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.
Easy to follow instructions. I did add some dried mustard and pinch of nutmeg. I rarely make pasta, so my picky teenage daughter was thrilled when she got to eat a huge bowl of baked mac last night! Thank you for making this mom smile!
I’m so glad you smiled May! Wonderful! –Rachel
what a great recipe! Only thing I did differently was crush some packaged croutons to put over the top. Personally, I think baking it was key. I thought there was going to be too much sauce, but that really brought it together. Compliments from my guests and request for the recipe. 🙂 Thank you for sharing,
That’s so great Donna! I like to bake mine too but some people like it saucier so that step can be skipped if people want to. –Rachel
My go to recipe! I love using sharp cheddar and cooper cheese. Last time I made it I added dijon mustard, garlic powder, and paprika. Also baked it with breadcrumbs and bacon – yum! Love that this recipe is so simple but can easily be amped up.
Yes! I just wrote an entire cookbook based on this recipe and every single version is amazing. I don’t think you can ever mess it up! –Rachel
This was my first time making baked macaroni an cheese. This was the easiest recipe and SOOOO YUMMMY! I cannot see how anyone would say that there was too much flour….NOT TRUE! I HAVE FILED IT FOR MY MAC AND CHEESE RECIPE! LOVE IT!
Wonderful!
Best and easiest recipe!!
Thank you for sharing! I made this and added a table spoon of herbed goat cheese just because and it was great. Very yummy and simple recipe….hate to put it away because I kept going back to the pan to take bites!
68 and live alone…
Been cookin since I was born..
Tried every food I could afford..
From New Bedford, MASS..
To FORT ORD to
Petersburg Alaska..
And I’m just telling you this..
BECAUSE I LOVE THIS PASTA!!
Thank You
Julio Covington Sr
Aka Poppa J
Julio your poem has cracked me up! I’m so glad you enjoy it! –Rachel
this is very good I’m defiantly not eating boxed mac and cheese again.
Smart girl Gemma!
the whole family loves this recipe I just put a little bit of Italian bread crumbs on top so that when it comes out of the oven it’s got a crispy top
That’s great Tiffany! Breadcrumbs are a great addition. You may also want to check out the new cookbook I’ve published based on this recipe. So many great ones in here: https://feastandfarm.com/product/macaroni-and-cheese-digital-cookbook/ –Rachel
Giving this a 5 star because it was simple and delicious! Super easy and quick to make and it was a big hit with my family. I doubled the dose of everything for a bigger batch and it still worked perfectly. I added some roasted paprika and cayenne to the sauté mixture cause i like a little bit of heat to my Mac and cheese! Thanks for the recipe!!