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 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 and 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 note that if you adjust the servings via the slider bar above, the ingredient amounts listed in the directions do not change. You'll need to use your own common sense and judgement to extrapolate that the new ingredient amounts listed in the "ingredients" section will need to replace the amounts listed in the directions.
- 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.
Connie says
Would the sauce process not go faster if I used warm milk and half and half rather than room temp. Also by layering cheese my family would find it too stringy. Would I achieve the creamy result if I added all the cheese to the sauce before adding it to the pasta rather than a layer of cheese half way. I await further instructions.
The Chunky Chef says
You’re free to adapt my recipes to any process you’d like, however please note that I share the recipe the way it’s written because during testing, that’s what worked the best. If you want to eliminate the cheese layer in the middle, you’ll want to use just 4 total cups of cheese, with about 3 cups going in the sauce, and 1 cup on the top.
Jason R says
I’ve been on a quest to find the best Mac n cheese recipe. This is it. I’ve been making it for probably close to a year now and the only thing I’ve changed is instead of the salt, pepper and paprika I use about a table spoon or so of Creole seasoning. It is a game changer. Thank you so much for sharing this with the world!
Margie says
Very cheesy!!!
Denis the Menace says
Thank you so much. What a cheese-blast! I’ve never ate such a good mac and cheese. I love it with bacon. And it’s so easily made.
Liz Burns says
I’ve made this several times- always a winner. Thanks for the recipe!
Angela says
Thanks! I’m usually a “do it by hand!” Kind of gal when I’m cooking, but for Mac n cheese I gotta use a food processor to shred my cheese. Saves time and effort (and I dont accidentally nick myself with the box shredder.)
Rosalie Comizio says
The best i ever made. no matter where i take it, always asked for the recipe or please make it again! Thank you, AMANDA
Diane says
Best ever
Alex says
We LOVED thos recipe!! It will definitely be my new go to for Mac n cheese!
Are the calories mentioned per serving??
The Chunky Chef says
So happy to hear!! It’s per serving, however, keep in mind it’s very much estimated and automatically calculated, so I can’t speak to how accurate it is. If full nutrition information is important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer, or that you seek a nutritionist/dietitian for exact nutritional information 🙂
Emma says
Hi there,
This recipe sounds great! What would I do if I want to make four or five pounds of elbow macaroni to feed a large crowd? Would I quadruple the ingredients for let’s say four pounds and go five times the amount o each ingredient for five pounds?
Thanks in advance!
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Emma 🙂 I’ve never tested this recipe on that scale, but in theory, you would just multiply all the ingredients by the number of pounds you want to make.
Suwannee says
My son (17) and so are avid Mac & Cheese fans. We made your recipe and sat down to try it. The song from the Little Mermaid was playing in my head (“ahhhahhhahhhhaaaaahhhhaaaaa”) and after the first bite we couldn’t stop eating! So good, perfect recipe!
Peggy Marie Ortega says
I love mac and cheese. Looking forward to trying your recipes.
Amanda says
I’ve been using this recipe for years and it’s the best Mac and cheese I’ve ever had or made! Often I’ll swap out the cheeses for something different each time and I’ve never had it turn out bad. I literally cannot praise this enough. Friends and family love it too!
Tricia Don says
I’ve been using this recipe for the past 3 years and it’s always perfect! It’s my boyfriends favorite dish
Julia Murzynski says
If I want to make half the amount listed in the recipe (I only have myself to feed), do I cut all the ingredients in half or do some ingredients need to be portioned out differently? Also, what size pan do you recommend for half the amount… would 8×8 be ok?
I am so excited to try this out!
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Julia! You’ll need to divide each ingredient amount in half, and an 8×8 will work perfectly. If you hover over the servings number in the recipe card, a toggle bar will appear. You can slide it either way, but in your case you’d want to slide it to the left until it says 4 servings. Then the recipe card will automatically calculate the halved ingredient amounts 🙂
Faith Oneal says
This literally is the BEST mac n cheese recipe!!! I’ve been using it for a couple years now and I recently went back to making it my old way and it has not been coming out the way I like it. I just made this recipe again today for my family and it’s giving the WOW Reaction I look for! Lol! I will stick to the chunky chef. I also doctor it up with some added seasonings like slap your mama seasoning, Italian seasoning and some garlic powder ! Perfection!
Chef Katy says
Made as directed, turned out fabulous!
Isabel says
Dear Chunky Chef, I have made your recipe many times, I love it and my family does too, I don’t do Instagram or face book so decided to do this review love you
Terry says
This was amazing 👏
I used smoked gouda, mozza and sharp cheddar. I also used smoked paprika and topped it with the butter and panko crumbs. What a wonderful mac and cheese. We all loved.
This will be my new go to!!
Thank you
Laurieloo says
Thank you for the recipe! It is ALWAYS a hit!
*Once made it with 4 cups of whole milk and no half and half because I forgot to get it and it still came out great… I may actually prefer it and use only whole milk from now on 🙃