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 was delicious. I made it for dinner tonight. I doubled the recipe as it was a main dish a bit of dry mustard in teh cheese sauce.
I’m glad you liked it Mary! It’s a winner for sure. –Rachel
Very good! Only made one minor change to suit my taste. Added 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg.
Nutmeg in the bechamel is absolutely welcome Jaclyn! I’m glad you enjoyed it. –Rachel
I have not tried this recipe yet, next weekend. I’m curious though, and not trying to be rude, but after reading your 18 tips one of them says to swap out some of the milk for cream but you don’t do that in your own recipe. I’m curious why you wouldn’t follow one of your own tips?
Hey Deanna, those are just suggestions. People can make the recipe as rich as they choose. I like my recipe with milk just the way it is, but some people have looked over the list and decided they want to swap in the cream and really like it. There are no hard and fast rules to what makes a good mac and cheese, just personal preference. I like to give people options. 🙂 –Rachel
Thanks Rachel. Also thanks for the tips! Doing a test run today for a party in June and another party later in the summer. I will be using cream.
One of the most creamy and tasty mac and cheese recipes!
Thank you Ayush! I’m so glad you liked it! –Rachel
Awsome!!! I also added some parsley, garlic salt, onion and parmesan cheese.. so creamy and yummy..
I’m so glad to hear that Brianne. Sounds like great additions. –Rachel
I made this for Easter dinner. It was super easy to make and the flavor was amazing. I did use six cheeses – Sharp cheddar, colby, monetery jack, mozzarella, Parmesan and Romano – and added a small dollop of hot sauce. It baked up a little dry. I would probably double the sauce next time…just as a personal preference. It tastes so good, it’s already gone.
Well I’m glad you enjoyed it Laurie. I do feel like going overboard with the cheeses will change the texture so maybe next time you could try just a couple and see if you enjoy that more. Also, you can skip the baking and just broil the top if you want too. A lot of readers who wanted it to stay very creamy just do that. –Rachel
This is the perfect Mac and cheese recipe that I’ve ever seen ?
This is by far my favorite mac and cheese recipe I’ve tried and I’ve tried several!
I like to broil it for just a few minutes to brown the top, I dont leave it in for 20 min like the recipe says.
The sauce is creamy and the whole family loves it I’ll eat it until my stomach hurts lol
I can eat it till my stomach hurts too Emily! Hahaha! I’m so glad you like it. –Rachel
So delicious, so easy, so customizable. A Mac and cheese I don’t feel bad about eating or serving because it’s made with wholesome ingredients. Five stars for sure, my whole family loves it!
I totally agree Amanda! Here’s your virtual high five girl ?? I’m so glad you all enjoy it. Here’s to many more days without the blue box of mystery. 😉 –Rachel
Can I make this in a crock pot? How would you adjust it?
Hey Logan, nope sorry. It’s meant to be baked and that’s the only way I know that it works for sure. Most slow cooker macaroni and cheese just ends up thick and over cooked and just isn’t that good. Sorry! –Rachel
I mixed in cheddar, Swiss and parmesan plus a layer of shredded parmesean on top for a crispy top and it was superb! So easy and relatively quick too! Thank you so much!
I doubled recipe and used cheddar, white American and Gouda. The Gouda made it so smooth & creamy! I suggest you try it! Thanks for the great recipe!