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.
What type of Kraft cheese do you use?? I don’t believe they sell the classic melts any more. I see triple cheddar with Vermont white cheddar, sharp cheddar and mild cheddar cheeses
I figured I would comment on this recipe, now that I’ve made it a thousand times. This is the ONLY Mac & Cheese recipe I will make. People say they make the best mac & cheese, but I know they’re wrong!! This recipe is easy to make and it’s SO GOOD! I don’t bake the mac and cheese because I like mine super creamy. Thank you so much for this AMAZING RECIPE!
I have so many of your recipes saved to my screenshots on my old phone. I have to power this bad boy up every year lol. This is my favorite recipe and my family loves it. Its a great mix of cream and soul. I love it. I’ve recommended ur page to many. You should be proud, and thank you. I’m a loyal fan.
~Odessa S.
Hi I tried the recipe I love it I made it for Christmas and my family was ecstatic about it but I did use the eggs and carnation evaporated milk I didn’t have the Gouda cheese but it was still delicious thank you very much
Made this and your recipe for buttermilk brined turkey. They both came out delicious. I vote for you to have a show on Food TV! Thanks for sharing! ????????Wanted to give it five stars but the last star didn’t highlight. In that case I’m giving both recipes 10 stars!
I’ve tried several of your recipes, and everything is always AMAZING! I made it for a couple friends earlier this year, and we loved it. It was Devine!
Everyone loves my mom’s Mac & Cheese and they’re all mad at her for allowing me to make it this Christmas. I can’t wait to hit them with my secret weapon (this recipe!)
I’ll never make it any other way, thanks Monique!
I’ve made this twice for thanksgiving and it’s always a hit. The only thing I do differently is sub the Gouda for 4oz of Velveeta and do 4 cups instead. It’s just as gooey and deelish.