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.
My auntie has had a tight GRIP on her Mac n cheese recipe for years! I found your recipe months ago and followed it to the tee. Today for Thanksgiving I’m giving it another go because it’s soooooo cheesy and fantastic. Fabulous!
How much do I measure for the mac& cheese?
I use 3 cups (uncooked)
WOW! This recipe was great! I made it last night and did a few things differently.
#1. I didn’t have cream cheese, so I substituted cottage cheese. Didn’t taste the cottage cheese at all, just saw some curds!
#2. I used 2 cups extra sharp cheddar, 1 cup swiss , and 1 cup muenster.
#3. I didn’t bake it. I don’t like baked mac and cheese because it always ends up dry and not gooey. So I just made the recipe and ate it!
Even though there were a few changes, it was SO GOOD. I can’t believe I didn’t polish the whole thing off! So happy to have leftovers!
I love this recipe! I tried it for Thanksgiving 2014 and have been making it ever since. It is the best mac and cheese I’ve ever tasted. I love the creaminess on the inside with the cheesy crunchy crust on the outside (because I put lots of cheese on top). You never have to wonder if it will taste the same because it always comes out right. Now if we could get a pan of it to last more than one night I’d be forever grateful (I always cook and invite fam/friends over for dinner and there are never any leftovers of this). Going by the traditional southern recipes, I would have never incorporated Gouda into it.
I made this recipe for christmas. It was lovely. I was looking for a creamy baked mac n cheese that didn’t involve eggs. I changed a few things like I used a little bit of a can of cream of chicken, a cup of sour cream, little bit of cream cheese and evaporated milk with half and half. I also used sharp, monterey and shredded sargento cheeses. Thanks!
I love all your recipes although I always have to figure out a bigger scale since I’m serving a family of 6 or more. I have tried this recipe at least 3x now, and once I mix, the cheese and elbows, it’s thick, never jiggly. SO if you make this, it’s not a whole box (16 oz) of dried elbows.