This baked mac and cheese is a family favorite recipe, loved by both children and adults. It uses a combination of cheeses, layered in the dish as well as melted into a rich and creamy cheese sauce, for the ultimate in cheesy deliciousness! Perfect for a comforting dinner or as a holiday side dish!
Looking for other comfort food dishes? Check out my Homemade Sloppy Joes, Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup, Crockpot Meatloaf, and Homestyle No-Boil Mashed Potatoes!
BAKED MAC AND CHEESE
Baked mac and cheese. It’s nearly the universal comfort food, and there are SO many variations! In fact, I almost didn’t post this recipe, as there are SOOOO many mac and cheese recipes available, and most people already have their favorite way of making it.
Of course, there’s no “right” way or “wrong” way, so I’m here sharing the way I like to make my mac and cheese (the way my family loves it too).
HOW TO MAKE MAC AND CHEESE
If you’ve never made homemade mac and cheese before, it can seem a bit daunting. But don’t worry, we’ll break it down and take it step by step!
- Boil the pasta, drain.
- Make the cheese sauce by combining a fat (butter), and starch (flour), then whisking in the milk products.
- Cook the sauce until it’s nice and thick.
- Add in shredded cheeses, stir well.
- Combine cheese sauce with cooked pasta.
- Transfer half of the mac and cheese to a baking dish, sprinkle with more shredded cheese.
- Top with the rest of the mac and cheese, top with more shredded cheese.
- Bake and prepare to thoroughly enjoy!
COOKING TIPS FOR BAKED MAC AND CHEESE
- Boiling the pasta – cook the pasta less than you normally would. I like to boil my elbow pasta for between 4 and 5 minutes. The pasta will continue to cook in the oven, and you don’t want it to get mushy.
- Use room temp liquids – if you can… cold liquids generally take longer to thicken than warmer ones. I usually set my milk and half and half out while the water for the pasta is coming up to a boil.
- The cheeses – use your favorites! Our personal favorites are the cheddar and gruyere used in this recipe, but you can be very creative with the cheese selection here. Mozzarella, gouda, smoked gouda, swiss, monterey jack, colby jack, colby. There are plenty of reader comments down below the recipe that talk about the cheeses they used!
- Shred your own – I know it’s a pain, and it’s SO tempting to use the pre-shredded cheese in the bags. But those bags of cheese contain a starchy substance that keeps the cheese from clumping… which also prohibits it from melting as well as it should.
VARIATIONS OF MAC AND CHEESE
- Bacon – if you love bacon, feel free to add some crispy, crumbled bacon to the topping, or even inside the mac and cheese as well!
- Stovetop – if you’d prefer not to bake this mac and cheese, you don’t have to! Make sure you boil your pasta until al dente (check the packaging for correct times), and you’ll only need about 3 – 3 1/2 cups of cheese total. No need to layer the pasta and cheese, just add all the cheese to the sauce, then combine with the pasta.
- Different Toppings – I’m a huge fan of the cheese layer on top, since it gets nice and crispy, but we also love tossing 1 cup of panko with 2 Tbsp of melted butter and using that as a topping. 1 cup of crushed Ritz crackers with 2 Tbsp of butter work amazingly well too!
- Different Baking Times – the recipe calls for a lower baking temperature and time, but most of the time I find myself adjusting that based on my family’s tastes. I like to bake this mac and cheese at 350 F degrees for 30 minutes, then broil for 2-3 minutes to get that glorious cheesy “crust”.
MAKING MAC AND CHEESE AHEAD OF TIME
- Make as directed (but do not bake), transfer to baking dish and cool completely. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate 1-2 days ahead.
- Before baking, let dish sit on counter for 30 minutes.
- Bake at recipe temperature for 25-35 minutes, until hot and bubbly.
As a caveat, this recipe, as with most mac and cheese recipes, loses some of it’s creaminess when made ahead. This dish has been tested when made right away, which yields the best results.
I would increase the amount of sauce slightly if you need to make this recipe ahead of time.
STORING MAC AND CHEESE
Any leftovers need to be refrigerated and covered tightly. Mac and cheese can be stored this way for 3-4 days.
To reheat, stir in a little bit of milk or cream and microwave partially covered with plastic wrap. Stir often as it reheats.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT USED IN THIS RECIPE
- Box Grater – remember, the best mac starts with freshly shredded cheese!
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Post has been updated in September 2019 with new photos and additional information.
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Ingredients
- 1 lb. dried elbow pasta
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 2 1/2 cups half and half **see chef tips #1 below**
- 4 cups shredded medium cheddar cheese divided (measured after shredding)
- 2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese divided (measured after shredding)
- 1/2 Tbsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1/4 tsp. paprika smoked paprika is our favorite!
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and grease a 3 qt baking dish (9x13"). Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When boiling, add dried pasta and cook 1 minute less than the package directs for al dente. Drain and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil to keep from sticking.
- While water is coming up to a boil, shred cheeses and toss together to mix, then divide into three piles. Approximately 3 cups for the sauce, 1 1/2 cups for the inner layer, and 1 1/2 cups for the topping.
- Melt butter in a large saucepan over MED heat. Sprinkle in flour and whisk to combine. Mixture will look like very wet sand. Cook for approximately 1 minute, whisking often. Slowly pour in about 2 cups or so of the half and half, while whisking constantly, until smooth. Slowly pour in the remaining half and half plus the whole milk, while whisking constantly, until combined and smooth.
- Continue to heat over MED heat, whisking very often, until thickened to a very thick consistency. It should almost be the consistency of a semi thinned out condensed soup.
- Remove from the heat and stir in spices and 1 1/2 cups of the cheeses, stirring to melt and combine. Stir in another 1 1/2 cups of cheese, and stir until completely melted and smooth.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine drained pasta with cheese sauce, stirring to combine fully. Pour half of the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheeses, then top that with the remaining pasta mixture.
- Sprinkle the top with the last 1 1/2 cups of cheese and bake for 15 minutes, until cheesy is bubbly and lightly golden brown.
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Chef Tips
- Half and half is a common dairy product in the US - https://www.thekitchn.com/what-is-halfandhalf-ingredient-intelligence-205959
- Please feel free to add additional seasonings per your tastes, this is a base recipe that you can change up to make your own. Garlic powder, onion powder, ground mustard, smoked paprika, and hot sauce are some favorites of ours to add.
- To get the 4 cups of cheddar, use a 16 oz block of cheddar and shred.
- To get the 2 cups of gruyere, use as close to an 8 oz block of gruyere as you can (different brands have different sized blocks), and shred.
Mac and Cheese can be made ahead:
- Make as directed (but do not bake), transfer to baking dish and cool completely. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate 1-2 days ahead.
- Before baking, let dish sit on counter for 30 minutes.
- Bake at recipe temperature for 25-35 minutes, until hot and bubbly.
FIVE CHEESE VARIATION:
Replace cheese amounts with the following:- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup Colby cheese, shredded
- 1 cup Muenster cheese, shredded
- 1 1/2 cups Gruyere cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
FOR A CRUNCHIER TOPPING AND FIRMER CONSISTENCY:
- Prepare recipe as directed but bake at 350 or 375 F degrees for 20-30 minutes. Broil at the end of baking for approximately 2-5 minutes, until golden brown and crunchy.
Video
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Barbara Cook says
We also like to add a layer of Italian Panko bread crumbs on top, under the final cheese topping. Yummy!
Brian says
Delicious! I added 1/4 teaspoon of ground mustard just because I think it adds a little something!
Susan says
This is the best I have made to date! I did use evaporated milk in place of the whole milk and used Sharp Cheddar, White Cheddar and White American cheeses. So smooth and creamy. Thank You!
Sydney says
Hi, we have Mexican four cheese blend and mozzarella that we’ve been looking to use up. Do you think these would work?
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t specifically used those cheeses, but I think they would go well 🙂
Taylor says
Would extra sharp white cheddar pair good with the Gruyère? Not sure if “extra sharp” will melt differently compared to “sharp”
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tried that particular combination of cheeses, but in general, the sharper the cheese, the less “melty” it can be (not always, but in my experience that’s how it’s been).
Barbara Cook says
Yes, extra sharp works great, but I usually pair it with fontina for meltability.
Carolyn says
Looking to make this tonight but I don’t have a 13×9 3qt…. Is it possible to use a 3qrt that’s deep as opposed to long? Would I need to adjust cook time? Thank you!
The Chunky Chef says
You can use it, but you’ll want to bake it a bit longer, maybe 30 minutes? Hard to say exactly, as I’ve only tested this recipe as written.
heheheh says
i want to eat this right now. it looks delectable. gimmie gimmie.
Mrs. Caesar says
I wanted to let you know that my family loves this mac and cheese. My mother-in-law calls it my “specialty” when I make it lol. I just added a bit of garlic powder, onion powder, and mustard powder…awesome! Thank you for the recipe!
Kaylea says
I know that this dish serves 8 but what would you say the portion size is? Ex: Serves 8 portion size 2 scoops
The Chunky Chef says
Since this isn’t a health-focused website, I don’t measure my serving sizes exactly. The 8 servings would be just 1/8th of a 9×13 pan 🙂
Victoria says
Can I add cooked pulled pork to this? If so, should I add it before or after I bake it?
The Chunky Chef says
Sure can! I would add it before, but you do it either way 🙂
Dana says
This makes one fantastic gluten free dish if you use gf pasta and Bobs Red Mill cup for cup flour!! Seriously my whole family loves it!
Russ says
Ingredients (for 16 servings) calls for 8 cups cheddar and 4 cups gruyere (12 cups) but the instuctions calls for three piles of the mixed cheeses 3 cups for the sauce 1 and 1/2 cups for middle layer and 1 and 1/2 cups for the top (6 cups)…..so which is it?
The Chunky Chef says
It sounds like you doubled the recipe by using the slider. That will only change the ingredient amounts, you’ll have to do a little math to figure out that you need to also double the amounts called for in the instructions. So you’d need 6 cups for the sauce, 3 cups for the middle layer and 3 cups for the top 🙂
PK says
How did doubling the recipe affect the cooking time and temp for you? I’ve made this recipe before and love it but I’ve never made more than a single batch. Thanks.
Rita says
Not really my type of Mac n cheese. Found it to have a “milky” taste… maybe it’s the half? Still edible; however, I will likely not make again. Plus adding the layers or cheese was a bit tedious.
Louise says
Delicious and didn’t change a thing!
Question, can leftovers be frozen?
southerngirlsue says
This is hands down the best mac and cheese recipe I have ever used! I am a seasoned cook and have made many versions, but this one rocks! It’s perfect as is, but it also can be made one’s own – a variety of other cheeses – I usually add Parmesan, cream cheese and a little nutmeg. AND, the kids love it – even those who say they only like the boxed version. YUM!!
Ollie says
I made this recipe with some replacements!! We don’t drink cows milk at my house, but we do eat cheese (weird I know). We also try to show local and organic. I was out of regular flour, so my replacements are: whole wheat flour, oat milk and barista blend instead of whole cows Milk and half and half. (I did use a little bit of our left over whipping cream from a different recipe). I also split the pepper in half and did 1/4 tsp of paprika and then also added 1/2 tbs of liquid smoke. I also used pre-packaged shredded cheddar/Monterey jack we had gotten from Costco, and about a 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese. Otherwise I followed the recipe/steps to the letter. I fell in love. It’s so good! My family loved it!
Ann Marie says
This is the best recipe for mac n cheese I’ve ever made. It’s my go-to recipe now. My family loves it, and I’ve used all different kinds of cheeses, even just plain cheddar. And I’ve omitted the cream and just used 2% milk. Always turns out great!
Jennifer says
This turned out wonderful! Except for my noodles, a little bit more on the hard side. Followed instructions of boiling noodles for 4-5 minutes. What could I try to do better next time?
The Chunky Chef says
Oh no 🙁 Were you using regular elbow pasta? Any change in pasta will alter the cooking time, and different brands may have different cooking times as well. It could also be that on your particular stove, it may take a little bit longer. All burners have different strengths and stovetops vary slightly.
Lori D says
Hi, curious… what is regular elbow pasta? I thought boxed pasta is dried?
The Chunky Chef says
Oh it’s dried, just there are different sizes of elbow pasta, as well as pasta varieties that use rice or lentils, all of which will have different cooking times 🙂
Tammy Ginczycki says
I made this for the first time today I chose to put it in the oven at 350 for thirty minutes and it was banging It was so good I’ll stick with this recipe again and again !
Geri Lynn says
First time I’ve ever made mac and cheese. My family raved over it, and these directions were super easy to follow! Thank you for sharing!