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.
Year after year I come back to this recipe!
Happy Thanksgiving Beautiful!
Me Too! It’s my go to! I’ve tried others and they never compare.
Hi, I’m always looking for the perfect mac ‘n cheese recipe, so I’m thrilled to come across your blog. The first one on here that I read was with the smoked cheddar. At the end of the recipe you wrote that you had found one ever better than that, is the newer find this recipe? Or was it the an smokey one? I’m a little confused. Thanks so much
I believe the newest one is this one but both are AMAZING!!!!
Hi- did you ever post the mac and cheese recipe that you said was even better than your sisters?
I came here wanting to know the same thing!
One of the comments said she used eggs and carnation milk, did not see that in recipe. I am completely, at a quandary, don’t know which recipe to use for a special birthday coming up. This one or the one you posted that your sister made…help, need an honest opinion!
Thanks,
Stacy
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Not sure whee i got 32 ox of macaroni from but each time that’s what I used…well twice and it came out wrong. the first time i made this it was delivious. I need to make this right next time I been making too much pasta. UGH now my family is doubting my skills when i know this mac and cheese smashes!!!
I made this mac and cheese a couple of weeks ago. It was a hit. It is so flavorful and just down right good!!! Diva, how do I adjust the recipe if I want to double or triple the recipe?
I make this recipe every Thanksgiving and my family loves it! Thank you so much!