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.
Very easy and good recipe. Unfortunately, I think the cook time is ALL wrong for a 8×8 dish. It should be 25 minutes regardless. I cooked mine for the full 40 minutes and the top was hard/toasted (despite being loosely covered with foil) and the mac and cheese underneath was not as moist as it should be. The lengthy cooking time dried out the dish. Next time I would make it with a mix of cheeses, milk and heavy cream – which may allow for a lengthier cooking time. Otherwise, as is this should be cooked for no more than 25 minutes.
Hey Christie,
I can CERTAINLY see your point. I’ve never made this in an 8×8, but I’d tend to agree with you on the baking time for a pan that size. For as long as I’ve had this recipe posted I’ve gone back and forth on the cooking time. It’s the way my grandmother did it, but I find mine gets dry sometimes too IF I don’t make a little extra sauce or pay attention to when it looks ready–I tend to just watch things and pull them out when I think they look good. Thanks to your feedback, I’m going to go in and make a few edits on the post.
Technically, you don’t even need to bake this if you don’t want to. Sometimes, I just put it under the broiler to brown the top and take it right back out. We can be rule breakers together 😉
Thanks for your thoughts–I’ll adjust the recipe now. –Rachel
I need to make this for 30 can you tell me how do that please and thank you
Hi Erma–Good question. A lot of people make this for 30 and I do too. If it’s being served as a side, I recommend quadrupling the recipe. You can bake it in a 9×13 pan (or an llx15 works great) or even an aluminum pan that’s sitting on a cookie sheet for stability. Bake just until the top bubbles and the center is warm. To keep it from getting too dry, you can always broil the top and bake it 10 minutes less if you would prefer to do that. Let me know if you need more help. –Rachel
If I freeze this, should I bake it, then freeze or leave unbaked and bake it when reheating?
Hi Mary Catherine, I actually don’t recommend freezing this dish at all. (I feel like it makes the pasta mushy and the sauce clumpy.) You can certainly make it a couple of days ahead and chill it covered and unbaked and then stir in a 1/2 cup of warm milk before you bake it (the sauce will get very thick when it sits) and that works okay. If you feel like you just really want to try to freeze it, don’t bake it first. Thaw it overnight in the fridge, add the cup of warm milk and then bake according to the recipe directions.
Thanks! Sorry, I’m just seeing this bc I’m making it again. ?
I ended up freezing it unbaked and then defrosting and reheated it in the oven with foil on top. I was making A LOT ahead of timefor my son’s birthday party, so I had to freeze some. But it still turned out GREAT! Everyone loved it and my mother in law even told her sister it was better than hers (which is HIGH PRAISE!).
Thanks for this delicious recipe! Making it again now for a cookout tonight!
Yay Mary Catherine! I’m so so glad to hear 🙂 And anytime you can get that high praise girl, take it! You did a fantastic job and I’m so glad you came back to make it again. –Rachel
I needed something quick to go with leftover smoked chicken…and this was the perfect dish! I used x-sharp cheddar, Gouda and Parmesan and it was delicious!!!
Wonderful news Rebecca! I’d like this with Gouda and Parmesan…yum! I’m so glad it worked well for you. –Rachel
Mmmmm Gouda 🙂
When you use a cast iron skillet to bake the mac & cheese, do you preheat the skillet in the oven first (like when you make cornbread)?
Nope Teresa, that would make it crusty on the bottom and you won’t want that I don’t think.
I do not have a ceramic skillet but I do have a regular black cast iron skillet. Will that work?
Yes T.H. it absolutely will! I hope you enjoy it. –Rachel
Oh, Miss Rachel! How in the world did we lose touch? I went searching for my favorite baked mac & cheese recipe and came across yours. Not only did I use this recipe with my extra add-ins (ham, caramelized onions, and tomatoes), we loved every single bite.
Sending my love across the country!
Hey Mysti! It’s so good to hear from you and so funny that you found my post! I’m glad your family enjoyed it and I hope you had a wonderful Easter. —Rachel
Hey my came out bland not cheesy
Hey Sara, sorry you didn’t have great results. I always recommend tasting your sauce before you put your pasta in–if you like more salt in it, go ahead and add that then. Everyone’s different. You can also add a bit less pasta or make time and a half the sauce if you want it be even creamier. If you’ve never made homemade mac and cheese before and were expecting to turn out like what comes out of box, that’s another issue because it never will. Maybe you can give it another try sometime soon!
Thanks I don’t think I should use large paste lol all the cheese was inside. I made mac and cheese before but I like trying different ways ..i do my grandma verse..i believe your way will be good if I didn’t make stupid decision lml thanks
Haha! Yep. If you go all wild and start doing your own thing, then the recipe is sure to turn out differently. 🙂
Thanks rachel..nect time small shell lol haha ??you AWESOME!!!
I added a little smoked paprika and ground mustard and it added a little extra flavor
That sounds wonderful Kathy! I’m so glad you liked it, and THANK YOU for the five star review. 🙂
I made this last night and it was a huge hit! I’m *almost* embarrassed to say that this is the first time I’ve ever attempted to make homemade mac-n-cheese. O_O The recipe was easy to follow and execute (thank you for the note at the bottom about baking in the cast iron skillet…that worked beautifully!), and the final product was absolutely delicious. My 3 little ones were beside themselves over how delicious it was and begged me to make this again and again. Thank you for a great recipe! Next time I’ll play around with it and surprise them with some bacon mixed in. 😀
Kristin I am so happy for you! Isn’t it the BEST feeling when your kids like what you made? I love it and I know you do too. And I have a little good news…I’m working on an entire mac and cheese book out in a couple of months! Nothing but this awesome version made tons of different ways. It’s going to be one I know your family will enjoy. Thank you for letting me know you liked it and I’m so glad you braved the challenge. It wasn’t so hard, was it? 🙂 –Rachel
Can I make this baked mac and cheese in a aluminum foil pan and if so what temperature should I put the oven on ?
Hi Linda,
You sure can. I always find that aluminum pans get pretty flimsy when they get hot, so double the pans or put it on a cookie sheet so you can get it out of the oven easily and not dump it on yourself. And if you aren’t doubling the recipe or changing the amounts, it will bake on the same temperature the recipe calls for. I hope you really enjoy it! –Rachel
Snowed in, so I made this recipe. 70% sharp cheddar, 10% mozzarella, 10% Mexican blend, and 10% Parmesan. 100% amazing. I added Panko bread crumbs on top and it was icing on the cake. Thanks for a simple, amazing recipe.
You’re very welcome Cam! Sounds like you’ve got the cheese ratio down to a science–that, or you were cleaning out your fridge. Either way, I’m so glad you liked it! Thank you for letting me know and please come back again soon. 🙂 Rachel
Thank you so much! This was my first time making homemade mac and cheese and it turned out great! My family loved it and said I needed to make it again soon. Thank you so much. ?
Yay Haley! I can’t tell you how happy that makes me to hear you had success. Homemade food isn’t nearly as hard as people think it is and I truly hope you’ll come back for more great recipes. Thank YOU for letting me know all about it! 🙂 –Rachel
Thanks for sharing this tasty and easy-to-prepare recipe. I used 1/4 tsp. freshly-ground pepper and turned off the heat before adding the cheese (to keep the sauce from getting too thick), and it turned out great!
Way to go Brendan! You can always make a little extra sauce (about 1 1/2 times as much) and then add the regular amount of pasta for a really creamy final product too. I do that a lot. 😉 I’m so glad it worked out well for you. –Rachel