This Baked Mac and Cheese recipe is going to become a family classic. Made with easy to find ingredients, by following my detailed instructions this recipe will turn out perfect every single time.
While making a homemade mac and cheese can be intimidating because it involves making a cheese sauce from scratch, the comfort level of easy baked mac and cheese is off the charts.
This recipe went through so many rounds of testing. I wanted to ensure that it turned out absolutely perfect for you and would be the comforting classic that everyone knows and loves. The result is a creamy and delicious baked mac and cheese that you can turn to over and over again.
How to Make Baked Mac and Cheese
This is a brief overview of how easy this delicious recipe is. Please note that you will want to follow the recipe exactly as written in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Cook the pasta. Read more about this below.
- Make the roux. The roux is what will hold the cheese sauce together as it bakes. Read more about making a roux below.
- Make the cheese sauce. Once you have added the cheese, add in the cold milk and half and half. Add in the seasonings. Then add four cups of the cheese, allowing it to melt into the sauce.
- Combine everything and bake. In a casserole dish, combine the cooked pasta and the cheese sauce and top with the remaining two cups of cheese. Bake for 15 minutes and enjoy.
Tips for Cooking Pasta for Baked Mac and Cheese
For a more detailed look at cooking pasta in general, read my post How to Cook Pasta.
- Use a large pot and plenty of water. You want to make sure that the pasta has plenty of room to expand as it cooks.
- Bring the pot of water to a roaring boil before adding in the dry pasta.
- Salt the water. A little bit of salt in the water enhances the flavor of the pasta and whatever you add to it.
- Cook the pasta for the length of time that is at the bottom end of the cooking range. You want the pasta to be al dente, so if the box says to cook for six to eight minutes, cook it for six minutes. Since the pasta will be baked, you don’t want to overcook it while boiling.
Best Cheese for Baked Mac and Cheese
When making mac and cheese, you want to ensure that you use a cheese that melts really well. Cheddar and gruyere are some of the best melting cheeses and their combined flavor makes this mac and cheese recipe mouthwatering. Some other great melting cheeses include fontina, gouda, Havarti, Colby, and American.
Skip Pre-Shredded Cheese
The biggest piece of advice I can give you when making this recipe is to skip pre-shredded cheese. If you are a returning reader, you know this is one of my favorite soap boxes. But if you are new to Simple Joy, gather round.
Pre-shredded cheese is covered with preservatives that keep it in its shredded form in the bag at the grocery store. Those same preservatives prevent it from melting well. In a dish where melting cheese is pretty key – I mean it is basically the name of the dish – let’s take the time to shred cheese from the block!
Measuring Shredded Cheese
When you are measuring cheese for a recipe, it is best to go off of weight. If you don’t have a scale, no worries. Keep in mind that one cup of shredded cheese is four ounces. So if you buy a block of cheese that is eight ounces you know that you will get two cups of shredded cheese out of it.
Making a Roux
A roux is the combination of a fat, in this case butter, and flour. The fat coats the flour and helps it stay suspended in the sauce. This is what keeps a delicious and creamy sauce from separating.
There are a few keys to making this roux for homemade baked mac and cheese.
- The first is the milk and half and half need to be cold. We like to start this recipe by measuring everything out and then we put the milk and half and half back in the refrigerator in their measuring cups.
- The second key is to cook the flour-butter mixture for about 30 seconds before adding any milk. This will eliminate any flour taste in the final dish.
- Finally, it is important to add the milk and half and half slowly. You will want to add just a few tablespoons at a time, waiting for it to be absorbed before adding more. Though you want to go slowly, the whole process will take less than two minutes.
Stovetop Mac and Cheese
Storing Leftovers
Leftover mac and cheese can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to four days. I would recommend reheating just the portion you plan on eating on the stovetop over low heat. You likely will need to add a little bit of milk. Please note that the leftovers won’t be quite as delicious as the original was.
I do not recommend freezing this recipe.
What to Serve with Baked Mac and Cheese
This recipe works great as a main dish and also as a side. Here are a few suggestions for each.
- If this is a side dish, you will love it alongside my baked chicken legs, salisbury steak, easy top round roast, or spatchcock chicken.
- If this is a main dish for your family, consider serving it with tomato soup, chopped salad, and baked potato wedges.
If you make this easy mac and cheese bake or any of my other recipes, leave me a comment and let me know what you think! I love hearing from you!
Baked Mac and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound elbow macaroni uncooked (453.6 grams)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (84.75 grams)
- 6 tablespoons all purpose flour (45 grams)
- 2 1/4 cups cold half and half (532.2 ml)
- 1 1/2 cups cold whole milk (354.9 ml)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt (3/4 teaspoon if table salt)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups medium cheddar cheese divided, read above about measuring cheese (452 grams)
- 2 cups Gruyere cheese divided (226 grams)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9 by 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Cook the macaroni according to package instructions, making sure to salt the water with 2 teaspoons of kosher salt. When it is finished cooking, drain and set aside.1 pound elbow macaroni
- While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Make sure it fully combines with the butter and cooks for about 30 more seconds. Then slowly whisk in the half and half and the whole milk. You want to start with just a few tablespoons at a time, adding more once it is absorbed by the roux. Then you can gradually add it more quickly. The whole process should take less than 2 minutes.6 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 1/4 cups cold half and half, 1 1/2 cups cold whole milk, 6 tablespoons all purpose flour
- Combine the grated cheeses. Then pull out 2 cups and set aside. (You will have one bowl of 4 cups and one bowl of 2 cups.)4 cups medium cheddar cheese, 2 cups Gruyere cheese
- Add in the salt, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and black pepper to the sauce. Stir in 4 cups of shredded cheese until completely melted. Try the sauce and add more seasoning to taste.2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
- Stir in the cooked noodles. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top with the remaining 2 cups of cheese.
- Put the baking dish in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Allison says
Hi! Could I prep this the day before and keep it in the fridge overnight before baking?
I haven’t tested that with this recipe, but I can’t think of a reason why it wouldn’t work.