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 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.
Tryanna says
I loved this recipe. First time I did it, it wasn’t as good and second time I used extra half and half and a lot of cheese! It’s my favorite. I’ll be making the Mac and cheese for my boyfriends on thanksgiving, my family and also a Friendsgiving. I’m so excited.
Grace says
I had tried many homemade mac & cheese recipes and they were meh. But then I tried yours and it changed mac & cheese for my family forever. It’s so good. My whole family loves it. It’s now my most requested side dish at any family gathering and they really love it at Christmas. I always use whatever cheese I have on hand so it’s never the same twice, but it’s always delicious.
Jackie Brooks says
It was good thanks for helping me make baked macaroni and cheese my husband loves it he had a second helping
Janelle says
Yes, yes, YES! I have my everyday mac & cheese, but I wanted something SUPER gooey, and decided to try this one. I usually dislike baked ones as they are dry, but this looked like it was going to be saucy enough. It came out EXACTLY like what I wanted. Husband declared it better than his beloved processed premade Bob Evans stuff (it’s high praise if you knew him). So full but still going and sneaking bites out of the dish.
Kayla says
Super simple and quick. I’m not sure what I did wrong, but it tastes a bit floury to me. I’ll probably use less flour next time.
Lu says
I have had that happen when I have not cooked the flour mixture long enough. As a matter of fact, I cook the flour and butter, continually stirring till it gets a little brownish. Then I add the half and half. I cook that a long time , too, making sure there is no floury taste before I add the cheese. That may help you!
Mandie says
To me it was meh. Bland. Followed instructions to a T. I wanted to try to sort thru comments but was unable to figure out how – to see recommendations on how to improve whatever it is I must have done wrong. The texture was grainy. Soo I’m not sure. Underwhelmed.
Deborah Moorman says
Best mac and cheese ever.
Allison says
love this recipe. I also add broccoli to the mix to give it another taste, kids love it.
Tyler says
Followed the recipe perfectly although for some reason the cheese sauce tasted very weird im not sure if it was the type of butter used or just the failure to cook properly. The sauce looked and smelled perfect but had a metallic kind of taste to it and was almost like wet sand in the mouth. I was heavily stirring for roughly 25 mins till smooth aswell. Please help!
The Chunky Chef says
Hmmm that’s odd! Did you make any substitutions or changes to ingredients?
Barb Scarzello says
Excellent!!! Will definitely make again!
Jean says
I have made this a couple of times now and it is our favorite recipe. I altered it somewhat for one of my children who has Celiac’s. Instead of flour I used cornstarch then made GF noodles for her own dish of Mac and Cheese. She said it was amazing!
Brenda says
I just found out recently that I have Celiacs as well so thank you for this helpful tip!!!
michelle doyle says
can i make this in a slow cooker ??
The Chunky Chef says
This recipe isn’t made to be cooked in a slow cooker, but I do have a great slow cooker mac and cheese recipe https://www.thechunkychef.com/ultra-creamy-crockpot-mac-and-cheese/
Diana says
Hi there! Can this be made in a cast-iron Dutch oven? Instead of a glass baking dish
The Chunky Chef says
I think that would work well 🙂 If the mac and cheese is deeper than it would be in 9×13″ pan, you might want to add a bit more baking time.
Razan Azzarkani says
This looks fantastic! Can’t wait to make it for Thanksgiving in a couple weeks.
My family loves seasoning and spices. For those that love seasoning, does this recipe need anything? I’m thinking garlic or onion powder, maybe even some cayenne pepper. Thoughts?
The Chunky Chef says
I think both garlic and onion powder would be a great addition, as well as a little ground mustard. Cayenne or hot sauce would also be very tasty 🙂
Karen Bailey says
Was yummy definitely adding to firm family favourites has taken me years to find the perfect Mac n cheese recipe this is it thank you
Maria says
Hi there, I’m excited to make this for Thanksgiving, a serving size of 18. I’d like to use only shredded cheese. How many cups total of shredded cheese for a serving of 18? I’d really appreciate your reply 🙂 Also, do you think Cheddar, Gouda and Colby Jack is a good mixture? Thanks so much!
The Chunky Chef says
I say grated, because I highly recommend grating/shredding your own cheese, but the cheese is in a shredded form for this recipe. You can actually hover over the serving size (the underlined 8 in the green bar above the ingredients list) and a slider will appear. Slide that until it says 18. Keep in mind, while this changes the ingredient amounts, it doesn’t change the instructions, so you’ll need half the cheese for the sauce, 1/4 of the cheese for the middle layer, and 1/4 of the cheese for the top. I think those cheeses sound great together!
Kristine says
This looks delish! Instead of half and half, can I just use whole milk?
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, you’ll just need 4 total cups of dairy.
Sherri says
Hi! Do u think this recipe would work with almond milk instead of regular milk?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve only tested this recipe as written. So without testing and retesting it myself, I can’t say for certain if that would work. If you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out!
Grichell Minaya says
Ripple makes a dairy free half and half that is great, but I’ve also made it with homemade cashew milk and it’s great too
Foodie06 says
Best Mac n cheese recipe I’ve made this far!
JC says
This is the one! Thank you!
Kristin says
Thanks!
Alison says
I’ve made many recipes but this is by far the best! I took it to a picnic and it was the first dish wiped out in minutes. I didn’t change a thing about the recipe
Michael Fairbairn says
Your adjustability feature that allows the user to adjust the recipe to make more or fewer servings is GENIUS! I’ve never seen that before. Thank you!
Tammers says
I had a friend send me this recipe so I decided to try it. I used the cheeses in the recipe instead of a variation. I did however add more cheese on top than what the recipe called for. I broiled it after baking it and it came out perfect. I baked it in my toaster oven. My 12yo daughter helped with it. Mac n cheese is one of her favorites so I thought she’d love this and it was a hit! She said next time she wants to add bacon to it. I think this would be good with shredded chicken too.