this happened ? Maybe it’s just I can’t cook this dish .
No you can cook this dish Cynthia. The first thing that comes to mind is that you may have used a sharp or super sharp cheddar cheese. Depending on the brand, some can be really sharp and that means they may taste a little bitter to some people. You can try a mild cheddar next time and leave the Swiss out altogether if you would like to (it can be a little bitter on its own). The other possibility is that some people simply aren’t used to the flavor of real mac and cheese–if you eat the boxed stuff a lot there can be hidden flavors and additives that can make it hard to get used to the real thing.
I’d say try it again with a different cheese and see if things don’t get better. Let me know how it goes! –Rachel
Hi there – I’m making this recipe as a side for my daughter’s birthday. Actually for 30 people…She’s a big fan of Colby Jack. What cheese or cheeses would you recommend in addition to Colby Jack? I saw your other comments about triple the recipe and quadruple the sauce. Thanks! PS – I’ve never made mac and cheese before and I’m hoping this is as easy as everyone says. lol
Hey Melissa–great question. Let me see if I can help. If you will look at this post: https://feastandfarm.com/18-secrets-to-the-richest-creamiest-mac-and-cheese/ it has every little detail you’ll need to be successful. Near the bottom is a list of cheeses–colby jack is a flavor cheese and you’ll want to add one melting cheese. Take a look at the list and pick one you like. I’d probably pick Gruyere (it’s a little expensive and sort of a blend between swiss and parmesan) but it tastes blazing great. 😉 Let me know if you have any other questions after you read that post. –Rachel
Thanks Rachel. I really like your idea of the gruyere….but idk if it’s good for this crowd. I’ll make that another time for sure. I think I will go with Cheddar and Monterey. Thanks!
I get it Melissa. You’ll be fine with the cheddar and monterey. I hope the party is fabulous and let me know how they liked it!
They loved it!
Three cheers for you Melissa! Happy dance! I’m so glad it worked for you. 🙂
Made this tonight for my grandma who was diagnosed with Celiacs a few years ago. I made it with gluten free flour and pasta. Turned out very well. She loved it! I also made it the gluten way! It was delicious! Topped both of them with sliced cheese and made a cheesy crunchy topping! Thanks for posting it!
That’s great Sarah! I’m so glad it worked out well for you AND that you made a gluten free version. Isn’t it great to have a versatile recipe like this one? I hope you enjoy it for many meals to come. 🙂 –Rachel
When you said 2 cups of cheddar and Swiss, did you mean 1 cup of cheddar and 1 cup of Swiss?
Hey Sara, Yes it’s one cup of each.
Where do you get your swiss cheese? The deli counter? I have another recipe that calls for swiss, but I never use it because I haven’t found it. I just thought about buying it at the deli and shredding it myself, especially now with what happened to pre-shredded cheese with the other lady.
Hey Jennifer, I do one of two things: either I get it sliced in the deli and bring it home and run it through my food processor, or I buy a package of it already sliced in the case and shred that. You won’t find it in a block anywhere–that’s true. So getting the sliced version and then chopping it up in your food processor is the easiest.
If you don’t have a food processor, you can just lay the slices one at a time in to your hot sauce and stir until it melts. You probably don’t need more than 3 or 4 slices. I hope that helps! –Rachel
Trader Joes had a swiss gruyere blend thats shredded
Can’t wait to make this. They have block Swiss in all grocery stores here. I have always grated from the block of Swiss.
Good Sondra! That will make your sauce just right. 🙂 Enjoy! And let me know how you like it! –Rachel
I don’t how long it’s been since this posted but ideas able to find block Swiss at super target?
I just made this recipe and the cheese sauce was not smooth. I cooked the butter and flour for the recommended amount of time and whisked in the milk until it looked very smooth so I’m stumped. Any suggestions? I did double the recipe.
Hey Anne, well drat 🙁 Sorry it wasn’t what it should be for you. We call that “splitting” when a sauce has little lumps in it, and it has only happened to me (and I’m the queen of mac and cheese) twice. And the reason doesn’t have anything to do with the flour, but with your cheese. If you use a bagged pre-shredded cheese instead of grating it yourself sometimes that can cause the sauce to split–pre shredded cheese has an anti-caking agent on it that can affect the way it melts and the other time it happened was when I put in too much cheese altogether. Specifically I went a little nuts and put in way too much swiss with my cheddar. It won’t really affect the flavor but the texture may seem a little odd and I know that can be frustrating.
I’d suggest trying again another time and make any of the adjustments I’ve suggested if they apply. Sometimes in cooking things just don’t go like we want them to. Let me know if you make it again! –Rachel
Hi Rachel, is there any counter to “splitting” since right now I only have pre-shredded cheese to make this dish?
Hey Jessica, Not really. I find that stirring the flour, butter and milk mixture can help counteract splitting that can occur before the cheese is added, but pre-shredded cheese isn’t always a deal breaker. You can just try it and see how it works out–if it’s all you have, use it. It will still taste good even if it does split a bit. That probably isn’t much consolation. LOL. Let me know how it goes! –Rach
I have like..a ton of self rising flour. Would it matter if I used that instead of all purpose?? Going to try this tonight, with some chopped up sausage links for a one pot dish!!
Hey Chris–sorry for my slow reply. I’d think the self rising will work in a pinch. That small amount shouldn’t affect the dish much if at all. Enjoy! –Rachel
Hi Rachel. I tried your mac and cheese recipe and everyone just loved it!! I was wondering if I can make this, freeze it and bake it at a later time? If so, what would change the way I bake it? Thank you so much ?
Hi Mary! That’s a really common question. I don’t actually recommend that you freeze this because the process causes the pasta to get kind of mushy and the sauce can split when it thaws. You can make it up to two days ahead and then put it in the fridge until you want to bake it, but even then it gets a little thick and might need a bit of milk stirred in to help it stay creamy.
All that said, you’re more than welcome to try freezing it. You’d want to thaw it overnight in the fridge before baking and then follow the regular time and temperature.
Thank you Rachel for your quick response, much appreciated. Well, I certainly don’t want to mess up the recipe, especially since it was so well liked by everyone. I definitely will not be freezing it!
May I just make this recipe on stove instead.?
Well, Jen, yes I guess you can as long as you don’t mind not having the crispy crust on the top. You’ll also need to cook your pasta fully (I usually say to cook it a couple of minutes less than the box recommends) but if you aren’t going to bake it, go ahead and cook it those last couple of minutes. It won’t be the same without the baking, but it will still taste good. 🙂
Hi,
My oven has a maximum temperature 250°C for baking. Will it possible to make this in this temperature for a longer time?
Kayra, the temperatures listed here are in fahrenheit so no worries. If you’ll set your oven to 175 celsius, you’ll be at the same temperature. 😉 You can still do it! I hope you love it. –Rachel