Homemade Baked Macaroni & Cheese Recipe ~ Easy, Creamy & Crowd-Pleasing~
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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.
Omgee It started with your grilled cheese sandwich, and now I’m here!!! (drake vc). All jokes aside I just want to thank you and I pray that god contiues to favor and bless you and your family abundantly. You have helped so many of us. Sometime this month I’m buying all three of your cookbooks, and all I have to say is it’s going DOWNNNNN for thanksgiving. I love this site, and all the pride and confidence, and skills it has given me.
This macaroni and cheese gave me life!!! I didnt even have half and half and it still came out divine!! I never thought about making something of a rue first it was just so delicious!! This is a staple in my home now just cant keep it bottled up for holidays then Im depriving myself lol
Hi, I used to make the Patti Labelle Mac & Cheese but noticed that all those cheeses don’t taste good together or have that creamy and smooth taste I prefer. I decided to try your recipe and I LOVE IT. It tastes so much better and was much easier to make.
Thanks Mo!
Hello, I’m a DUDE and I made your yams last Thanksgiving (never ever cooked fa real in my life) and they were super good. since that went over great I volunteered to bring Mac & Cheese to a memorial day bbq my fam is doing (again, I don’t be cooking) but I’m confident that I’m bout to put my mom and sister mac to shame lol….. I’ll ket you know how it go.THANKS!!!!!!!
Everything that I have made on this site has been awesome! Not a mishap at all! I’ve been on a search for a mac and cheese recipe for the longest. I used this one and it came out great! But I recently looked up the ingredients in Kraft cheeses and they have gelatin and animal derived ingredients which are against my religion. So I’m wondering if possible could you give us the amount and type of cheeses you would use in this recipe if you cant use the mixed cheese in the bag? Thanks so much and may God continue to bless you on your journey.
Thanks Monique for this post. I will admit that I was nervous about a few of the ingredients but it turned out fabulous. I will definitely make this again.