There are few comfort foods better than Mac And Cheese, and this Baked Mac And Cheese is the best I have ever had. One gripe I always have with Mac And Cheese is that it tends to be too "samesy", cheesy and boring without having depth of flavor and texture. So I developed this recipe to fix all of that. This Mac And Cheese is easy to make, flavorful and balanced without being overpowering. The baked layer of cheese on top adds a much needed crunch. And the result is *perfection*!
Read the full blog post below for detailed notes, tips, tricks, photos and videos.
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INGREDIENTS NEEDED
Here are the ingredients you will need for this recipe (exact recipes are provided at the bottom of this post):
- Elbow macaroni - you can also use other types of pasta like cellentani or rigatoni
- Unsalted butter - this does not have to be at room temperature
- All purpose flour
- Whole milk
- Heavy cream - you can replace this with more milk if needed
- Cream cheese - ideally at room temperature
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Garlic powder or fresh minced / chopped garlic
- Paprika
- Onion powder
- Shredded cheddar, gruyere and mozzarella cheeses - the type of cheese you use will be the main factor impacting the taste of the Mac And Cheese. I highly recommend using freshly grated cheeses. If you can't find gruyere, you can replace it with gouda. This mixture will be divided into two parts, one that is added to the cheese sauce, and one that is layered before baking
- Freshly chopped parsley
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BAKED MAC AND CHEESE
Now let's go over the steps to make this Baked Mac And Cheese. It is really simple and fuss free!
1. Boil the macaroni
First, boil the macaroni according to the instructions on the packet, bringing them to al dente. I like to add a generous pinch of salt to the water as well. Drain, wash with cold water, and set aside.
2. Make the cheese sauce
Preheat your oven to 350F before getting started.
Now let's make the cheese sauce! Start by melting butter in a large saucepan / Dutch oven pan on medium-low heat. Once the butter is melted, add the flour and stir for 1-2 minutes to toast the flour.
Add the salt and spices, and stir for another minute or so to cook the spices. Now, add the milk and cream. Stir until the mixture comes to a boil.
Then add the cream cheese and whisk it in. At this point, you can turn off the heat. Now, just stir in the cheese mixture, adding them a little at a time and mixing until they are melted in.
You should have a creamy cheese sauce. It should not be too thick, as it will thicken up more during baking.
Stir in the boiled macaroni. Taste and adjust the spices and salt as needed.
3. Assemble
In a casserole dish (I use a 7x11" ceramic dish), add half of the Mac And Cheese mixture and spread it out. Sprinkle over a layer of cheese.
Then cover with the remaining Mac And Cheese, and top off with the remaining cheese. Sprinkle over chopped parsley, and a little paprika.
4. Bake!
Now it's time to bake! Place the dish in the oven and bake for ~15 minutes. Then switch to broil, and broil until the cheese on top is melted and golden.
5. Serve and enjoy!
That's it. It is now time to enjoy this delicious Baked Mac And Cheese! 🙂
RELATED RECIPES
If you enjoy this recipe, I have many more simple and comforting recipes for you to try next! Check out these:
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
You can store this Baked Mac And Cheese in the fridge in an airtight container, and reheat in an oven (covered with aluminum foil) or microwave before serving.
Yes! You can make this Mac And Cheese all the way till assembly, then cover the casserole dish with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for up to 1 week. Bake when ready to serve.
BEST BAKED MAC AND CHEESE RECIPE
- Total Time: 50 min
- Yield: 12-14 servings
Description
The best Baked Mac And Cheese - simple, creamy, cheesy and flavorful without being overpowering!
Ingredients
- 10 oz elbow macaroni
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (56g)
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour
- 3 cups whole milk (720g)
- 1 cup heavy cream (240g)
- ¼ cup cream cheese, room temperature (4 oz or 113g)
- ½ to 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ to 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 cup each of shredded cheddar cheese, Gruyère cheese and mozzarella cheese for the cheese sauce
- ½ cup each of shredded cheddar cheese, Gruyère cheese and mozzarella cheese for layering
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (conventional)
- Boil the macaroni following box instructions to reach al dente. Strain and set aside
- Shred the cheeses and set aside, keeping the cheeses for the sauce separate from the cheeses for layering
- Melt the butter in a nonstick pan at medium heat. Add flour and mix until it becomes golden and fragrant. Then add the salt and spices, and stir for one minute
- Add the milk, cream, and cream cheese. Whisk to combine and cook until the mixture comes to a boil. Turn off the heat
- Add 1 cup each of the shredded cheeses, a little at a time, and stir until they melt in
- Add the boiled macaroni and stir in. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed
- Take a casserole / ceramic baking dish; I use a 7x11" dish. Add half of the Mac And Cheese mixture and spread it out. Sprinkle over half of the cheese mixture that was set aside for layering. Cover with the remaining Mac And Cheese, and then sprinkle over all the remaining cheese
- Garnish with the chopped parsley and lightly dust with paprika
- Place the dish in the pre-heated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese on top is melted. Broil for just a few minutes so the cheese on top is golden
- Serve and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 30 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: American
KC says
Born and raised in the South and this just looks like soup. Bless your heart. ??
Zoha says
Hi KC. The beauty of food is everyone can make it their own. I didn't call this a Southern Mac And Cheese. And my preference for Mac And Cheese is for it to be more saucy. Thanks.
DD says
The serving size seems off. A little more than half of a box for 12-14 people in a 7x11 dish seems very small. Looks good though!
laura says
There is no way the other reviewer actually tried this recipe. It’s so yummy! And I’m a Mac and cheese fanatic. Thanks for the delicious recipe!
Sylvia says
Hi.. this looks like it's really delicious. I haven't tried it yet but I will try it next week when I get home. I love mac' n cheese that's a bit saucy & not stiff as a board (with egg) Thanks a bunch for this recipe.
Dorina Breznyan says
Hi Zoha,
I wish you would tweak the measurements a bit. One cup of heavy cream didn’t come out to that many grams. I’m not sure which ones accurate. I’d love if you could update it with the proper measurements since I’m pretty sure the grams are more than their actual values so I added way too much milk. I’m glad I double checked with the cream.
Zoha says
Hi Dorina! I double checked and the grams are correct. One cup of heavy cream is 240g. If in doubt, it's best to use grams. As the recipe states, this is a saucy mac and cheese, so if you prefer it to be less saucy, reduce the quantity of the milk or cook down the sauce more!
Kay says
Been wanting to make mac n cheese for a while and came across your recipe. Its the perfect saucy recipe mmm. It turned out yummy even my toddler said mmmm as she ate.
Sarjna says
This is a delicious mac n cheese! It's full of flavour, nice and saucy and a hit with my family, especially my kids. I just added a little more salt (that's my personal preference).
A lovely winter warmer recipe, thank you Zoha.
I love your recipes, they're not complicated and easy to follow 🙂
Wafa says
This turned out delicious! Balanced flavor and I love that it didn’t feel dry.
Roo says
Had to make this for a school culinary project at home, this was super watery and would absolutely recommend adjusting measurements, I’m a fan of saucy Mac and cheese but this is extreme.
Zoha says
Thanks for the feedback, Roo!