This is the BEST baked macaroni and cheese recipe! Brown and crunchy on top and smooth and creamy in the middle, you’ll get an amazing taste like the gourmet baked macaroni and cheese at your favorite restaurant for just a fraction of the price! Super delicious, this baked macaroni and cheese will please your entire family!
Macaroni and cheese is a staple food for most families with kids and there are all kinds of macaroni and cheese. From homemade to the box with powdered cheese to the box with creamy cheese, everyone has a favorite. But if you haven’t ever had baked macaroni and cheese, you’re in for a treat!
Our daughter, mega foodie that she is, particularly loves baked macaroni and cheese because it is creamy and delicious on the inside with a super tasty browned crispy top. She always wants to try this tasty food whenever she gets the chance, but it’s amazing how much it costs to buy macaroni and cheese pre-made at a restaurant.
Instead of paying $5 per serving at a restaurant, try our easy baked macaroni and cheese recipe, which you can easily make for $8 for 6-8 servings and takes less than 10 minutes of prep work!
The BEST Baked Macaroni And Cheese Recipe!
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups dry elbow macaroni
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 cups milk, not skim
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 cups cheese, shredded (Cheddar, Swiss)
parsley, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil.
- Add a generous sprinkling of salt and the pasta to the water.
- While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a skillet or pot large enough to hold the pasta when it’s done.
- Add the flour to the butter and stir over medium heat until the mixture is lightly browned, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the milk and whisk to remove any lumps.
- Add salt and pepper.
- Cook over medium-high heat until the mixture thickens and starts to bubble, about 6 minutes.
- Stir in the cheese and whisk until smooth and melted.
- Turn off the heat.
- When the pasta is almost done, but still firm, remove from heat and drain.
- Stir the pasta into the sauce.
- Bake in a greased 2 quart dish (or 8×8 inch baking pan) for 20-25 minutes, until browned and bubbly.
- Sprinkle with chopped or dried parsley, if desired.
Notes
If you want your baked macaroni and cheese super creamy, you can skip baking it and just put it under the broiler to brown the top. (Keep a close eye on it.) Then serve.
If you like, you can sprinkle some grated parmesan cheese over the top before baking. YUM!
This easy baked macaroni and cheese recipe is from volume 2 of our cookbook:
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This baked macaroni and cheese recipe is great served as a side with our BEST EVER Roast Sticky Chicken Recipe!
For more easy and delicious pasta recipes, check out 10 Pasta Recipes Your Family Will Love!
Can I use 1% milk in place of whole milk?
Yes you can Amber.
This is indeed the perfect macaroni and cheese recipe, But it can be even better! This is an old family secret handed down through the generations. I know your probably thinking it is absolutely delicious as it is but it can be even better! Instead of using water to cook the macaroni use milk! Not skim though, use regular milk, not the 1 or 2 percent, but use whole milk! Add some pats butter to the milk when cooking the macaroni and keep an eye on it so it does not scorch on the bottom of the pan. Plus use potato chips like bread crumbs! Regular potato chips! Just get out the rolling pin and crush the potato chips and before baking sprinkle the crushed potato chips over the top of the macaroni and cheese and then bake as usual! Also if you really want to step it up for super delicious gourmet baked mac and cheese also use Gruyere cheese! And there you have it! Absolutely divine baked mac and cheese! I hope you all have a safe, blessed and a happy Thanksgiving today! This baked macaroni and cheese is absolutely perfect for a Thanksgiving feast!….also when using milk to cook the macaroni or shell macaroni do not drain the milk, that is what ever milk is left that the macaroni hasn’t absorbed while cooking it..I absolutely love LOVE love you all!