Homemade Baked Macaroni and Cheese
One of America's Favorite Dishes, Classic Baked Mac and Cheese!
Baked Macaroni and Cheese contains several different types of cheeses, milk, and some light spices. Often times it calls for breadcrumbs as this recipe does.
It's easy to make a batch or two of this for a family get together or cookout. Beware: this recipe is extremely filling and definitely a major comfort food! Read on to find out how to make this easy, delicious homemade recipe from ingredients you might already have in your home!
Ingredients for Baked Macaroni & Cheese
It's easy, quick to make, and guests always love it.
You can make a lower fat version of this recipe by using 1% milk, 2% cheddar cheese, and 1/2 the amount of American cheese!
The beauty of baked macaroni and cheese is that it can be made on a whim. Have pasta, a few types of cheese, and some milk on hand? You have pretty much all you need for the perfect mac and cheese dish.
- (1) 8 oz bag of Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese, white or yellow
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cups of whole milk
- 1 cup of breadcrumbs
- 1/2 lb of Land O' Lakes White American Cheese sliced thin (deli version only)
- (Directions below)
Glass Baking Dishes - The perfect dish for baking macaroni and cheese
Easy to wash, cooks perfectly (and you can see how well the bottom has cooked!). The high sides of this dish will help keep your kitchen from getting too messy, while keeping your baked macaroni and cheese contained and ready to serve.
* Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
* In a large saucepan, slowly simmer the milk until it just starts to bubble slightly.
* While the cheese is bubbling, boil water and make 1 box of the pasta of your choice. Elbows, shells, and penne work the best. Cook the pasta al dente so the pasta is about 1-2 minutes undercooked.
* Add the cheese to the milk and stir constantly to avoid scorching the cheese and curdling the milk. Reduce the heat if necessary.
* Heat the mixture long enough to completely melt the cheese into the milk. If the consistency is too milky, slowly add 1 tablespoon of flour.
* Remove from heat once melted. Add the worcestershire sauce, dijon mustard, and pepper. Stir the mixture thoroughly with the cooked pasta.
* Place the macaroni and cheese mixture into a large glass pan. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs onto the mixture, then the paprika and parsley.
* Cook the macaroni and cheese for approximately 30-40 minutes, or until the top is slightly browned and crispy. Serve with green beans or garden salad.
Scroll down for a healthier alternative to this recipe!
For a crispier macaroni and cheese
remove the pasta from the boiling water 1-2 minutes before the pasta is ready. The pasta will continue to cook in the cheese mixture when baking, so this will give it an added crunch.
To avoid curdling the milk
heat as slowly as possible. The lower the heat, the better. Stir constantly and you'll prevent the cheese from burning.Keep an eye on the cheese even after it has melted, and remove it from heat once it has melted. Once you add the pasta and bake it,the mac and cheese will further melt in the oven.
Want to make this dish the ultimate comfort food? Read this recipe on bacon macaroni and cheese to see how to add flavorful bacon into the mix.
For Great Mac and Cheese
Be sure to simmer the milk slowly to avoid scorching. Add cheeses to the mixture one at a time, and stir frequently to avoid cheese sticking to the pan. Use a nonstick saucepan for best results.
Calphalon Saucepans - Get a pan that lasts! Great to make your baked mac & cheese with...
Why Calphalon for your macaroni and cheese? Because it's the best that I've found for sauces not sticking to the bottom of the pan, and doesn't have a temporary nonstick coating (that will flake off into your food). It also distributes the heat more evenly throughout the pan, and is a much easier clean up.
This Calphalon saucepan is better than nonstick -- it has a matte finish to prevent things from sticking to it, and metal utensils won't harm the finish of the pan (unlike nonstick surfaces). Nonstick surfaces are largely harmful once they start to flake off, entering the cooked food and possibly being ingested. With matte finish cookware, you don't have to worry about that. Thick sides prevent burning and give an all-around even heat. Calphalon provides a lifetime warranty for this product, just like the rest of their products!
Why American Cheese?
Strangely, American Cheese works well in macaroni and cheese recipes. The texture and consistency of the cheese helps "glue" the cheese together, making it smooth and easily meltable
For an Even Tastier Baked Macaroni and Cheese
try using these additional ingredients!
* 3-5 slices of Sharp Deli Provolone
* 2 Tablespoons of Dijon Mustard (add this ingredient after the cheese mixture is finished)
* 1 teaspoon of Coarse Ground Black Pepper
* 1 Tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce (add once cheese mixture is finished to prevent curdling)
* 1-2 Tablespoons of Parsley on top of the Macaroni and Cheese for garnish
Additional Options:
Some people like to add tomato slices, bacon, bratwurst, spinach or blue cheese to the mix for variety.
Healthy Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Make a healthier, lower fat version of this recipe!
Ingredients for Healthy Baked Macaroni and Cheese
- 1 box whole wheat or whole grain pasta (Barilla Plus is a good option)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup lowfat cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup lowfat havarti cheese, monterey jack, asiago, or swiss cheese (each will provide its own unique taste)
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 cup lowfat milk
- 2 tablespoons butter spread (like Smart Balance)
- 1 red pepper diced
- 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 small zucchini, diced
- 1 small package frozen spinach
- 1 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp. dijon mustard
- 6 tbsp. breadcrumbs
Directions:
1. Prepare the pasta according to the box directions and preheat an oven to 400 degrees. Sauté all of the vegetables (including the tomatoes) in a saucepan with the olive oil, except the spinach. Microwave the spinach according to the package directions. Add the spinach to the veggie mixture and continue to sauté until all of the vegetables just start to get soft.
2. In a separate saucepan, heat the milk on very low heat until the milk just starts to bubble. Add the cheese and stir frequently to avoid the milk from sticking to the bottom.
3. Add the flour to the cheese mixture, then the mustard. Continue to stir until the mixture is a creamy consistency. Do not overheat. To make a moister baked macaroni and cheese, add more milk to the mixture.
4. Combine the veggie mixture and cheese mixture. Drain the pasta and add to the veggie and cheese mixture. Place in a large shallow glass baking pan and top with the breadcrumbs.
5. Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Serve immediately.
Picture by Evan.
For a crispier mac and cheese...
...use panko bread crumbs. They're large and won't dissolve into the cheese. Finer breadcrumbs will make the consistency of the macaroni and cheese slightly grainy.
Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipe Videos
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Have you made this recipe? Tell us all about it!
Have a Macaroni and Cheese Tip of your Own? - Be sure to leave it in the Guestbook!
maybe if i skip a few cookies i can make this in a week or so - love mac n cheese!
oh, that was pretty easy to do. cook pasta. heat milk, mix cheese, eating time!! my mom used to make baked mac and cheese, and she would bake it. it has a crisp top and saucy filling :D
Panko breadcrumbs work really well :)
I love your cheese lens - great stuff. Thanks for sharing
Well, I am now hooked on a particular type of macaroni and cheese ... found it at Ruby Tuesday's! Love adding lobster [and perhaps scallops and shrimp] to my baked recipe ... with some crispiness on top ... might even sprinkle with fried onion rings bits.
When I was a little girl, I thought that making it polka dotted with slices of hotdog was the best!
I love macaroni and cheese. This sounds like a delicious recipe.
Sounds like a solid recipe. Good photos and comments. Thanks.
Best comfort food ever.
Although american cheese is smoother and makes it creamer my personal favorite is sharp cheddar and provalone!
One of my favorite homemade comfort foods. Tweeted it above, but will add it again. Get some maple bacon, cook it off to make your own bacon bits, and then add the pan drippings to the mac and cheese. Top it with the bacon bits, serious stuff!
love your recipes.... :)
There is nothing like the real deal. Great job. Blessed by a SquidAngel. Happy St. Paddy's Day.
oh man...sooo good! my mouth is watering.
Love MacCheese (Scottish version?):-)
Great lesn and another recipe to try out. Top marks
Wow now I am Extremely hungry, this Squidoo Lens is Practically Edible!!!
Sounds yummy
Everyone always tells me that once you have homemade mac & cheese you will refuse to eat it from a box. Eventually, I'll try it out ;-)
Personally, I think mac and cheese is a food group. Never made the sauce that way though, I always make a roux..
Who doesn't like Macaroni and Cheese? Thank you.
OMG, the perfect major comfort food is right! I wasn't surprised by the american cheese, though I've never used the white american ~ will have to give it a try. The 3 cheeses together sound like heaven and your even tastier version sounds amazing. I'll go with the 100 million calories version! I like the extra hints ou givie in your directions, especially being careful about heating the milk and avoiding burning the cheese.
Yum! I hadn't thought of using parmesan or asiago cheese in macaroni and cheese, but they sound wonderful. Great lens!
I love that you actually make a cheese sauce for your macaroni and cheese. When you just mix up the ingredients, it never comes together as well. Good job!
excellent instructions. Thanks for making me smile.
My mouth is just watering! I have such a craving right now for a big ole plate of homemade macaroni and cheese! Your pictures smelled delicious! LOL
Back to bless this tasty lens...you had me at "mac and cheese" ummmmm Also featured here: http://www.squidoo.com/100-blessings"
Great lens. I will have to try it. Its making my mouth water
Ummmm....not yet, but plan to! I'm a cheese addict :)
Good tips for improving mac and cheese!
i love mac and cheese well done i like it
You will certainly be labeled my son's hero for the day! He loves Mac and Cheese and I have always made it from a box :) He will love you for sharing this recipe, but no doubt, I will be the happy recipient of his hug, so I send you a virtual hug from both of us.
Yum love mac & cheese, I think I will try the version with the veggies...thanks!
Baked Mac and chees is the best. Here in the south it's considered a vegitable and we can't have enough of those.
Thanks for sharing,
Lizzy
Yummy, so many options. While I appreciate that you included the lower fat version, I think I am going to try the crispier macaroni and cheese first.
Planning on making one for the first time in my life!
The first time I had macaroni and cheese that was not from a box I remember being honestly shocked and surprised that it was possible to make mac and cheese without help from Kraft. I have a huge pail of potatoes to use up and I'm going to try making this recipe with half pasta and half potato so I can freeze it. Sounds delicious!
This sound so yummy!!! Great lens. Blessed by an Angel.
I had to add my own favorite mac and cheese recipe to Squidoo and am linking yours there... I think we should have a big mac and cheese bake off... !!
I'm not a big Mac n Cheese fan, but this does look good. Great, easy to follow directions too!
Macaroni and Cheese is one of my family's favorite things to eat. The kids would eat it every day if I let them. I can't wait to try out your recipe! I'm always looking for new recipes to try out!
One of my friends on Twitter wrote about this, saying amazing what you can find....yep, this is amazing. *Blessed* by an Angel.
Angel Blessings and Happy New Year!
- Author
@SusannaDuffy: Well, those are all good, but not exactly healthy eating. America does have that sort of image sometimes - thank McDonald's partially for that! I think it's a little bit of a misconception on the media's part. On TV, all you ever see is the unhealthy side of America, and it's concerning, but not necessarily representative of the entire nation.
There are places in the world where people believe all that North Americans ever eat is take-away hamburgers, apple pie and macaroni cheese.
ohhhhh...yummy yummy yummy lens!
looks sooooo good...baked mac n' cheese is such a great comfort food!
love it!
Not a fan of the boxed kind, that's for sure, but this actually looks really tasty!
Love that macaroni and cheese!
One of my most favorite foods, lilke, ever....Baked...it's gotta be baked.
Hmmm... Yummy, yummy, yummy! Have to try your recipe! I prepare it differently and after seeing pics - I wanna eat that! :D
You know, I've never made macaroni and cheese except for the Kraft instant variety. I don't know why, because it's actually not a difficult thing to make and certainly better tasting than instant.
I'll give this recipe a try, it looks delicious.
Yumm! I am going to have to make some mac and cheese -- this looks yummy -- thanks for stopping by the healthy sandwich recipes lens that I am the new curator of for our fellow lensmaster Gordon! Glad you liked it.
Since I can't really eat this right now (dieting)--except for maybe a few bites, which would be more of a tease than anything--I figured reading about and looking at it would be the next best thing. *sigh* Now you've made me really hungry. Well done lens.
Oh yummmmmmm..................
My partner makes the M&C at our house, 'cause it's so darn good (I do most of the cooking, but she's got a few standouts). Instead of just milk & cheese for the sauce component, she makes an actual white sauce (thickened milk), plus cheese.
Anyway, 5* & lensrolled to my foodie lenses.
Great recipe lens! Very impressed! I lensrolled you to my Baked Macaroni Casserole Recipe Lens. Gave you 5 stars and an Angel Blessing!
ThomasC
It just doesn't get any better than mac and cheese for a dish that everyone enjoys. FWIW, I prefer mine without the breadcrumbs. I've never felt that they add anything to the taste and they interfere with the texture of all that lovely melted cheese. Oh well, to each his own! msbaby
Yum...it is one of my fav comfort foods...if I am down in the dumps I better not make it or I'll eat bowlfuls! Great presentation and recipe choices here!
Yum. This would be a great addition to the Comfort Food group.
Great lens, but unfortunately, I must be one of the few people in the States who doesn't like it ;) 5*s.
Sounds delicious
Amazing how many different recipes for macaroni and cheese!
Yummy. I like Macaroni and cheese but my hips doesn't. LOL
Yum! My husband make a very good baked mac and cheese.
I love mac and cheese. It's the best comfort food. On the suggestion of a friend, I baked it with a layer of tomato slices (med. thickness) on top and breadcrumbs to finish it off. Wow, that was delicious!
Your lens is inspiring me to try some different cheeses next time.
There is just one word that comes to my mind right now: Yummy. Your recipe sounds delicious and I am sure my daughter will like it as well. I will try this one very soon.
ok, I should not have looked now I'm starving =]
I like macaroni and cheese, it is surprisingly good using half cheddar and half blue cheese.
Great lens, happy to feature it in 'The Cooks Cafe' group.
I love Mac and Cheese. To make it a little healthier I sometimes I add spinach. I use non-fat condensed milk instead of whole milk to make it creamier. I have also found that adding a little more mustard can replace some of the cheese sounds strange but it works.
This delicious recipe is being featured at www.cabaretsquidoo.com today!
Just had mac and cheese for dinner last night. When you gotta have cheese, you gotta have cheese!
Oh, yeah. Hate it when I envision nice creamy tasty Mac and chees and get a dry tasteless gob. This sounds like the ticket...Thanks!!
Great lens, makes me hungry for mac and cheese...
Macaroni and cheese is my all-time favorite comfort food. Now I'm hungry!
Yummy. My grandson loves Mac & Cheese so I will have to make some today. Sounds delicious.
There is nothing than a good oven baked mac/cheese.
Poutine
Nice lens, sounds yummy right now and a lot better than the pretzels I am munching on for comfort... 5***** You can also add onion or chopped tomatoes to vary the taste.
This looks so delicious! Welcome to Culinary Favorites From A to Z.
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