Homemade Mac and Cheese is a rich, creamy casserole and this recipe is truly my favorite!
Not only is this creamy macaroni and cheese recipe easy to make, it has a special ingredient so it turns out extra delicious!
This dish has so much cheesy sauce, it’s impossible to resist and once you try it, this is going to be the only baked macaroni & cheese recipe you’ll ever need!
Why This is Our Favorite Homemade Mac & Cheese Ever
Hello, my name is Holly and I am obsessed with Macaroni and Cheese. I love all kinds from crock pot mac & cheese to baked mac and cheese, or even out of a little blue box. Of all of the cheesy macaroni recipes, *this* recipe right here is the best mac and cheese recipe ever and always gets rave reviews!
- The sauce is from scratch and easy to make.
- This recipe is extra saucy.
- The pasta doesn’t get dry, it’s still nice and creamy even after it’s baked in the oven.
- It’s got great flavor, especially when using sharp cheddar cheese. (The sharper the better!)
- And most importantly, it’s the best homemade mac and cheese you’ve ever had.
Ingredients & Variations
PASTA: This easy mac and cheese casserole starts with elbow macaroni that is slightly undercooked so they don’t get mushy when baked.
Any short pasta like penne, rotini, or shells will work. Feel free to use gluten-free pasta or whole-grain pasta if desired.
SAUCE: A classic flour and butter mixture is used to thicken the cheese sauce. We add sharp cheddar and fresh parmesan for lots of flavor. A secret ingredient I love to add is condensed cheddar cheese soup (this is optional but recommended).
For extra richness, I add a bit of light cream to the milk. You can use all milk if it’s all you have.
VARIATION: This casserole has a simple cheese topping. But feel free to add a breadcrumb topping if desired.
How to Make Homemade Mac and Cheese
Making homemade macaroni and cheese (especially this 5-star recipe) is surprisingly easy and quick!
- Cook Pasta – Cook pasta al dente (slightly undercooked) drain & rinse.
- Make Sauce – A homemade cheese sauce with lots of cheese takes about 10 minutes. (more on the sauce below).
- Combine and bake – Toss sauce with pasta and top with remainder of shredded cheese.
- Bake (as per the recipe below) until golden and bubbly.
Mac and Cheese Sauce
The sauce for this easy homemade macaroni and cheese is a classic roux based cheese sauce. This just means fat (in this case butter) and flour cooked together and then liquid (milk) added! This sauce is incredibly rich and creamy making sure the macaroni and cheese is velvety smooth and extra creamy every single time.
Be sure to shred your own cheese for the sauce, pre-shredded cheese doesn’t melt as well.
The Best Cheese For Mac and Cheese
Sharp Cheddar is my first choice for flavor however you can certainly use your favorite cheeses. Mix it up and use a bit of gruyere, or even pepper jack for a little kick. If you have bits of cheese leftover, you can combine them all together in this easy homemade cheese sauce.
This recipe has a special ingredient that is a little bit unconventional but makes it extra yummy… AND it is optional. The addition of cheddar cheese soup makes the sauce a little bit extra velvety and just adds a little something. I think it’s much better than Mac and cheese with Velveeta! Give it a try! (You can find it at your local grocery store with the other condensed soups or online here).
Recipe Tips
Making Homemade Macaroni and Cheese is not difficult, but below are a few simple tips to make sure it turns out perfect and creamy every single time!
- Cook pasta al dente (firm) Otherwise the noodles cook extra in the sauce and can get over- cooked in the oven.
- Salt the pasta water It really makes a difference in the flavor of the pasta.
- Rinse the pasta after cooking While not everyone agrees, in this particular recipe the sauce is created with a texture that pairs perfectly with rinsed noodles. Rinsing with cold water stops the cooking process, too, ensuring that pasta won’t overcook and get mushy during baking.
- Shred the cheese by hand Pre-shredded cheeses contain additives to keep it from sticking together which affect the way it melts.
- Rest before serving Allowing the baked macaroni and cheese to rest for a few minutes after baking will thicken the sauce and allow the casserole to set.
- Watch the timer Most importantly of all… do not over-bake this recipe.
When cooking your macaroni noodles, cook them according to the package directions but you want them to be still firm. If your package says 6-8 minutes, just cook them 6… you get the idea.
How to Make a Bread Crumb Topping (optional)
Combine the following and sprinkle over your casserole before baking.
- 3/4 cup bread crumbs (Panko Bread Crumbs are best)
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon parsley (optional)
This recipe makes an extra saucy creamy macaroni. Do not over-bake this recipe. You want it creamy and rich, over-baking will cause it to dry out. I find that 20 minutes is perfect in my oven, the cheese sauce will thicken slightly while standing.
More Macaroni Recipes You’ll Love
- Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese – so hearty
- Instant Pot Mac and Cheese – super easy!
- American Goulash Recipe (Tomato, Beef and Macaroni) – crowd pleaser
- Cheesy Beef & Macaroni Casserole
- Homemade One Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni – easy & quick!
- Crock Pot Mac and Cheese – reader favorite
- Baked Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
Did you love this Mac and Cheese Casserole? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 ounces elbow macaroni
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 1 cup half and half or light cream
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- 10.75 ounces condensed cheddar cheese soup 1 can, optional
- 4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese divided
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Cook macaroni al dente according to package directions. Drain and run under cold water.
- Melt butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Whisk in flour and let cook 2 minutes while stirring. Slowly whisk in milk, cream, mustard powder, onion powder, salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat while stirring until thickened.
- Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese and 3 cups cheddar cheese until melted. Add soup if using. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if desired.
- Toss cheese sauce and macaroni noodles together. Pour into a greased 9×13 pan. Top with remaining 1 cup cheese.
- Bake 18 to 24 minutes or until bubbly. Do not over cook. Cool 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
- Cook pasta al dente (firm) so it doesn't overcook in the oven. I usually undercook by about 1-2 minutes
- Rinse the pasta after cooking This particular recipe is designed for rinsed pasta. This stops it from cooking.
- Shred the cheese by hand Pre-shredded cheeses contain additives to keep it from sticking together which affect the way it melts.
- Rest before serving this will thicken the sauce and allow the casserole to set.
- Watch the timer Most importantly of all... do not over-bake this recipe.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Casserole, Dinner, Entree, Main Course, Pasta
Cuisine American© 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 this on Monday (8/15/16) It was so good!!
So glad you enjoyed it.
Can I make it ahead of time and put in the fridge? Heat it up when we get home for dinner?
Thanks
Yes, that should work fine. You may need to adjust cooking time slightly.
Made this Mac and cheese…..and promptly threw away all of my old Mac and cheese recipes! I used 2 cups of elbow macaroni for the 12 ounce portion. I used the cheddar cheese soup, as well. I only had 3 cups of cheddar cheese and 1/4 cup fresh Parmesan. I would have liked the cheese topping, but since I didn’t have the extra cup of cheese, I made the panko topping. It really was the best! Thank you for the yummy recipe….creamy and good!
Yay!! I’m so glad you love this recipe as much as I do Marilyn!
Lol to see this. Because i always see these food posts and crave them but this is in my fridge now!! WOOT WOOT!!
This is my EXACT recipe for baked mac and cheese which I just made my kiddo yesterday and I always serve it with little smokies in the crockpot simmering with a bottle of bbq sauce on the side perfect pairing. Only modification I do with this recipe is I splurge and use cavatopi noodles they are SO SO SO MUCH BETTER for this dish and I use the large bag of shredded cheese that is already the mix of white and yellow shredded and put more cheese on the top than this. I also bake mine @ 375 for 35 min and the cheese on top gets that perfect nice golden brown crisp. Also before baking I sprinkle the top evenly and sparingly with paprika for added taste and more eye appeal of a golden top when it comes out of the oven all bubbly. This is one of my sons absolute favorite meals. Add greenbeans cooked with smidge of vinigar and handfull of bacon bits along with a buttery croissant on the side then finishing with a wedge of watermelon or bowl of sherbert… Damn good dinner. #comfortFood #SoulFood
I’m going to take your word for it and try it with cavatappi… and the paprika would definitely make it look great (especially since I take photos of my food : ). Love the side suggestions, thank you for sharing!!
Cavatappi is the best! The recipe came out delicious using it; I love the way it “holds” the cheese. :)
I agree, cavatappi pasta is the best for mac and cheese; its nifty spiral shape holds the cheesy sauce perfectly!
I’ve just made this in the “bush”. I’m currently in Musina (a dusty town in Limpopo, the Northernmost province in South Africa), for 2,5 weeks with my husband. It isn’t exactly the “bush” but it’s fairly close , sort of like a frontier town.
I just had a yearning to make this when I saw the post on FB.
We don’t have everything we need up here and when I told my husband what I was thinking he was all “Are you sure you want to do this? Pasta is full of gluten and its GMO to boot.”
I said “Yes, I am sure I want some gluten, I’m very sure I want Mac and Cheese. I haven’t had it for yonks.”
He wasn’t too convinced and to be honest I was worried because although I love pasta and the creamy Mac and Cheese was calling to me, I knew I would pay the price later.
So we got what we could from the Musina Spar, and I made a few small adjustments, some to make him (and me) happy, others because we are in Musina and can’t have everything we want .
So, I had brought some lovely organic grass-fed cream from home in Joburg, and further we bought some mediocre cheddar, full cream ultra pasteurised milk, corn flour (Maizena), unsalted butter (no salted available so can only assume there must be some bakers in this small town), the macaroni pasta and frozen peas and some delicious biltong (from the local Bakgat Biltong, biltong is a type of dried meat, like jerky). Unfortunately no cans of creamy cheddar soup to be had.
We also don’t have many tools in our kitchen but we found a way.
I sautéed finely chopped onion in the butter without colouring it, then added the corn flour and some English mustard because it was on the counter, and cooked it before adding the cream, milk, salt and pepper. I added frozen baby peas to the béchamel as well and brought the sauce to a boil.
We boiled the pasta until very al dente, then put the pasta back into the pot. I added the béchamel to the just drained pasta, loads of grated cheddar and shredded biltong (our pot was too small to add the cheese to the béchamel sauce).
We vigorously mixed it all so the cheese was mixed throughout and spooned the mixture into a buttered (greased) baking container and it went into the oven for about 15 min.
It was delicious, not as creamy as your Spend with Pennies recipe will be, but it went down very well.
I’m now having a lie down. Not very uncomfortable yet, and it was worth it. So sinful and so full of carbs! Sometimes I have days like today, where I can’t stop myself from enjoying something that isn’t good for me .
Now, when I feel this way again and I’m home in Johannesburg, I’m going to find that can of cheddar soup and I will do it your way. I can’t wait.
I love your adaptations I’m sure some of the fresh products you added were delicious in this recipe (as frozen peas would be too). I’m so glad you enjoyed it.. and I agree, we all need to indulge a little from time to time!
Would be nice if there was a print link.
The print link is located next to the ingredients just under the small recipe photo.
My macaroni and cheese always gets gummy and clumpy the next day. What do you think I’m doing wrong?
Thanks!
You’ll want to be sure you don’t over bake your macaroni. Leftover macaroni and cheese does tend to be a little bit thick, I usually add in a little bit of milk/cream when reheating and gently stir a couple of times. I’d recommend reheating over medium heat.
I am going to make this for my daughters birthday party in a large buffet tray. Have you ever doubled this recipe? Any special modifications you would consider?
I have successfully doubled this recipe. If you are cooking in two 9×13 pans the recipe should remain the same (you’ll likely bake it to the longer end of the time).
I think this is a really good Mack and cheese. Think I will try it.
Enjoy Delores!
Recipe looks great, but like nearly all recipes that tell you to “put in oven x minutes” it doesn’t specify whether to cover or not. So which do you do?
Thank you Rod! I bake this uncovered.
Hi holy
Love the recipe I tried this instead of mine because it was easier to make and kids loved it I have a favorite that I make on holidays and birthdays it has 10 different chz with a homemade bread crumbs topping will post soon and show you thanks for all the great recipes
I’m so glad your kids loved this… and woah 10 CHEESES!! That sounds awesome!
Have a great evening!!
What is the light cream?
Light cream is usually about 10-12% fat. (Such as a half and half).
Can this be made ahead of time and put in the oven prior to serving?
Yes. I would recommend removing it from this fridge at least 30 minutes before baking. You may need to adjust the cooking time slightly to ensure it is heated through.
This is how my grandmother taught me and so i have always made mine like this but i also add an egg to my cheese sauce and a 12 oz pack of mozzarella cheese. Oh so Good!
That sounds fantastic! I bet the egg makes the sauce even richer! Yum!
I would like to receive your recipes. But don’t have any money to buy in to any thing.
Hi Edna!
You can get a FREE weekly newsletter by visiting this link and simply leaving your email! No hidden costs, just a lot of yum sent to your inbox once a week!
To receive emails with new recipes, you can click here to sign up to receive emails. Look forward to sending you recipes!
My husband loves this with creamy blue cheese sprinkled all through it – yum
This was quite good. Next time I will cut back on the onion powder, as I thought it was a bit overpowering.
My daughter and I followed this recipe step by step and it turned out as good as it looks in the picture. After baking 20 mins in the oven the texture turned out perfectly…nice and creamy. This recipe is definitely a keeper! Thanks Holly for sharing!
I’m so glad your family loved it Lori! It’s definitely one of my favorites! :)
Instead of dry mustard I use a sort of regular mustard still gives it a nice zip
This is big how does it reheat?
Really well. I sometimes add a little milk if needed when reheating to keep it creamy!
this was awesome reheats really well. This recipe is printed and is in my favorites binder….so good!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!