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Classic Homemade Mac and Cheese made with bite-size pasta, cheddar cheese, and a simple creamy sauce all baked to perfection in the oven. This recipe includes tips, tricks, and photos for making PERFECT baked mac and cheese.
This mac and cheese recipe has many similarities to another of my favorites; One Pan Baked Ziti. They are both creamy, and dreamy, comfort food that gets baked to cheesy, bubbly perfection in the oven.
Mac and Cheese
I'm pretty sure that most adults love a great homemade macaroni and cheese recipe just as much as our kids do! My kids will enjoy a box of Kraft macaroni and day, but everyone gets especially excited when I make this homemade mac and cheese, and for good reason!
This recipe is incredibly easy, and your kids would probably love to help you make it! I let my littles help grate the cheese and measure the noodles.
For me, mac and cheese has to have a smooth and creamy cheese sauce, and I’ve had enough trial and error in this department to understand that there are a few simple things you can do to achieve that smooth sauce we all want in our macaroni!
How to AVOID grainy cheese sauce:
- The type of cheddar makes a difference. High quality aged cheddar cheese will give you a stronger taste and smoother texture. More mild and inexpensive cheddar cheeses will have less flavor and almost a grittier taste.
- Use fresh grated cheese. Pre-shredded store-bought cheese will not melt the same as freshly grated cheese, and grating the cheese helps it melt smoothly and evenly in the sauce.
- Bring the cheese to room temperature. I like to grate the cheese very first, before moving forward with the recipe. That allows it to sit at room temperature while I prepare the white sauce.
- Use low heat. In order for the cheese to melt properly and smoothly we want it to have gradual changes in temperature (like how we shredded it and allowed it to come to room temperature at the beginning of the recipe). When it’s time to add the cheese to the white sauce, remove the sauce from heat and let it cool for a few minutes. It only needs to be warm enough to melt the cheese.
- Don’t over-stir the sauce once the cheese has melted. Add the noodles and quickly assemble in pan and put into the oven.
AVOID pre-shredded Cheese!
I know they are sooo convenient, but not only do pre-shedded cheeses just not taste as great, they are also mixed with various types of powder which prevent them from melting as well as freshly shredded cheese. So while it's not life or death, I highly recommend getting out your block grater and shredding fresh cheese for your homemade mac and cheese! You won't regret it!
8 Simple Ingredients is ALL you Need:
- Elbow macaroni: It's my favorite for this recipe, but any other bite-sized pasta will work.
- Butter: salted or unsalted will work–just adjust the amount of salt you add, depending on the butter.
- Flour
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- Milk
- Half and half
- Shredded Cheddar cheese: the higher quality aged-cheddar, the better!
Perfect Mac and Cheese in 5 Steps:
- Preheat the oven. Preheat to 325 degrees and lightly grease a square baking dish.
- Cook the macaroni. Slightly undercook your noodles (about 1 minute under al-dente). Drain and set aside.
- Make the roux. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Blend in the flour, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add milk and cheese. Stir in milk and half and half, slowly, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add 1 cup shredded cheese to the sauce and stir just until melted. Add the cooked macaroni noodles and toss to coat them in the sauce.
- Pour into baking dish. Pour half or the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle ½ cup cheese over the top. Pour remaining pasta over it and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
To bake or not to bake:
You don't have to bake the mac and cheese in this recipe. Everything gets fully cooked and is essentially ready to eat after the cheese and noodles are added. However, I love the extra gooeyness that comes when the cheese is baked and I think baking it adds a level of sophistication you just don't get without.
What Type of Cheese?
This classic mac and cheese recipe is made with cheddar cheese. I particularly love medium or sharp cheddar cheese but any type will do. If you want a more luxurious mac and cheese or you're really trying to impress a crowd, you could use a combination of different cheeses. Just be sure to select a type of cheese that is good for melting, like white cheddar, smoked gouda, gruyere, brie, goat cheese, mozzarella, or fontina.
Freezing and Storing:
This recipe freezes well. Just like with my other freezer friendly meals, I love to prepare two and freeze one for another day. You'll want to freeze this dish prior to baking it in the oven! Make sure to let the mac and cheese cool completely then pour it into a freezer friendly dish, cover it well and freeze if for up to 3 months.
To reheat:
- From frozen: Bake from frozen at 350 degrees F for 70-80 minutes or until warm throughout.
- From thawed: Cover the mac and cheese with a sheet of aluminum foil and bake it at 325ºF for 20 minutes.
Additional Add-in & Toppings:
If you want to take this classic Mac and cheese to the next level check out my Gourmet Mac and Cheese, or consider adding some of the following:
- Extra cheese topping – Sprinkle freshly grated parmesan cheese on top before baking.
- Breadcrumbs– combine about 1 cup of breadcrumbs and 3 tablespoons of melted butter in a bowl. Sprinkle over top of the macaroni and cheese just before baking.
- Bacon Bits – Cook about 4-5 slices of bacon. cut the cooked bacon into small bits and stir into the mac and cheese before pouring it into your baking dish.
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Mac and Cheese:
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb uncooked elbow macaroni, *
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups milk, , any kind
- 3/4 cup half and half
- 2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and lightly grease an 8' square (or similar size) baking dish.
- Cook the macaroni to al dente, according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.½ lb uncooked elbow macaroni
- Make the sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Blend in the flour, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes. Slowly add the milk and half and half, stirring constantly, and cook over medium-low heat for a few minutes until the mixture has thickened like the consistency of gravy, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup shredded cheese, stirring just until melted.3 tablespoons butter, 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 ½ cups milk, ¾ cup half and half, 2 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese*
- Combine: Add the cooked macaroni noodles and toss to coat. Pour half or the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle ½ cup cheese over the top. Add remaining pasta and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted on top.
Notes
- High quality aged cheddar cheese will give you a stronger taste and smoother texture. More mild and inexpensive cheddar cheeses will have less flavor and almost a grittier taste.
- Use fresh grated cheese. Pre-shredded store-bought cheese will not melt the same as freshly grated cheese, and grating the cheese helps it melt smoothly and evenly in the sauce.
- Bring the cheese to room temperature. I like to grate the cheese very first, before moving forward with the recipe. That allows it to sit at room temperature while I prepare the white sauce.
- Use low heat. In order for the cheese to melt properly and smoothly we want it to have gradual changes in temperature (like how we shredded it and allowed it to come to room temperature at the beginning of the recipe). When it’s time to add the cheese to the white sauce, remove the sauce from heat and let it cool for a few minutes. It only needs to be warm enough to melt the cheese.
- Don’t over-stir the sauce once the cheese has melted. Add the noodles and quickly assemble in pan and put into the oven.
- Extra cheese topping - Sprinkle freshly grated parmesan cheese on top before baking.
- Breadcrumbs- combine about 1 cup of breadcrumbs and 3 tablespoons of melted butter in a bowl. Sprinkle over top of the macaroni and cheese just before baking.
- Bacon Bits - Cook about 4-5 slices of bacon. cut the cooked bacon into small bits and stir into the mac and cheese before pouring it into your baking dish.
- From frozen: Bake from frozen at 350 degrees F for 70-80 minutes or until warm throughout.
- From thawed: Cover the mac and cheese with a sheet of aluminum foil and bake it at 325ºF for 20 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
I originally shared this recipe in July 2014. Updated August 2019.
I’ve made this several times now and it’s been a hit every time!!!
Best Mac and cheese. EVER!!! Definitely making this again!!
I’ve made this recipe numerous times and it’s my absolute favorite Mac and cheese. So simple, rich and delicious!
Awesome and very easy!! I didn’t have half and half but subbed cream cheese—very yummy!!
Great taste. Added 1/2 tsp of garlic powder and turned out great. I didn’t use all the sauce as there was a lot for the amount of pasta so add the sauce slowly as you might have extra.
Making tonight! Hope it turns out.
Like many of the other folks who tried this recipe, I ended up with a very runny cheese sauce. The bechamel portion of this recipe needs to be fixed with a higher flour to milk ratio before you add the cheese. Probably needs 1/3 to 1/2 a cup of flour for this to have a proper thick gravy consistency. I had to bake the mac n cheese for an additional 20-25 minutes to get the sauce to thicken up just a little.
I thought the sauce was too liquidy at first but it thickened up at closer to med heat, constantly stirring, but also stopping a few times to see the liquid simmer. I used 8 oz of aged cheddar and by the time the elbows came in, the consistency became very much what we like… slightly runny but coating the mac and filling the spoon.
As was said in a majority of the comments, this recipe takes significantly longer than 15 minutes to cook. Prep aside, I’m at almost thirty minutes just trying to reduce the “white sauce” to a “gravely like” consistency even with a bumped up range temp. If you aren’t handy in the kitchen, I would not recommend this recipe at all.
For what normaly might seem overwhelming-this recipie was ridiculously easy.
The key is following the recipient, which is easy to follow.
I’ve made mistakes myself.
If you do just as the recipie instructs, (heat butter add milk SLOW WHILE STIRRING, etc. Add flour and whisk till smooth….
This made my white sauce a smooth liquid indeed.
I even put cream cheese dollops to account for having only one kind of cheese. Colby!
Result was DELICIOUS.
Good luck as it is at times trial and error. (I’ve been there!)
Not sure what I am going to so with all these wasted ingredients now. The sauce never thickened and now I have a ton of cheese cream.
probably best bet is to add more rue to thicken as well as really .heat while stirring. Hope that helps
I suggest not altering recipe at first until you become better at understanding original one first.
Cooking at times is not easy but trust me here this one is simple compared to others.
Can this be assembled the day before you bake?
Yes, you absolutely can! Assemble the mac and cheese in your baking dish as per the recipe instructions. Before baking, cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate it.
On the day you plan to serve it, take the dish out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking to allow it to come closer to room temperature. You might need to add an extra 5-10 minutes to the baking time since it’ll be starting from a colder temperature.
Perfect recipe! Just Mac and cheese nothing else – simple and perfect!!!
Loved the recipe. I’ve been looking for a simple recipe and now I found it.
I didn’t use half/half but only 2%. Still plenty thick.
Thanks for sharing
I made this, but I think I did something wrong. I couldn’t get the sauce to , thicken. I kept stirring forever and still wouldn’t thicken
Mee too, the sauce did not thicken, but I went ahead and baked it and it turned out well whereas the second batch where I used less milk (and therefore I had a thicker gravy) was not quite as gooyey as the first and my guest liked the first batch with more sauce.
Was absolutely delicious. I had made a whole pound of pasta – so added as much as the pan of cheese sauce could handle. Don’t skip the baking dish with crumbs on top (plus parmesan) because it was fantastic. We needed additional salt and pepper to perfect- but will make again!