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 skip all the multiple ingredients and have taken boiled macaroni and combined it with a big ole brick of Kraft cheese as needed and babied it through the oven process and it’s absolutely wonderful ! Much simpler and extremely good .
So you basically didn’t even use this recipe
So I would like to make this recipe for a party, and I will need to serve around 50. I’m planning to buy 2 big aluminum disposable pans, but I am wondering about the increase in ingredients. Sometimes when you double, triple, etc the recipe, certain ingredient amounts change.
Any advice for making the recipe for that many people? And how much do you think I need to multiply the recipe by to get that large of an amount? Thanks!!
Oh, and amount of time to cook with a larger batch?
It’s hard to judge since I haven’t seen the pans you’re using. If using disposable pans they don’t hold the heat as well as a regular pan so if it fits, I’d suggest placing cookie sheets under them to help with heat. If stirring in between I would think in the range of 40 minutes. I hope that helps!
I have easily doubled this recipe and it’s worked perfectly so I’m sure increasing the ratios as written will work just fine. I would suggest making about 6x the recipe and dividing it over the 2 pans.
When cooking it, you’re just really heating it since everything is already cooked. I would reserve the cheese you are topping it with and cook the two large pans stirring part way through cooking to ensure the middle is hot. Sprinkle the cheese over the pasta about 10 minutes before removing from the oven (you could broil it slightly just before serving if needed). Enjoy!!
Made this man and cheese and it is wonderful and very creamy!
lol meant MAC and cheese, NOT MAN and cheese!
LOL! So glad you loved it!
I had to go to the store to buy the cheddar cheese soup, and, dry mustard. I am going to be making this today.
Enjoy!
Hi Holly! First of all I want to say this is a great recipe. My family is hard to please when it comes to American dishes but they loved this one! I wanted to ask you if I should be using pre-packaged shredded cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese or if I should grate the cheese myself?
Hi Caleb, Either way will be delicious! You can shred it if you have time, but your recipe won’t suffer if you use pre-shredded cheese!
Thank you Holly for that delishous recipe for million dollar spagetti cassarole’ it was out-of-this-world. You are so kind.
Thank you for your kind words JoAnn! I am so glad you liked the recipe!
Is this good recipe to prep ahead of time to bake like the next day? I’ve made this several times and loved it.
To begin, GOOD MORNING FROM LONDON ONTARIO CANADA…..
I made this last night and OH MY GOD IT WAS AMAZING!!! I added Broccoli and Cauliflower and crossed fingers as i plated out some for my VERY PICKY Grandchildren! They totally DESPISE VEGETABLES!!! And to my surprise all 12 of my Grandchildren came back for seconds!!!!
Thank you so much for making me the BEST NANA IN THE WHOLE ENTIRE WORLD!!!
Again…… Thank you Thank you Thank you.
Now i finally have my favorite Grandchildren asking for VEGETABLES!!
God Bless you.
April Lewis London ONTARIO CANADA.
Ps: Im only 53yrs old and expecting another Grandbaby any day. So 13 its going to be and I can’t wait!!!!! Bring them them on!! After all God only gives you what you can handle RIGHT?!!!!
Good Morning April! I am so glad ALL of your crew of 12 Grandchildren loved this… great idea to add in broccoli and cauliflower!! :) And congratulations on number 13 on the day… so exciting to have a new little baby in the family to love! :)
Have a great weekend!
Has anyone ever doubled this recipe? I need mac n cheese for 20 people.
This recipe can successfully be doubled however I would suggest cooking it in two 9×13 pans. You may need to increase the cooking time very slightly with two pans in the oven.
Hi, I’m going to try this for a BBQ this weekend. I’m going to double the recipe and we planned on putting it in the smoker instead of the oven. Would I be ok to cook the noodles al dente? I know at the bottom of your recipe it says “don’t over cook” thank you!
I do cook them al dente so they don’t get mushy. Although I haven’t tried it in the smoker, I bet it’s going to be amazing!
Love this Mac & cheese recipe! Would like to receive your newsletter .Dolly
I just made this last night and it turned out great Any tips on reheating without it drying out?
I sometimes add a little milk or cream when reheating if needed (and reheat on low or lower power in the microwave to keep the cheese from separating). :)
What kind of cream?
Light cream such has half and half. You’ll want it to be about 10-12% mf.
I just made this for our early Christmas dinner tonight. WOW!!! This was the best baked macaroni and cheese I have ever made or eaten! We added some ham but next time I will add crab.
I did not add in the can of soup and used a mix of sharp cheddar and co-jack. Because my 9×13 pans were in the washer, I used a deep 2qt casserole. Not a lot of crispy edges but lots of creamy mac and cheese!
I’m so glad you loved it! Crab would definitely be delicious in this recipe! :)
I have to say that I love this recipe. I have made it a few times and my family loves it . I did not change a thing, or add anything to this recipe, thank you!
I’m so glad your family enjoyed this recipe!
This is pretty close to my grandmother’s recipe what she would make for me every weekend. I miss her so much and her Mac and Cheese.
She would change it up every once in awhile depending on who was coming to dinner. You know there is always a fussing or finicky eater. One of my favorite changes was to replace the Cheese soup with Tomato soup. So yummy! Or she would put down a layer of the Mac and Cheese, top with fresh sliced tomato then the remainder of the Mac and Cheese. She always topped hers with bread crumbs. Making this for Christmas dinner and know it will be delicious.
What great memories you have Sandra! <3 The tomato soup would be SO good in this recipe!! Enjoy and Merry Christmas!
Can I use the bagged shredded cheese?
Yes, the pre-shredded cheese works well in this recipe.
This is my go-to recipe. I don’t follow it EXACT, but 90% I do. I’ve tried hundreds of Mac & cheese recipes, and this is by FAR the best base recipe I’ve ever used so am keeping it. I add 8 oz of cream cheese and it really adds flavor!! Then I add a touch more milk so it isn’t too thick. Sometimes I cook bacon and throw that in, and sometimes (if I’m not lazy), I crush up Ritz crackers with melted butter and top it with that. It’s WAY better than bread crumbs. My mom’s bday is today and this was requested, so since I’m once again back at this recipe, I thought I’d finally add a comment since it’s my go-to :-)
I’m so glad you love it Cassie, it’s one of our all time favorites too! Great ideas for additions!
This was fabulous!!! So creamy and tasty! The family loved it!
Perfect, Jennifer! I’m glad your family loved it :)
I like marcoroni & chese