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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Sometimes you buy that glowing yellow macaroni in the box. Your kids like it, but it glows like the kryptonite they used in the old Christoper Reeve Superman movies.
That’s not normal people.
And I hate to break it to you, but there’s nothing real in that box either.
I hate feeding it to my kids and I dare say that you hate it too. But I can also guess you don’t know many other alternatives. Sure, you can get a box of Velveeta and melt that over some noodles. That works too, but that stuff doesn’t even need to be refrigerated. It’s mystery cheese.
So if you’re looking for the real deal, the old school baked macaroni and cheese the way your grandma might have made it–this is it.
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.
Can I make this macaroni and cheese ahead and bake it when I’m ready?
Yes you sure can. 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.
If you have a few minutes to bring it out and let it warm slightly before you bake it, do that. But if you can’t, just bake it till the center is hot and the edges are bubbling.
Can I freeze macaroni and cheese?
I get asked that a lot and my answer is always no.
As the pasta and cheese sauce sit, it will thicken and when you thaw it and bake it, the creamy consistency is just gone. It’s thick and gloppy.
Plus if you freeze it and it’s still a bit warm, water crystals will form and then thaw into your dish and could make it separate when you bake it.
Besides, it’s so fast to make, there’s not really a reason to freeze your macaroni and cheese.
Tips for the best macaroni and cheese you’ll ever eat
Feel like you may still need some help? If you have time, jump over to this post for the juicy details: 18 Secrets to the Richest, Creamiest Mac and Cheese You’ll Ever Eat or focus on these 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.
Do I have to bake my macaroni and cheese?
Not if you don’t want to. You can actually eat it right from the pan or just stick it under the broiler for a few minutes to brown the top if you’d rather.
It works just as well and is a great shortcut when you are running low on time.
How can I dress up my macaroni and cheese?
This baked macaroni and cheese may be the most versatile dish ever.
Add in some red pepper for kick, any cheeses you like (Fontina is glorious in here), add veggies like broccoli and chopped chicken and it’s a one-dish meal even.
Or BACON. Hello. Yeah. Make some garlic bread crumbs for the top if you want some crunch and throw those on. It’s really endless. I use this recipe for the base of these ham and sage creamy noodles.
How to measure pasta for this recipe
This recipe is written by volume (cups) and sometimes people think that since a cup is 8 ounces (ounces is a weight measurement) that they can simply use 12-16 ounces of pasta or go by the weight of the dry pasta written on the box.
You’ll end up with problems if you do this.
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.
I’ve made this recipe with every pasta shape on the market and if you will measure in cups, your recipe will be just right.
How to double baked mac and cheese
Simply double 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.
What should I serve with my macaroni and cheese?
Avoid the temptation to make more starchy foods (like potatoes) with your mac and cheese. Instead, try:
- Crispy fried chicken tenders
- Classic stuffed peppers
- Southern cornbread
- Homestyle meatloaf with brown sugar glaze
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.
Yummy! I have no idea how to truly cook (as a young adult) but this was pretty easy to make!
Well if you stick with me, you’ll be just fine. 🙂 Glad it worked out well for you! –Rachel
Is a little dry mustard ok in the mac and cheese?!
Yes Faith it sure is. A lot of readers add it in and really like it. –Rach
I made this tonight, following the instructions carefully. It looked and smelled wonderful, but the texture was gritty instead of smooth. What went wrong? Thank you!
Hey Shannon, this happens to some people and here’s why. If you notice in the instructions I tell you to stir that sauce constantly. Well you really have to. Even walking away from it for a minute or two after you add the milk will cause the béchamel (that’s the fancy name for a milk, butter, flour sauce) to split. Even if it doesn’t boil, it will do that lumpy curdle thing. So you just need to commit to standing there and stirring and not stopping until that sauce thickens. Like you said, it tastes great either way but just doesn’t look quite right. 🙂 –Rachel
This is a true classic version of Mac N cheese.
I have a suggestion for making sure sauce stays moist even “after you pull it out of the oven…
***tip!”I have not used the basic Bechhamel (with flour) for years, omitting this and making your sauce with” half and half, three(or even four blends of cheeses and butter and the addition of “that boxed process cheese chunk on the grocery shelf” keeps your sauce VERY creamy.***Be sure to “coat your stove top pot with Pam spray, all over the inside)
It’s the “flour that tends to soak up into the pasta”, as you cook”.
Unless, as you mentioned Rachel, you “just cook stove top, and pour into your baking dish”, and “quickly run under the brolier.
(with the addition of “Panko bread crumbs, mixed with grated parmesian cheese) and pats of REAL butter on top till lightly browned. ***WATCH it every few minutes!
Like you, I can make 2 heaty 12X13 casorole dishes for a crowd of hungary adults, and NOTHING is left except “ohs & ahhs about “how creamy it was!”, and of course “recipe requests!(lol)
The other great thing about omiting the flour here, is “if there are leftovers”, i “just add a “pich of half & half”, stir and either “reheat in small “non stick” pan OR nuk on “50 % power (or defrost key pad) .
Too high microwave heat can change texture, so watch it…
It reheats in “minutes” , lets say in a sautee pan(non stick on the stove”.
This recipe “without the flour”, also freezes well when leftover.
I always make extra, to send home with my grand children, for another day.
Pull out, thaw and reheat as above.
Using “half n Half in any recipe calling for “millk”, is great “because half & half doesn’t “separate” when “reheating. Wether in soups/sauces or any type of Creamy pasta sauces
***Another tip…
Keep extra sauce “on the side”, just in case when you reheat, it soaks into the pasta)
Catering trick…:))
I adore your blog!
Thanks for sharing with us all! Merry Christmas!
Wow Christine! Thank you so much for your thoughts here. Everyone feel free to try her tricks if you want to. I will say that I don’t recommend using Velveeta here because it is processed and I try to stay away from that, but if people want or feel like they need their homemade to feel like it came out of a store bought box, go for it and add Velveeta. I’m just not willing to pay the chemical and junk Gods in exchange for creaminess. I’ll just cook it less. 🙂
Anyhow, thank you so much for your thoughts and I’m sure they will be very helpful to readers. Merry Christmas to you as well! –Rachel
Made this recipe tonight for supper, and it’s very very good! It’s my new go-to Mac & Cheese recipe. Very easy, and absolutely delicious! Thank you for posting this! 🙂
Thank you Johnny! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!! –Rachel
Hi. I was wondering if it was possible to get the pasta and cheese sauce ready to go but then bake it the next day?
Yes Sarah you sure can. It will be great!
Hi Rachel, this recipe looks amazing and was very easy to follow! I made a batch for work potluck tomorrow without thinking through how to reheat it without an oven…. my only option is a microwave unfortunately. Any tips? I know this isn’t ideal but it’s only option I have. I could always not bring it to share if you think would reheat horribly…
Hey Lisa, it’s going to be so thick–there’s just no way around that when the pasta soaks up the sauce. I’d recommend adding 1/2 cup milk before you warm it, and then stir it every 30 seconds until it’s warm and the milk soaks in. It will still taste good. 🙂 Rachel
The only cheese I had in the house was asiago so I used it and I highly recommend it! The results were delicious. Except for the cheese, I followed your recipe exactly.
Yum Louise! I love asiago. The beauty of this dish is that it works with just about any cheese that doesn’t taste like cardboard. 😉 I’m glad you enjoyed it! –Rachel
This is my go to mac and cheese recipe. I like to add jalepenos for some spice. Excellent and easy to make!
Thank you Tabitha! I agree. 🙂 And I have a spicy version of this one on the blog if you want to try it. I swap in the hottest pepper jack I can find and it’s really good! Thank you so much for letting me know that it works for you.–Rachel
Out of curiosity, can this be doubled with just a 1:1 conversion? Amateur cook attempting to feed a family of four with this as a simple main course.
Yep Zachary it sure can. It will work just fine. 🙂
If I double it and use a 13 X 8 glass dish, what would the bake time be?
Hey Tim, this isn’t a great answer, but just until things are bubbling and the center is good and hot. 40 minutes would be close probably but just keep an eye on it. –Rachel
At what oven temperature??
Hey Teresa it’s there in step #1 of the directions–350 degrees.
Hi I just came across this recipe and I am totally making it for Christmas this year. My family is a Stouffers frozen mac and cheese family and I’m not a fan!
I have a question: Could I precook my elbows on Christmas Eve morning and then add them when I make the sauce on Christmas?
I feel like this is a silly question because I cook so much I am pretty sure I can, but I don’t want to be wrong! I always have so many things I’m juggling and this year I am trying to make it easy.
Yes Ruby that will work out fine. Try to undercook them just a tad so they don’t get too soft in the oven and they’ll be just fine. I hope you love it–and I’m with you–no Stouffers. :/ –Rachel
Do you think I can make the whole dish a day ahead of time aside from the baking?
Hey Stephanie, yes you sure can. I get this question A LOT so I think it’s time for me to finally put that information in the post, don’t you? It will will work out just fine. –Rachel
I have a very picky son who never eats anything at Holiday Dinners. I wanted to find something for him so he would have something special as well. I made this one for him using Mexican Four Cheese Blend. It came out great! He said, “Dad, this tastes like what you get at a restaurant!”. Holiday Dinner problem solved :-). Thanks!!
Oh Chris that’s wonderful! It’s really nice to know you can make your kids something that you feel good serving them and they will actually eat. 🙂 Rachel