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!
BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN TO CHECK OUT OTHER READERS’ COMMENTS!
AND DON’T FORGET, IF YOU’VE MADE THIS RECIPE, LEAVE A COMMENT AND PLEASE GIVE IT A STAR RATING!
Post has been updated in September 2019 with new photos and additional information.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
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.
Dave says
In the recipe section it said to get 4 cups of shredded cheddar cheese which would be 32oz not 16oz which is what it says in chef tips, and is also the wrong amount. I used 32oz and it’s basically inedible because of the amount of cheese. Very disappointed.
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Dave, actually… the amounts are correct. 16 oz of cheese, when shredded, will equal approximately 4 cups… not 2. I believe you’re thinking of fluid oz, where 16 oz is equal to 2 cups. So yes, doubling the amount of cheese as you did will not produce a great result.
Meme says
Yes, volume and weight are different.
Ben Garrett says
This was my first attempt at making the roux for Mac and cheese. My family loved it. I used extra sharp cheddar cheese, gruyere, and mozzarella. I topped it with parmesan.
bill kunzler says
made ur cheddar/gruyerre mac n cheese…delish! prep time? 🤣 may have a little to do with 3 sq. ft. of counter space, lol
Glenn says
A lot of sauce for 1 lb of noodles!!!!
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, that’s what makes it so creamy.
Beth says
My son told me this was the best Mac and cheese I have ever made! I added some extra milk at the end!
Mary ashby says
This recipe was easy and delicious!!
Bob says
thank you for the recipe, it looks fantastic. Haven’t tried it but going to tonight, and i will comment on it when we 1st try it.
Deign says
This is so good and so well written. Also thank you for having the multiplier function at the top to convert servings. I don’t know about everyone else, but my elbow macaroni bags now come in 12 oz packages instead of 16 oz.
bill kunzler says
hi deign…don’t know if u have kroger/picknsave/metro mart near u but kroger brand sells 2 lb. boxes of elbow mac
Mary says
I loved the five cheese version, cheese, cheese and more cheese. 🧀🧀🧀
I have a question. I have a family member diagnosed with Celliac. Do you have a gluten-free flour you would use or a replacement ingredient for regular flour?
The Chunky Chef says
So glad you loved the five cheese version! I don’t have experience with using gluten-free flours or ingredients, but I believe some other readers have used gluten-free pasta and Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Flour with good results 🙂
John R says
My wife and I follow the directions pretty much exactly. We didn’t have a whole milk so we use number two milk. 3/4 cup of number two milk with another 3/4 cup of half-and-half. Other than that, we followed the directions exactly. It tasted a bit bland. Like it needed some thing or maybe there was too much flour in the mixture. I must say, with the high rating on this dish, I was disappointed in the result.
The Chunky Chef says
Did you reduce the recipe, or adjust the servings? If you halved it, you’d still need 2 total cups of liquid to the 1/4 cup flour. But as written, you would need 4 cups of liquid to the 1/2 cup flour. If you only used 1 1/2 cups of liquid, it would certainly be too much flour, regardless of if you halved it or not. It’s unfortunate you didn’t have a good experience, as myself and so many others really enjoy it. That being said, no recipe will be perfect for everyone’s tastes and preferences.
Jane says
The cheese sauce was so bland as the recipe was written, so I doubled the salt, added 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder and doubled the paprika. Other than that this recipe is amazing. It was a hit at thanksgiving and everyone raves about it.
Ellie says
My grocery store was out of both cheeses. I used Medium Cheddar instead of Sharp. Instead of Gruyere cheese, I did half Sharp white cheddar & half mozzarella. I added 1/4 tsp of mustard powder as well. Turned out great!
Jenna says
Thank you for this recipe, can you cook this in a skillet?
The Chunky Chef says
You can, but you won’t need all the cheese, since you’re basically making a stovetop mac and cheese (and therefore won’t need a center or top layer of cheese).
Alison P. says
This came out delicious! I used small shells and it still worked out.
Rebecca says
I made this for friendsgiving, and it was a big hit! The whole thing was gone by the end of the night
Apurva says
Really great recipe; incredible easy to follow the directions. We made this for our Thanksgiving dinner as a side, and it was the highlight of the entire meal.
Lisa says
Used the recipe as base – used mozzarella and a 3 cheese (jack/colby/pepper jack with habaner peppers), and prior to baking I tossed the pasta/sauce with diced tomatoes, slivered purple onion and added browned cubed mushrooms to the top of the Mac n cheese. Sooo good!
Sarah says
Absolutely loved this Mac and cheese! Very creamy and stays that way after baking, which is a must for me. One question – do you think this could be finished in a crock pot? I’m thinking about making this again for a Christmas potluck and won’t have oven access.
The Chunky Chef says
So happy you love it! This recipe wasn’t designed to be cooked in a slow cooker, but if you’re looking for a mac and cheese recipe that’s meant to be cooked in a slow cooker, I have one for you https://www.thechunkychef.com/ultra-creamy-crockpot-mac-and-cheese/ With this baked recipe, I haven’t done this myself, but I do know some readers have kept it warm in a crockpot after being baked, if that would help.
Nate Gill says
I made this 12/3/22 for friendsgiving and i appreciate it so much as a man who cant really cook. I followed the recipe Exactly but i realized pulling it out oven no where in the directions did you say when to add the salt, pepper and paprika. Im so sad.
The Chunky Chef says
I’m glad you tried the recipe, but in step 6 it says to add the spices 🙂
Parker says
So good I ate it all amazing delicious but not so nutritious
Emily says
If you’re a fan of cheese, this recipe is so good! I’ve made quite a few homemade Mac and cheeses and this is among the best. Definitely recommend adding the Gruyère and maybe one other flavorful type of cheese, else it could get pretty bland. Thank you for putting this recipe together!