This baked mac and cheese is a family favorite recipe, loved by both children and adults.ย 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!ย Perfect for a comforting dinner or as a holiday side dish!
Looking for other comfort food dishes?ย 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. ย It’s nearly the universal comfort food, and there are SO many variations!ย 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.ย 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.ย I like to boil my elbow pasta for between 4 and 5 minutes.ย 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.ย 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!ย Our personal favorites are the cheddar and gruyere used in this recipe, but you can be very creative with the cheese selection here.ย Mozzarella, gouda, smoked gouda, swiss, monterey jack, colby jack, colby.ย 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.ย 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.ย 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.ย 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.ย 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. ย 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.ย This dish has been tested when made right away, which yields the best results.ย ย
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.ย 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.ย Stir often as it reheats.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT USED IN THIS RECIPE
- Box Graterย โ remember, the best mac starts with freshly shredded cheese!
BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN TO CHECK OUT OTHER READERSโ COMMENTS!
AND DONโT FORGET, IF YOUโVE 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. ย 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. ย Sprinkle in flour and whisk to combine. ย Mixture will look like very wet sand. ย Cook for approximately 1 minute, whisking often. ย Slowly pour in about 2 cups or so of the half and half, while whisking constantly, until smooth. ย 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. ย 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. ย Pour half of the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish. ย 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. ย
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Chef Tips
- Half and half is a common dairy product in the US -ย 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.ย
- 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. ย Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate 1-2 days ahead. ย
- Before baking, let dish sit on counter for 30 minutes.
- Bake at recipe temperature for 25-35 minutes, until hot and bubbly. ย
ย
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
ย
FOR A CRUNCHIER TOPPING AND FIRMER CONSISTENCY:
- Prepare recipe as directed but bake at 350 or 375 F degrees for 20-30 minutes.ย 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.
Megan says
Hi there ๐
Not sure if this has been already asked so apologies in advance – I live in the UK and although I have measuring cups, do you know the rough metric measurements so I know how much to buy at shops etc?
Thanks
The Chunky Chef says
I can’t say for certain, but I’m sure Google has a suitable conversion tool ๐
Emilee says
I’m making this for about fifty people this weekend, but when I did my test run, I was pretty disappointed because it wasn’t cheesy enough?? Does four cups mean four cups grated or 32 oz of cheese? I just want it to be perfect and maybe it’s my misunderstanding?? Please help
The Chunky Chef says
I normally do 32 oz of cheese, but I really don’t even measure it anymore, I just eyeball it and add it by the handful ๐
Jeanne says
I made this tonight with Sharpe cheddar and swiss gruyere baked for 20 mins @ 375 degrees. Broiled for 5 mins…made a nice crunchy top.
Can’t say enough but this mac and cheese is the BOMB.
Lala says
I just made this for dinner tonight. But where I’m going to not have a broiler. Can I cook it broil the top and reheat it later in the oven?
The Chunky Chef says
Sure can! Just heat it through until hot and bubbly ๐
Breanne says
Hi (: I am planning on trying out this recipe tonight, it looks to be the best one I have found so far. However, my siblings are picky about โstinkyโ cheeses like Gruyere (but they like parmesan). Any suggestions on replacements for the gruyere? Thank you!ย
Jenn says
You can use swiss as a replacement. As stated in other reviews…it’s a very forgiving recipe so using different cheeses doesn’t really mess it up. I do cook it much longer than stated…usually about 40 minutes. I find that 15 minutes isn’t nearly enough time. My family loves it!
Rebecca says
Can I freeze this recipe? It sounds amazing and I cannot wait to make!
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve never attempted to freeze this recipe, so I can’t say for certain that it’ll work out well.
Carrie says
I do meal prep and because I had made this before and it was amazing, I thought Iโd see if would be good out of the freezer.
I prepared it and baked it. Then I portioned it out into meal prep containers and froze them.
Grab one out of the freezer, place a damp paper towel over it and microwave on high for 3 minutes, remove the paper towel, stir, ย then heat on high for another 3 minutes and itโs perfect.
Jen says
This is an excellent mac and cheese, the only thing I did differently was to add 1tbs of Worcestershire sauce 1/2 tsp dried mustard and 1/2 tsp of garlic powder for some extra flavor and some panko crumbs. It came out delicious. The only mac and cheese honestly I ever found better was Lecellier Lobster Macaroni & Cheese with Mascarpone at Disney world which btw I can’t find a recipe for ๐ ,but as far as classics go this is by far one of the best I have tried.
Anthony Allen says
Great!! I am ditching my current Mac and Cheese recipe for this one! This is SSOSOSOSOSOOOO yummy!
Danielle says
Made this yesterday and it was a hit. It was very easy to make. I love the layering aspect of the recipe. My very fit and skinny friend had four huge servings! It was a hit all around!
Mathew Hart says
Wow is that cheesy…. i did the 5 cheese variation with the highest quality cheeses i could buy locally. It is so cheesy. I think the flavor of the gruyere is a bit overpowering, I kinda wish I replaced it with some other cheese, dunno what i would trade it out for, it does add a complexity so I dunno if it could be replaced.
Cheyenne says
Could I use rice flour instead of regular flour?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve only tested this recipe using all purpose flour.
Cel says
Can I bake this in a 13×9 foil dish?? if so, how long do I bake for and do I keep it at the same temperature? thanks!!
The Chunky Chef says
Absolutely, and you can keep everything the same. I do this all the time for potlucks so I don’t have to worry about bringing a dish home ๐
Victoria says
OMG!!! I loved this recipe!! Thank you! I didn’t have Gruyere cheese so I used Gouda cheese instead, added bacon and green onions (and a few other spices- Jamaican style)… It came out great! My family and friends enjoyed it thoroughly. I have been instructed to make more often!! lol
Lyn G says
Best recipe. My Husband loved it.Thank you for sharing๐
Michelle says
Hey there, do you think I could substitute Gruyere Cheese for Velveeta cheese? Couldn’t find it. (I can’t wait to try this recipe btw!)
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tried it, but this recipe is pretty forgiving, so I think it would work out well!
Ashley says
How did the Velveeta turn out?
Natalia Aguilar says
If I am making this the night before should I undercook the noodles a bit?
The Chunky Chef says
I would, just to be sure they don’t get mushy during the baking process.
idk says
What’s half&half?
The Chunky Chef says
In the U.S. half and half is a very common dairy product made of part whole milk and part heavy cream.
Iva says
This was a crowd pleasing Mac and cheese. The only thing I changed was to place buttered breadcrumbs on top and baked! I followed instructions (to the letter, I usually donโt) and it was easy. ย A little time consuming shredding the cheese but well worth the time. I fed 10 people and sent everyone home with leftovers!ย
Angel says
Thank you for sharing this recipeย
Connie says
I am an experienced cook and I have made many Mac and cheese recipes. This is by far the easiest and best tasting Mac and cheese recipe I have ever made. The two cheeses were perfect. l wonโt make another recipe, this is the best.