This easy baked mac and cheese recipe is at the very top of my list of favorite comfort dishes. It’s a breeze to make with macaroni in a rich and creamy cheese sauce (and lots of it!) baked until bubbly under a golden crumb topping.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: Using two kinds of cheese and extra sauce makes the dish extra creamy, rich, and full of cheesy goodness.
- Skill Level: This recipe is easy to make and can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated.
- Swaps: Try this recipe with mixtures of different cheeses, such as mozzarella, Monterey Jack, Havarti, Provolone, Gruyere, or Gouda.
Essentials and Easy Swaps
- Pasta: Elbow pasta makes the creamiest mac and cheese, but any medium or small shapes with ridges or holes, like shells or cavatappi, work too.
- Cheese: Sharp shredded cheddar adds a bold cheese flavor. You can replace 1 cup of cheddar with Swiss, Havarti, or Gruyere cheese.
- Dairy: I use a combination of milk and cream to make it nice and creamy. Heavy cream will give the dish all the more richness.
- Topping: Panko breadcrumbs have a nice crunch, but you can use regular breadcrumbs or crushed cracker crumbs (saltines or Ritz) instead.
Variations
- Add extra protein that will complement the cheesy flavors. Bacon or sausage tastes wonderful in baked mac and cheese, and adds a smoky layer.
- Broccoli, peas, or green beans are nice add-ins for adding nutrients and cutting through some of the cheesy richness.
How to Make Baked Mac and Cheese
- Cook pasta: Cook the pasta al dente (recipe below).
- Make sauce: Cook butter, flour, and seasonings. Whisk in milk and cream, then stir in cheeses.
- Add pasta: When the cheeses are melted, whisk the sauce until smooth and stir in the cooked pasta.
- Bake: Spoon into a casserole. Sprinkle the bread crumb topping over the top and bake. Easy peasy!
Love Your Leftovers
- Leftovers: Keep leftover baked mac and cheese in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze portions in zippered bags for up to 3 months. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave with a little milk added to loosen the cheese sauce.
- Make Ahead: Prep mac and cheese ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator without topping for up to 2 days. Let the mac and cheese rest at room temperature for about 45 minutes. Stir in ½ cup of warm milk after baking for 20 minutes. Add topping and bake until hot and bubbly.
- Freezing: Assemble unbaked mac and cheese in a foil-lined dish, freeze, then wrap in plastic wrap to free up the dish.
- To bake, return the casserole to the baking dish and thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Let the mac and cheese rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Add topping and bake until hot and bubbly.
More Cheesy Baked Pasta
Did you make this Baked Mac and Cheese recipe? Leave a rating and comment below!
Ingredients
- 16 ounces elbow macaroni
- 5 tablespoons salted butter
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2¾ cups milk
- ½ cup half and half or light cream
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon seasoned salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- 14 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese approximately 3½ cups lightly packed
- 1½ ounces shredded Parmesan cheese approximately ½ cup
Topping
- ¼ cup Panko bread crumbs
- 2 teaspoons butter melted
- 2 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese approximately ½ cup lightly packed
- 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook according to the package directions until al dente. Drain well, run under cold water, and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, make the topping by combining Panko breadcrumbs, 2 teaspoons butter, 2 ounces cheddar and 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Mix well and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, melt 5 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, onion powder, and garlic powder. Cook for 2 minutes while stirring.
- Gradually add the milk and cream, whisking until smooth after each addition. Continue cooking over medium heat until the mixture comes to a simmer and let simmer for 1 minute.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and add cheddar & Parmesan cheeses, mustard powder, seasoned salt, and pepper. Whisk until melted and smooth.
- Toss the sauce with the drained macaroni and gently spoon it into a 9×13 casserole dish.
- Sprinkle the Panko crumb mixture over top and bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until bubbly and topping is browned. Do not overcook.
Notes
Cheese: Substitute Gruyère for ½ cup of the cheddar cheese if desired. Pre-shredded cheese works but doesn’t melt as smoothly. Remove the sauce from the heat before adding in the cheeses.
Pasta: Cook the pasta (macaroni) just until al dente (firm), as it will cook more as it bakes.
Baking: If the mac and cheese is overcooked, it won’t be creamy. Cook just until hot, and the topping is browned. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Topping: Adding bread crumbs to the topping is optional, this mac and cheese can be topped with just cheese if you prefer.
Leftovers: Keep covered in the fridge for up to 5 days. Add a splash of milk or cream and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop using low heat. Freeze for up to three months and thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
Make Ahead: Prepare this baked mac and cheese up to 2 days in advance and keep it in the fridge, with the topping stored separately. Take it out of the fridge 45 minutes before baking. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Then, remove the foil and stir in up to ½ cup of warm milk or as needed to achieve a creamy texture. Add the topping, and bake uncovered for another 10 to 12 minutes or until browned.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 621 | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 92mg | Sodium: 744mg | Potassium: 343mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1082IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 617mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Casserole, Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Pasta, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Diet Vegetarian© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
I made the mac and cheese with your air fryer roast chicken, superb! Everything I’ve made our yours has been fabulous (your tomato bisque is my favorite). Thank you for more great recipes.
Would you change the baking time or temperature if you were baking this in an enameled dutch oven instead of a 9×13 pan?
My daughter asked me for a “homemade mac and cheese” and I am just so excited she is willing to forgo the blue box from Kraft and let me use a real recipe, so it’s got to be perfect! :)
The cooking time may be a few minutes less as it will conduct heat a bit better. The difference with enameled cast iron is that it will hold the heat once removed from the oven so you’ll want to be sure not to overcook so it stays creamy!
Thank you!
I made this Baked Mac & Cheese to add to our Thanksgiving dinner. It was a hit! My 6 year old great-granddaughter was blowing me a kiss across the table after every bite. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. I hope your Thanksgiving was also a happy one.
Definitely a keeper! So easy, super yummy!
Why the hell would you update this recipe on thanksgiving… completely different measurements and even new ingredients. Baffling.
This recipe has not be changed or been updated other than to add garlic powder (back in June), which you can omit if you prefer. The quantities were updated to make measuring a little more precise (but are the same amounts). Perhaps there was another Mac and Cheese you were looking at (I have a few) and I’d love to help you find it. You can browse all of my Mac and Cheese recipes here (perhaps my Mac and Cheese casserole) or reply to this comment and let me know what is different so I can help you find it.
I’m planning to make this recipe ahead. How long would you bake for if cooking at 375 instead of 400??
You may need to add about 10 minutes to the cooking time.
so yummy!
I’m not a fan of panko so I used crushed Ritz crackers. delicious!
Amazing
So creamy and yummy! I made individual portions by using ramekins and it worked perfectly. Super easy to reheat the leftovers, too!
On the make ahead, do we bake it ahead of time before refrigerating it? is the 1/2 cup warm milk additional to recipe? is the 20 minutes baking time additional? Really would like to try this.
To make ahead, it does not need to be baked before refrigerating. The warm milk is in addition to the recipe as the noodles soak up some of the sauce and it needs extra moisture. If made ahead, this recipe will bake for a total of 30 to 32 minutes.
this is my go to Mac and Cheese recipe. so delicious. Made it exactly per the recipe. We all love it. Thanks.
I am always looking for a good recipe for Mac and Cheese and this is a keeper. I did substitute some of the cheddar cheese for gruyere and wow what flavor. The creaminess of the casserole was perfect.
Creamy and a hit with the whole fam. Thanks!
Another great recipe! Very easy instructions and it turned out great! Love the crunchy topping.
This was Delicious!I have had many Mac n’ Cheese recipes and this one was Exceptional!I used variation of Gureyye Cheese and Cheddar .
I loved it!
I made this recipe as written, except for omitting the spices and seasoning it simply with just salt (I have very picky eaters at my table). Even plain, it is incredibly delicious! I love the crispy, cheesy topping. It really hit the comfort food spot. Highly recommend.
My Granddaughter loves Mac and Cheese and thankfully, I found your recipe several years ago. She told her mother that Gramma’s Mac and Cheese is the best and only kind she wants! She is now in University and when the rugby team has a team dinner, they request Keira’s Mac and cheese and her mom has to make 2 pans! So.. thank you for making me the Mac and Cheese Hero!
Hi Carol, thank you for sharing your story. I am delighted to hear that the mac and cheese recipe is so popular with her rugby team and that you have become their mac and cheese hero. Good luck to their season and have a great rest of your day!
I made this recipe and added leftover cooked ham everyone absolutely loved it.
Someone shared this w/a link on X and said it was gobbled up at a church function. Today I made it and it was as tasty as his photo looked!! Thank you! Glad I kept everything in the recipe as written. That topping is quite wonderful!!
This was very much like my mom’s great mac and cheese casserole. I didn’t use the heavy cream and also used three different cheeses. I also cut the recipe in half.