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.
I made this yesterday and it was super easy and delicious! I used sharp white cheddar and gruyere for my cheeses. I also added some extra cheese on top with some panko bread crumbs and a little butter. It was the perfect amount for my family of 4. Thanks so much!
It was good although I used bags of shredded cheese. I also added dry mustard insread of salt because the recipe was a little bland. I will save this recipe for another test run during Xmas. But easy simple and delicious.
Absolutely delicious! Thank you for this simple, yummy recipe! We really enjoyed it!
do you need to strain the pasta before you add it to the butter?
Yes.
I always rinse my pasta in cold water after draining it. Should I do that here as well?
It’s not necessary Annet but it also won’t hurt anything. –Rachel
Do you know if the measurements doubled will still yield the same consistency? Serving 8 & want extra but not all recipes are the same when doubled…
Yes Jess!
Can I make the sauce in a regular skillet saucepan? I don’t have a cast iron pan.
Absolutely. That’s assuming of course that you’re not planning on putting that pan in the oven. You’ll need something oven safe for that, so if you don’t have an oven safe pan go ahead and transfer it to any kind of baking dish. –Rachel
can i use heavy cream instead of milk? like half heavy cream and half milk( 1 % milk is what i have right now)
Yes! I think heavy cream is too rich but go for it!
I just made your recipe and followed it completely, and stirred it the whole time from adding the flour to the butter to adding the milk and letting it thicken about 6 mins….stirred adding the cheese until smooth. I added the noodles and was letting it cool so I could bake it tomorrow for thanksgiving. But the cheese texture is very gritty and not very good. I was so looking forward to this and now going to start over. What did I do wrong? And cooked on a med setting (a 6 on my stove)
That happens when your sauce gets too hot and curdles. Even on a medium heat every stove is different so medium for you may need to be turned down significantly, or you used a pan that is very thin and doesn’t heat evenly, or you stop stirring. Sometimes even stopping for 30 seconds is enough for that milk and flour mixture to get too hot and it will split. Just try again–most readers get it just right on the second try. –Rachel
Also do you use the cheddar and Swiss at the same time mixed together?
Yes Kelly!