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 would like to make this for Thanksgiving. My mom always makes her mac n cheese the day before by assembling it all with the cooked pasat and refrigeratin over night. Then she takes it out tops with cheese and bakes. This saves time for Thanksgiving Day. Have you premade this recipe? Do you think it will be okay to do that?
Yes, I’ve made this recipe ahead of time. I’d suggest you ensure your pasta is very al dente and taking it out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before baking. You may need to adjust the cooking time slightly to ensure it is heated through.
When you say 4 cups of shredded sharp cheddar. Is that really 2-16oz bricks that I have to grate? Seems like a lot of cheese. Just want to mark sure I get this recipe down
First grate the cheese, then measure 4 cups for this recipe. This would be approximately 1 pound of cheese.
Self rising flour or all purpose?
All purpose!
I want to make this for Thanksgiving! Do you think it will taste okay if I prep everything in the morning at home and bake it before serving a couple hours later at my in laws? Thanks in advance.
Hi Angel, Yes that will be fine!
Best I’ve ever had.
I’m so glad you loved it!
The holiday crowd will love ❤️ this!!
When you say Parmesan cheese, so you mean grated or shredded?
You will want to use shredded parmesan cheese from the refrigerator section of your store (not the powdered grated parmesan).
I am a mac n cheese freak! I made this and I have got one WORD for this …..YUMMMMMMO
This hands down THE BEST mac and cheese I have EVER HAD! I will continue to use this as my go to recipe. Thank you SOOOOOOOO MUCH FOR SHARING this.
I think this looks so delicious! Can’t wait to try this, but I do have a question I can not get to the store so for the cream can i use sour cream?
I have not tried sour cream but I do think it would work. You could certainly just leave the soup out altogether.
Best Mac & Cheese recipe ever!! I started making this last year for a grad party and everyone loved it!! Thanks
I’m so glad everyone loved it!
I always make this recipe and love it every time! The only thing is that I bake it for only 10 minutes because the sauce disappears if you bake it the full amount of time. Definitely my favorite mac n cheese recipe!
Super good. Very creamy if you do not over bake. Follow the recipe I have tried many Mac and cheese recipes but this one is the Best. Thank you
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Nancy!
My family deemed this “the best macaroni and cheese EVER!”
Didn’t have the soup. Used a 3/4″ “slice” off a block of Velveeta and melted it with the cheddar. Everyone loved it. Also used 16 oz. noodles, and there was still plenty of cheese sauce. Will definitely make this again.
I am glad this was a hit with your family!
This is some awesome MAC AND CHEESE. Easy to make and delish! Been making it for years.
Made this tonight, and split the recipe in half. I forgot to buy the soup, so I made it without, and also used heavy cream since that is what I had on hand. I cooked it for 20 mins, and the noodles were perfect. My only issue was being able to “feel” the flour. Not terribly, but it was slightly gritty. Since I halved the recipe, there was very little flour and butter slurry to continuously mix, but I could have done a better job of getting it smooth. The flavor overall, was really good! I have some picky eaters in my house, and 2 of my kids really liked it, one of which doesn’t eat any mac and cheese I make whether it’s out of the box or homemade. He said it tasted like the school’s mac & cheese, and apparently that’s a compliment! I definitely recommend giving this recipe a try!
I am glad to hear that your family liked the recipe, Leah! The soup definitely helps to blend the flour for thickening without ‘feeling’ or tasting it.
I don’t usually comment on blogs, but I absolutely had to after making this recipe last night. It was wonderful!
I didn’t have light cream, so I substituted it with 2 parts milk (2/3 cup) + 1 part heavy cream (1/3 cup) in addition to the 1 1/2 cups milk specified. Came out perfect! I made the béchamel on the stovetop with the heat set to 4 (just before medium) as not to burn the butter. Everything mixed and thickened wonderfully. I had started preheating the oven as the water was boiling for the noodles, so by the time it was ready to go into the oven it was hot enough that it only took the 18 minutes to bubble. I’ll definitely be making this recipe again!
I wanted to note that in the ingredients you mention to use salt + pepper to taste, but you don’t actually dictate when they should be added. I assumed, of course, that they were to be added with the other spices, but you might consider mentioning that part to avoid any confusion!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe! I am glad you were able to make it work without the light cream!
Made this dish tonight and added a little chicken and broccoli. It was delicious and will be my go to Mac n Cheese recipe!
Super good! It’s a keeper!
I am so glad you liked the recipe!
My family loved this recipe! It was amazing. Thanks for sharing.