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.
Making tonight. I only had medium cheddar. I added some onion and garlic powders and bacon. Smells delicious.
This recipe looks great! I want to try this one or the 3 cheese recipe for thanksgiving.
I just have a question… why do you not put eggs in your baked macaroni? I am just asking the question out of curiousity. What is the reason for your preference?
Thanks for your time
Hey Brittany,
Good question. Many times eggs are added (largely in southern cooking) as a way to make a “custard” of sorts. As the eggs cook, they bind the ingredients together in such a way that you can almost cut your mac and cheese in squares. The final result of this approach is clumpy, curdled scrambled eggs in your mac and cheese and overcooked pasta. Personally, I find that gross. That’s the first reason. Second, is that this recipe uses a béchamel sauce and a roux (the blend of butter and flour) to thicken the cheese sauce before it goes in the oven so there’s no need for a binder like an egg to hold it all together. I hope that helps. –Rachel
Absolutely amazing, I’ve used this recipe so many times and just wrote it down so i’ll always have it. I don’t tend to bake it but it still turns out great, thank you!
Wonderful Emma! I’m so glad you like it. –Rachel
Very good small batch of mac and cheese. I used sharp cheddar only and topped with buttered bread crumbs. YUMMY!
Can you double the recipe? Thanks
Yep Lesley. Double, triple, quadruple. It works every time! –Rachel
1 1/2 cups of pasta will not feed 6 people. This cannot be correct.
Hey Tim, I see your train of thought there. Let me clarify:
First: That’s 1 1/2 cups of dry pasta. It’s going to expand and when combined with the sauce make a full 9″ cast iron pan of mac and cheese.
Second: I am assuming that mac and cheese is being made as a side dish. That means there will be other items (possibly several other items) served with it so smaller servings are needed.
Third: When I create serving sizes I try to do it based on US dietary guidelines. That means a serving of cooked pasta is a half cup–that would be three total cups of finished mac and cheese for six people and this dish can certainly pull that off.
It’s just a matter of how you plan to serve it and how big everyone eats. Adjust accordingly. –Rachel
Made this last night,with cheeses recommended and it was delicious. We did not have any leftovers. I’ll be making it again!
So glad to hear that April!
I followed your directions using Banza brand penne pasta made from chickpeas. I had sharp cheddar and a block of butter cheese and it turned out rich and creamy and I threw in some chopped jumbo shrimp then topped with crushed Cheetos. I put in the smoker at 225 for 30 minutes. Outstanding gluten free dish.
You had me until the Cheetos Debbie but either way–if you like it that’s all that matters. I’ve heard smoking mac and cheese is delicious as well. Really glad you liked it. –Rachel
the steps are weird, when you add butter + flour together it clumps together and doesn’t mix well with the milk. The mac & cheese lacked flavor, salt, and pepper definitely wasnt enough
Hey Nicole, let me see if I can help you out a bit with things. The flour and butter mixture you made was called a roux and it’s supposed to clump together when you mix it. When the milk is added it does have lumps but just for a second because you used a whisk like the recipe instructed and worked those in. That mixture is called a béchamel sauce. I realize it felt strange to make perhaps, but that’s a base white sauce that people have been making for hundreds of years. It was just a new technique for you. I am also assuming you took the time to read the post and knew that tasting your sauce is essential to make sure you have your seasoning the way you want it and that you used cheeses that add flavor. No two people will want the same amount of seasoning and every brand of cheese will vary in boldness and salt so it is really important that you taste as you go and adjust. –Rachel
This was great, thank you! Made with 1c Gruyere and 1c cheddar. Also used gluten free flour. Will definitely make again!