Homemade Baked Macaroni & Cheese Recipe ~ Easy, Creamy & Crowd-Pleasing~
Homemade Baked Macaroni & Cheese
Looking for a more southern soul food style baked macaroni and cheese? Click here to try out my sister’s recipe.
Looking for a more southern soul food style baked macaroni and cheese? Click here to try out my sister’s recipe.
Homemade baked macaroni & cheese….ahhhh…just the thought of those bubbling cheeses & pasta baking to perfection in the oven makes me smile! Is this really the ultimate comfort food ????
I’ve been baking a crap load of homemade macaroni and cheese recipes since last week. Just trying to figure out which one is worthy enough to sit proudly on my Thanksgiving table.
I try to go with a different baked macaroni and cheese recipe every year, but this year after trying so many and being disappointed, I decided to go with my old tried & true recipe. Those “testing” ingredients were getting pretty darn expensive! My purse & waistline simply can not afford to test out any more recipes!
Ok yall, so this is the cheesy beauty that I will be serving up again this year. I’ve already received phone calls asking, no THREATENING, me that “I better be making this macaroni and cheese on Thanksgiving! “
This baked macaroni & cheese recipe is what I call a true crowd-pleaser. It’s creamy & cheesy which satisfies the kids (because yall know how kids are with mac n cheese) yet rich, comforting & complex enough to please those adults wanting that good ol’ southern style baked macaroni & cheese. Don’t let the chicken stock scare you in this recipe. It just adds a lil flavor and kicks up the cheese taste (it doesn’t taste chicken-ish)
Homemade Baked Macaroni & Cheese Recipe ~ Easy, Creamy & Crowd-Pleasing~
Recipe Type: side dish
Author:
Serves: 6
Ingredients
- Equal parts water & chicken broth to boil macaroni in
- 3 cups of macaroni (uncooked)
- 2 Tablespoons of butter
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup half n half
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
- 4 cups of finely grated cheese (I buy the bag of Kraft mixed cheese(It’s the one with the picture of the macaroni on the front. I think it’s called classic melts. It is about 3 cups worth per bag and then I add a cup of Gouda cheese)
- Additional cheese to go on top (I like to use all sharp cheddar on top)
- Black pepper
- Paprika
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- In a large pot, add equal parts water & chicken broth. (Just enough to cook your macaroni in) Bring to a boil.
- Add macaroni and cook until al dente. About 7-8 minutes (look on the back of the box for the cooking time and set your timer so that you don’t overcook it) When macaroni is done, drain and set aside.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter & whisk in the flour. Cook for about 2 minutes. Whisking the entire time.
- Slowly whisk in 1 cup chicken broth, half n half, & milk. Whisk until combined. You want the mixture to steam but NOT boil. Adjust your heat accordingly
- Add in the cream cheese & stir until completely dissolved and smooth. Whisk & stir like crazy to get it smooth. I used a spoon to mash the cream cheese up a bit.
- Remove from heat & add in 4 cups of cheese & stir until smooth.
- Pour cheese mixture over cooked macaroni and stir to combine. Add some black pepper if you’d like.
- Grease a 9 X 9-inch pan with butter & pour the mac n cheese into it.
- Top with sharp cheddar cheese and paprika.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes. Do not over-bake to prevent it from being dried out. You want the macaroni and cheese to be somewhat jiggly when you take it out. It will set as it cool and just be the creamiest, cheesiest thing ever.
- Let cool for about 15-20 minutes before digging in so that it can set completely. I never can wait that long but hopefully, you have stronger willpower than me when it comes to macaroni & cheese.
OMG! Usually, i just opt to make mac and cheese out the box, i have 4 kids and a always hungry and impatient husband, however i came across this recipe and decided to give it a try. So worth it! My whole family loved it! They were all fighting for the scraps, and went back for seconds, thirds and dare i say it… fourths. My husband was mad because the kids ate more of it than he did, lol! Will def. be making this over and over and over again. Thanks for all the wonderful recipes! P.S. the kids and hubby love the cabbage recipe and rice crispy treat recipe too! 😉
Just wanted to let you know I just prepared your mac and cheese recipe and it looks delish! I tasted a sample before putting it in the oven and I’m sure it;s going to be a hit at my in-laws. I also went on youtube and got your green bean recipe, which I prepared to take over for Christmas dinner as well. I let my husband sample those and he said “those are right”, which I’m sure means they are good. lol Thanks so much!
Absolutely the best mac and cheese I have EVER had!! I made this for Thanksgiving and my son begged me to make it again. I’m bringing it for a side dish for Christmas dinner. Thank you so much, this recipe is amazing 🙂
Hi, I made this recipe for Thanksgiving this year. I made exactly 3 cups of noodles but it was a lot in comparison to the sauce mixture. My mac n cheese did not come out as creamy. I only cooked it for 30 minutes. It seems to me that the amount of noodles was too much. I made the recipe exactly as it is posted. I cooked mine in an aluminum pan and it was almost full. I am looking at the pan you used and there is no way my 3 cups of noodles would have fit in a pan that size. Did anyone else experience the same thing or is it just me. I really want to get this right.
Unless I use a very deep pan, I always have enough mixture for two. I didn’t have a problem with the noodle to cheese sauce ratio.
I loved this mac and cheese…it was so flavorful and creamy and cheesy. I was nervous about the Gouda cheese but it added something to the overall dish. Thanks for the recipe Monique
You make yours like mine but with cream cheese and I use eggs. I tried this today also it is very good Ty for sharing.