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.
Made many versions of this, but this is by far the best!!! Thank you!!
Glad to hear that Steven!
Your guidance on noodles is way off, 1 pound of noodles produces a lot of noodles. So when I trippled this, I cut back noodles some and it was still enough to produce over a gallon of noodles.
Sometimes questions like this come up and here’s what I need to remind you of: Volume and weight are not interchangeable. Volume (cups) of pasta will not translate in to a true 8 ounces (weight) if you tried to weigh it. A cup of elbow macaroni does not weigh the same as a cup of bowties. To triple this recipe, you should have used 4 1/2 cups of elbow macaroni and everything would work out fine. If you tried to weigh a pound of dry pasta then cook it, depending on what type of noodle you used (the small ones like tiny wagon wheels or ditalini can be tricky, just like the huge ones like bowties can be) then you could have had a massive volume of pasta on your hands.
This recipe has been 10x’d without issue and used by millions but you have to measure in volume and not get the “8 ounces is a cup, therefore I need 16 ounces” issue in your head. One is weight, one is volume and for pasta it is not an equal swap. –Rachel
This is the best macaroni and cheese I’ve ever made. I didn’t put in the oven and it was great
Yep the oven is optional. I’m so glad you enjoyed it Debbie! –Rachel
I’ve been using your recipe for at least a year now and it’s a family favorite! We’re at family of 4 but we like to eat so I double the recipe when I make it ? thank you for sharing this recipe!
I’m so glad you all like it Lauren! Thank you for letting me know. –Rachel
Does adding the cheese after turning off the heat make it creamier?
It helps prevent the sauce splitting. If a béchamel sauce gets too hot it will curdle and turning off the heat allows you to get the cheese melted in without worrying about how fast you’re stirring. –Rachel
Amazing recipe! I have made it 3 times and did exactly what you noted and perfect each time. I have been searching for the perfect Mac and cheese recipe and finally found the winner! You have made my family super happy 🙂 Thank you for sharing such a great recipe. Hello from Miami!
Hey Linnette from Miami! I am so glad you enjoyed it! And three cheers for following the recipe! –Rachel
Great recipe! I’ve tried many but this was the best. I used more pasta – maybe one cup more – rigatoni.
Hands down 100% perfect macaroni and cheese recipe!!! I added onion powder, smoked paprika and mustard powder with the salt and pepper in the cheese sauce. I used sharp cheddar that I shredded, 4 slices of baby swiss and tuscan blend cheese (asiago, romano, and parmesan). I used standard elbow macaroni and 1 1/2 cups half and half and 1/2 cup of whole milk. Its not gritty and it was the perfect the measurements of cheese to macaroni. Very creamy and delicious. My go-to from now on! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Pam!!
@Pam Hankins, U made a whole different recipe!! LOL
I haven’t made this yet, I have sliced cheese but no shredded, its real sliced cheese that sticks together in the pack, is this an acceptable substitute for the shredded? Real shredded is too expensive for me haha I’m a college kid on a budget.
Been there too Zachary. Yes it will absolutely work. I’d use about 4 to 5 slices. 🙂 –Rachel
@Rachel Ballard, thank you so much, roommate said she will get blocked cheese to shred haha, would you suggest topping with bread crumbs or leaving as is? Thank you for the quick reply as well.
You can certainly add bread crumbs; up to you on that but I don’t. –Rachel
This is my go-to Mac and cheese recipe! My kids and their friends gobble it up. I add a couple shakes of onion powder while doing the s&p into the cheese sauce and that kicks it up a notch. I’ve made this 10+ times and it’s always a hit!
It’s a favorite here too Cari. I’m so glad you all enjoy it! No more blue box. 🙂 -Rachel