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
- 4 cups grated medium sharp cheddar cheese divided (measured after grating)
- 2 cups grated Gruyere cheese divided (measured after grating)
- 1/2 Tbsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1/4 tsp. paprika
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, grate 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 milk/half and half, while whisking constantly, until smooth. Slowly pour in the remaining milk/half and half, 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 grated 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
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
sherry says
Has anyone tried it with one of the cheeses being velveeta??? If do how did it turn out???
Mackenzie Smelser says
I made this gluten-free version with chickpea pasta and replacing the flour with cornstarch! And it turned out amazing I would add more spices next time around
Carmen Mallia says
Half & Half of what??? Am I missing something?
Amanda says
Half and half is a common dairy product in the US 🙂 https://www.thekitchn.com/what-is-halfandhalf-ingredient-intelligence-205959
Lea Jovanovic says
Honestly, i didn’t like this recipe but weather it’s my opinion in general or just my cooking skills, I think it had potential….. just needs a bit of sprucing up. Thanks for the idea tho! Will alter it to make it my own and will try it again
Alita Gothard says
This was a great recipe for creamy Mac and cheese. Just the right amount of creamy. My daughter is lactose intolerant so I used plain oatmilk. It still turned out great!
Becca says
OMG!!!!?? This was the BEST mac & cheese recipe ever!!! It was so good i had to make it again the next night! Usually i will just get the box kind and dress it up bcuz i have picky kids… but when i do make it from scratch, the recipe i used called for eggs. But no eggs and Adding flour makes such a big difference!! Its so much smoother and creamier!!! Thank you!!
Kathy says
This is delicious! Made it for a party today and not much left over. I used a mixture of cheeses totaling 6 cups. It was a hit!
Sue F says
this is, BY FAR, the BEST of the BEST Mac n Cheese recipe I ever made. My son found this recipes and passed it to me which I passed to my sisters. It Is simply fabulous!!! (I use regular butter, only difference)
anon says
You really don’t want to use unsalted butter because it has too distinct a flavor and there is absolutely no need to salt the pasta water.
Marie says
Excellent recipe! Family loved it. I have recently started using weight in grams for flour and similar ingredients. And cheese. I would love to see more recipes with weights added because it’s easier to duplicate the results. Just a thought for all the recipes I find on line.
Mandi says
I am out in a village with no access to half and half or heavy cream at the moment….should I still try baking substituting more milk (I reeeaaally want some Mac & Cheese!).
Amanda says
I’ve only made this recipe with some form of higher fat dairy, but I would think it would be okay with all milk. I’d definitely make sure it’s whole milk, and it may take a bit longer to thicken the sauce, but this is a pretty forgiving recipe 🙂
Ashley says
Do you think half-and-half is better than heavy whipping cream?
Amanda says
You can use either one, but I like half and half because I usually have it in the house.
Bev Robinson says
Lol! Me tooooooo!!! Coffee ain’t coffee without it!
Deborah Michels says
I had my own Mac and cheese recipe that I’ve made for 40 years. Tried this recipe and we loved it!! It’s the only Mac and cheese recipe I’ll ever make! DELICIOUS!!!
Bev Robinson says
SAME THING! I feel bad “chunking” my Mom’s delicious recipe… but if she were here? She’d go “Hell YES!” Lol!!!
Lisa says
This recipe is fantastic! Have been asked for the recipe too many times to keep count! Make the recipe exactly as written every single time it’s that good. Very few recipes do I keep exactly the same. Thank you!
Josie says
Very good instructions, easy to follow. My son and I did it as a cooking project. I made a little extra sauce with mine. The family loved it I will make it again.
Paul Williams says
Turned out absolutely perfect! Thanks for a great recipe!
anonymous says
loved it.
Whitney Caswell says
My family and friends absolutely love this!! Never any left overs
jill says
i made this for my parents and they’re no longer mad at me about my biology grade. 5/5
Bev Robinson says
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂…. now, see how smart you really are? ❤️
Monica says
Awesome recipe! Thanks for sharing! I used gluten-free free pasta and gluten-free all purpose flour and it worked perfectly with this recipe. New family favorite for sure.