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.
hi! i was wondering can i just double up on everything to make more for my family at Thanksgiving?
Yes Faye you certainly can. 🙂
Hi! If I am doubling the recipe, and baking in a 9×13 aluminum pan, how long do you suggest I bake for? Thanks!
Hey Kayla! It’s standard bake time is 40 minutes, so I’d say start checking yours at 50 minutes, but 65 minutes or so would probably be close. You just want it to be lightly brown on top and hot in the center. Sometimes I stick a butter knife in the middle and put my finger in it to see if it’s hot! 😉 That may not be the best way, but don’t be afraid to poke around on it and check it. Just keep an eye on it and you’ll be fine. I hope everyone loves it! Happy Holidays!!! –Rachel
And P.S. Don’t forget to put that aluminum pan on a cookie sheet before you bake it so you can get it out.It never fails, for me anyway, that I try to get those floppy pans out and they try to fold in half. 🙁 No good!
so, i just made this and i thought it was great but my husband likes it a little more cheesy/ creamy so could i add maybe a few teaspoons of Velveeta on it before it goes in the oven to make it a little more creamy?
Hey Cari, You certainly can if you want to. I’m not a huge fan of processed cheese, but I know it tastes good and that shaking that need for the super creamy texture of it can be hard to lose. Go for it–it won’t hurt a thing!
Hello Rachel, thank you for the recipe I’m going to try this for thanksgiving and I have like 20 guest how much you think I should make? And one more question I want the top cheesy and crispy can I use cheddar cheese and mozzarella together? Thank you in advance.
Hey Dawn, for 20 people I’d triple the recipe and bake it in a 9×13 pan. And the top will get browned and a little crispy with my regular blend of swiss and cheddar but you certainly can use mozzarella and cheddar. If you want a more crispy top, you can use some Panko bread crumbs mixed with a little melted butter on top. You can find some more tips in this post I wrote a few weeks back. It’s going to give you lots of tips to a super cheesy mac and cheese 🙂 https://feastandfarm.com/18-secrets-to-the-richest-creamiest-mac-and-cheese/ Happy Thanksgiving! –Rachel
Have you ever done a pano bread crumb top for extra crispness?
Hi Robert, I don’t usually put anything on top of this particular recipe, but I know many readers who have and really like it. I think it’s a great idea! Go for it!
Oh how I love baked Mac&Cheese,And this sound so easy to make for the Holidays, But can you use Velveeta or liquid cheese,or just shredded?And yes I’ve coppied this.:)
No Yvonne–I wouldn’t. I could tell you a ton of reasons why I prefer to stay away from pasteurized process cheese food but in this recipe it would certainly disrupt the texture, give you an entirely different flavor and not be the same at all. If you want to use those types of cheeses, I’d say just cook up some noodles on the stove top, drain them, and drop in a big chunk of it and melt it. I hope you get a chance to try it as it was originally intended–you may never go back!! Thanks, Rachel
I have used this recipe for years, the exception being 2 Tbsp butter and flour instead of 3. I also ad 4-6 oz of Velveeta to the sauce. Although it does make the sauce a little “soupier”, it also enhances the “cheeseyness”. Usually use all sharp or extra sharp cheddar. Grate the cheese from a block to avoid the cellulose anti-caking powder used in bagged shredded cheese. Good recipe.
Hi, I was wondering if you have ever frozen this? It sounds like it would work. How would you adjust cooking time?
Hey Amy, Yes you can freeze it unbaked without any trouble. I usually wrap mine tightly in a layer of plastic wrap, then aluminum foil and thaw in the fridge before baking, or you can bake from frozen–just be prepared for it to take an hour or more to cook through. You may need to keep an eye on it and cover lightly with foil if the top starts to get too brown. Thanks for asking! I hope you like it. 🙂 –Rachel
just found your recipe. Can the leftovers be frozen?
Thanks
Hey Judith, Good question. I probably would not freeze this if it’s been baked. I’d recommend making the recipe and dividing it after you have mixed the cheese sauce and noodles; just bake the part you need and freeze the rest for baking later. You can also easily half this recipe without any trouble. I hope you enjoy it! Rachel
Utterly amazing!!!!! I have tried several recipes for Mac and cheese all that lack d the luster and flavor. This one received nothing but praise from my family. Love it!!!!!
I know what you mean Amy! Sometimes I wonder if people have taste buds!! 🙂 Glad you liked it.
Rachel,
Yum yum yummy!! I added bacon bits, parmesan and sharp Cooper cheese and tomatoes. Was a hit!! Thanks for sharing your recipe!!
Mmmmmm….those cheeses sound wonderful! I’d say that really was a hit. I wish I was there to have a bite.