This is THE Baked Mac and Cheese recipe of your dreams. Ultra creamy, irresistibly cheesy, and so perfectly flavorful you will find yourself coming back for seconds… and thirds! Make it today, prep ahead, or freeze it for later, this mac and cheese will be ready for your next craving.
Skip to:
Baked Mac and Cheese, for obvious reasons, is a family favorite around here. It is the ultimate comfort food, satisfying to the very core. If I wasn’t watching my cholesterol intake, I might just put this one on a weekly rotation. 😆
We have been making this particular recipe for many years. The original is from America’s Test Kitchen and is almost perfect. My favorite part is that it uses a bit of chicken stock to thin the sauce, which preserves the creamy sauce-to-pasta ratio when it bakes and is made ahead/frozen.
But, as we tend to do, we did make a few changes. We prefer mac and cheese without breadcrumb topping (😬 I know, we're weird), so we removed that. We also added onion to the sauce for flavor and slightly adjusted the cheese combination for the creamiest, most flavorful combo possible. Now it is THE mac and cheese recipe that our family expects every time.
🧀 Ingredients
Macaroni: This is the classic pasta choice, but any tubular pasta will work.
Butter: I use salted. If you use unsalted, you may need to add additional salt later.
Onion and garlic: Fresh for both, not powder. They add great flavor.
Dry mustard and cayenne pepper: Adds a little extra depth of flavor.
Flour: Makes the roux, which is the key to thickening the sauce.
Chicken broth: The extra ingredient for creating the perfect sauce consistency.
Milk: Whole milk makes all the difference. I don’t recommend substituting for 2% or less.
Cheese - Colby, Mozzarella, and Sharp Cheddar: This is my favorite cheese combo, but see below for substitution options.
Salt and pepper: To round off the perfect flavor. You won’t need much.
🔪 Instructions
- Boil the pasta. Start by boiling the macaroni, being sure to drain it when it is still slightly underdone and rinse it will cold water. It will continue cooking while it bakes.
- Make the roux. Melt the butter in a pot on the stove and cook the onion until it is soft and translucent. Add the garlic, dry mustard, and cayenne for 30 seconds, then whisk in the flour for 1 minute.
- Add the liquid. Slowly add the chicken broth and milk, whisking constantly, until the flour mixture is fully combined into the liquid. The sauce won’t be perfectly smooth yet because of the onions, but should not have large lumps of the flour mixture. Continue to cook the sauce at a simmer for about 15 minutes, or until it has thickened.
- Do the "Thickness Test." Using a wooden or plastic spoon, stir the sauce. When you can draw a solid line through the sauce with your finger and the line holds, your sauce is ready. It will still be a bit thin, but will continue to thicken when it bakes.
- Mix in the cheese. Once thickened, remove the pot from the heat and gradually whisk in the cheese. I suggest whisking in one cheese at a time to help it melt faster and more evenly.
- Smooth the sauce. My secret to perfectly smooth, creamy sauce is to use an immersion blender once the cheese is melted. A quick blend for 1-2 minutes evens out the little bits of onion and cheese and creates the PERFECT consistency you’re going for.
- Mix sauce and noodles. Lightly rinse the cooked noodles to help them separate. Then pour the noodles into the pot of sauce and stir to combine.
- Add to pan and bake. Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick spray or line with foil. Pour the noodles and sauce into the pan and bake until golden and bubbly. Voila - dinner is served!
👨👩👧👦 For a crowd
Mac and Cheese is always a crowd-pleaser! This recipe serves 8 for dinner. If you want to serve more, just double the recipe and bake it in two 9x13 pans. You will want to make the sauce in a very large pot, or make two separate batches. If you are only serving this as a side dish, one recipe will feed between 12-15 people.
🙋 Questions & Answers
My favorite cheese combination is sharp cheddar (for flavor), colby jack (a good melting cheese), and a bit of mozzarella (for extra creaminess). I don’t recommend substituting the sharp cheddar because it creates the main flavor profile. But you can substitute the other cheeses with gruyere, jack, pepper jack, or any other good melting cheese.
Yes and yes. Make it all the way, pour it into the prepared pan, and either refrigerate for 1-3 days or freeze up to 3 months. If frozen, thaw it overnight in the fridge the day before serving. Then bake per the recipe and serve it up!
If stored in an air-tight container, it typically lasts 3-4 days and maintains it’s sauciness well. A quick reheat in the microwave is all it needs. If it seems a little dry when reheating, add a small splash of milk as it heats and stir well to incorporate.
📖 More pasta recipes
- 25 Minute Lemon Broccoli Pasta - This is a super easy weeknight dinner with the most impressive flavors. It even sneaks in extra veggies! It's a busy night winner every time!
- Easy Chicken Piccata Pasta - This recipe uses bow tie pasta and ready-made chicken piccata to form a delicious, restaurant worthy pasta. It's great for an easy weeknight dinner, but equally worthy of serving guest on the weekend.
👨🏼🍳 Tips & Tricks
- Shred your own cheese - really! Pre- shredded cheese is coated, so it doesn't melt the same, nor does it have the same flavor.
- Cook your pasta slightly under and rinse it with cold water immediately after draining. The cold rinse will stop the noodles from continuing to cook. This way they will finish cooking while baking without becoming bloated or soggy.
- Spray your pan lightly with non-stick spray to prevent the sauce from sticking. You can also line the pan with tinfoil and then lightly spray it.
- Use an immersion blender to make the finished sauce ultra smooth and creamy. This is my best secret! Sometimes cheese melts a little unevenly and the onions leave little flecks in the sauce... the immersion blender solves this problem perfectly every time.
Don't forget, if you've made this recipe, leave a comment and please give it a star rating!
📋 Recipe
Seriously the Best Baked Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 lb elbow macaroni
- 6 tbsp butter
- 1 medium onion finely diced
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 6 tbsp flour
- 2¼ cups chicken broth
- 3½ cups whole milk
- 11 oz colby cheese shredded
- 5 oz mozzarella cheese shredded
- 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp kosher salt if needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly spray a 9x13 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add ½ tbsp of kosher salt. Cook the pasta according to package directions, cooking 2 minutes less than directed. Drain and rinse briefly with cold water. Set aside.
- In a large pot, melt butter. Add onions, cooking until soft and translucent, 3-4 minutes. Add garlic, dry mustard and cayenne and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds - 1 minute. Add flour, whisking constantly for 1 minute.
- Slowly add the chicken broth and whole milk, whisking constantly, until flour mixture is completely incorporated. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, 15-20 minutes. Thickness Test: When you draw a finger through the sauce across the back of spoon, the sauce should hold the line with no drips.
- Remove the sauce from the heat. Gradually whisk in the cheese, one type at a time, until fully melted. This may take a few minutes. Season with pepper and salt (if needed). Using an immersion blender, blend the sauce for 1-2 minutes until it is completely smooth.
- Briefly rinse the noodles to help them separate. Pour noodles into the sauce, mixing until well combined. Pour pasta into the prepared pan and bake until hot and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Enjoy!
Notes
- Shred your own cheese - really! Pre- shredded cheese is coated, so it doesn't melt the same, nor does it have the same flavor.
- Cook your pasta slightly under and rinse it with cold water immediately after draining. The cold rinse will stop the noodles from continuing to cook. This way they will finish cooking while baking without becoming bloated or soggy.
- Spray your pan lightly with non-stick spray to prevent the sauce from sticking. You can also line the pan with tinfoil and then lightly spray it.
- Use an immersion blender to make the finished sauce ultra smooth and creamy. This is my best secret! Sometimes cheese melts a little unevenly and the onions leave little flecks in the sauce... the immersion blender solves this problem perfectly every time.
Karen says
Don't.Change.A.Thing.....this is so good.
Misty says
So glad you liked it!
Aspen says
This is probably the most flavorful mac and cheese I've ever had. I love it! Now I just have to try not to eat the whole pan by myself, ha!
Misty says
YES, I have the same problem... it's too delicious.
Marcy says
I absolutely love the immersion blender trick. Sometimes it seems like my cheese just doesn’t quite melt all the way, but that does the trick! It was the smoothest homemade sauce I’ve made.
Misty says
Yes, that's a great trick, huh? I'm glad you found it helpful for making the sauce extra smooth.