Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese

This Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese recipe is the ultimate family favorite comfort food dish.  Made with a sharp homemade cheese sauce, every day spices and tender elbow macaroni pasta, this Creamy Mac and Cheese is everyone’s homemade macaroni and cheese favorite!

If anyone were to ask me what my favorite comfort food dish of all time is, my answer will always be baked mac and cheese. 

There is just something out of this world heavenly about perfectly made creamy macaroni and cheese and if there is a cheesy crust on top, all the better!!

Now, I realize there are two kinds of people in this world .. ones that like the crunchy cheese crust on top of baked macaroni and cheese and those that don’t.  This homemade mac and cheese recipe has instructions for BOTH so we can all be in our happy mac and cheese place. 

That’s important!

Now there are about 1 billion recipes for homemade macaroni and cheese and they are all the same and all different. 

What that tells me is that everyone has their own favorite mac and cheese recipe and everyone likes their macaroni and cheese best. 

I can’t blame them, I’ve had my share of homemade mac and cheese plates and have tried a lot of macaroni and cheese recipes out in the world and that being said, I still like my Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese recipe the BEST!

I have tried every variation of baked mac and cheese recipes you can imagine. 

After many years of experimenting, this is now my go-to for every potluck dish, birthday bash, celebration dinner and any other excuse I can come up with to make this creamy super cheesy macaroni and cheese.

WHY THIS IS THE BEST BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE

So what makes my homemade baked macaroni and cheese better than anyone else?  Let me just say that ALL mac and cheese recipes are winners in my book so there is no 1st place winner in this contest. 

• This cheese sauce is made with a combination of sharp cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese which means it has bite! No weak, mild cheese sauce here.
• Better than any mac n cheese you will get from a box. Hands down!
• Perfectly seasoned cheese sauce with just a couple of everyday spices you already have in your pantry.
• Super al dente pasta means your homemade macaroni stands up to the cheese sauce.  You pasta won’t get mushy.
• This is a baked macaroni and cheese recipe that freezes beautifully so it never goes to waste and you always have it on hand for when you need it.
• Topped with more cheese or crispy panko breadcrumbs, you will never regret a single bite.
• Make this recipe once and you will see how easy it is to serve up homemade mac and cheese with no extra effort.

To make this Baked Mac and Cheese recipe, you will need: 

• Butter
• All purpose flour
• Milk
• Chicken stock
• Garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne 
• Sharp cheddar cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• Macaroni pasta
• Salt and Pepper

HOW DO YOU MAKE CREAMY BAKED MAC N CHEESE?

Easy! To make Baked Macaroni and Cheese, start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9 x 13 pan with non-stick spray.

While you are making your cheese sauce, start a large pot of salted water to boil. Once boiling, cook your elbow macaroni pasta per your package instructions, minus 2 minutes. Once cooked, drain your pasta and set aside.

To make your cheese sauce, add your butter to a large skillet and melt over medium high heat and once your butter is melted, add in the flour.

Whisk together and continue whisking while your flour cooks for  1-2 minutes before slowly pouring in the milk and chicken stock. Whisk together to combine and break up any flour clumps.

Add in spices, salt and pepper and bring to a low boil, stirring often. Once boiling, turn heat down to medium and stir in the Parmesan cheese and 2/3 of the sharp cheddar cheese and continue to stir until all of your cheese has melted.

Pour your cooked pasta into your cheese sauce and stir to combine.

Move your macaroni and cheese to your prepared baking pan, sprinkle the top of your mac and cheese with reserved cheddar cheese and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove your baked mac and cheese from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving. I know waiting is hard but that molten lava cheese sauce needs time to cool a bit and set up 🙂  Trust me, wait the 10 minutes!

WHAT’S THE SECRET TO BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE?

I don’t think it’s THE secret weapon when it comes to everyone else’s baked mac and cheese recipe but it’s certainly MY secret weapon. 

My Ace in the Hole when it comes to super flavorful baked macaroni and cheese is adding grated Parmesan cheese to my creamy cheese sauce.  Parmesan cheese has a slightly salty, sharp flavor and adds a strong flavor in the background. 

I like macaroni and cheese recipes that have a lot of flavor and a lot of presence but still be super creamy and super cheesy.  Adding the Parmesan cheese is my secret ingredient to AMAZING homemade mac and cheese.

WHAT CHEESE DO YOU USE FOR HOMEMADE MAC AND CHEESE?

There are so many delicious cheeses in this world that it’s hard to pick just one cheese for baked mac and cheese.  I prefer to use use extra sharp cheddar and grated Parmesan cheese in my cheese sauce but you can experiment with whatever cheese you like best. 

Some don’t care for extra sharp cheddar so use a mild cheddar instead.  Add in some Monterey jack or some Colby or white cheddar into you creamy mac and cheese sauce and trust me.. you won’t be wrong!!

One thing I will mention is that no matter what kind of cheese you decide to do with, try to avoid the pre-shredded convenience bags you find at your grocery store.

They are packaged with an anti-clumping additive that won’t melt properly and will give you a super greasy pan of mac n cheese.

If you are serving up a huge pan of amazing mac and cheese, take the time to shred your cheese off the block… it’s so much better!!

HOW DO YOU TOP BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE?

I admit, I am lazy and I am old school.  I top my homemade mac n cheese with shredded cheese and bake it uncovered so my shredded cheese bakes and gets browned and gives me that cheesy crust so many of us fight other family members for.

Shredded cheese is not the only way to top off your baked mac and cheese.  You can add some buttered bread crumbs, crumbles of bacon, or crumbles of Cheez-Its or Doritos.  

CAN THIS BE MADE AHEAD OF TIME?

Yes! To make this baked macaroni and cheese recipe ahead of time, simply prepare as instructed and transfer to your baking dish but don’t bake it. 

Let your macaroni and cheese cool completely, cover in plastic wrap and then store it in the refrigerator for up to two days. 

To bake, remove your macaroni and cheese from the refrigerator, let come to room temperature and then bake, adding 5-10 minutes to the original cook time.

CAN MACARONI AND CHEESE BE FROZEN?

Yes! To freeze your Baked Macaroni and Cheese, transfer the unbaked macaroni and cheese to a buttered 9-by-13-inch freezer-to-oven baking dish. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil.

To serve, bake your macaroni and cheese still frozen and covered with foil at 350° for 1 hour. Remove foil and broil for 2-3 minutes for the crunchy brown cheese topping, if that is what you like. Macaroni and Cheese can be frozen for up to 2 months.

PRO TIPS FOR THE BEST BAKED PASTA

• Not a fan of the darkened cheesy crust on top of baked macaroni and cheese?  That’s OK.. we can still be friends! Simply reduce your bake time by a few minutes and keep your eye on it. Remove it from the oven before the top browns.
• Questioning the cayenne in the mac and cheese recipe instructions?  Feel free to leave it out if you are not a fan or if you are worried your friend and family (aka KIDS) won’t enjoy it.
• Have some leftover cooked ham or chicken in the fridge?  Add it in to this baked mac and cheese recipe to clean out your fridge and add in some extra flavor 🙂
• Don’t stress over what cheese to use.. get creative! Mix and match your favorite cheeses. When I was taking this posts pictures, I had some Monterey Jack cheese leftover in the fridge and shredded it on top of my mac n cheese because… YUM!!
• When you add your flour to the butter, be sure to continuously whisk them together to make a roux and to ensure your flour will not stick to your pan.
• Be sure to remove your pasta from cooking 2 minutes prior to the time stated on your pasta box. This helps the pasta from getting mushy when cooked in the oven.

Looking for more easy pasta dishes?  Check out a few of my favorites below!

• Green Chile Macaroni and Cheese
• Date Night Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta
• Parmesan Garlic Spaghetti with Chicken Meatballs

Enjoy!