A luscious and cheesy macaroni and cheese recipe, this easy dinner is full of soft gooey goodness with a tasty, crispy top.
This macaroni cheese recipe is very easy to make and will be a hit at the family dinner table.
It’s a great recipe to take to a pot luck too – everyone loves old fashioned macaroni cheese. Especially when it’s as tasty and creamy as this one.
Look below for suggestions on switching out the cheeses. There are so many places you can go when you start out with a fantastic basic recipe like this one. Leave it as it is and enjoy, or kick it up with switches and additions.
This mac and cheese recipe is actually ready to eat after it has been cooked on the stove, but tastes much better if you bake it for a while with buttered crumbs for that little extra crunch.
I also add a touch of Parmesan cheese for more depth of flavor.
After I began making my mac and cheese from scratch, the boxed version just didn’t cut it any more. I am sure you will feel the same after trying this easy recipe.
I hope you enjoy it!
Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Two Cheeses
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons butter, divided
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 pound cheddar cheese, grated extra sharp
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- Dash Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pound elbow macaroni, uncooked
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Using 1 tablespoon butter, generously grease a 2-quart baking dish.
- Melt 3 tablespoons butter, add flour and cook over moderate heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Do not brown.
- Add milk and whisk constantly until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add cheddar cheese and stir until it is well blended into the sauce. Add the seasonings and stir. Remove from the heat.
- Meanwhile, cook the macaroni according to package directions. Drain well, but do not rinse. Put macaroni back into the pot and add the cheese sauce. Stir until it is all well mixed.
- Pour the macaroni and cheese mixture into a baking dish, sprinkle with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese and dot with pieces of the remaining tablespoon of butter.
- Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Tips and Variations:
- If you prefer you can vary the cheese flavor. Use 2 cups of grated strong cheddar cheese and 2 cups of another cheese like Swiss, Gouda or Munster.
- You can add some heat if you prefer by adding a few drops of hot pepper sauce to the cheese sauce.
- Use a different pasta shape and your mac and cheese will look far more elegant. Try penne pasta or fusilli (the corkscrew shape).
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You will find another macaroni and cheese recipe here.
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Baked Macaroni & Cheese Casserole
Originally submitted by Kathryn of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
You can use, if its available to you, a noodle named Stortini Rigati, it’s shaped like an elbow macaroni, however, its larger, softer and simply more delicious.
I boil my desired amount of macaroni in salted water for 12 minutes so that its nice and floppy.
Begin with:
Greased pyrex bowl and “begin layering with ” drained canned diced tomatoes or peeled ripe garden tomatoes.
Layer of cooked macaroni
Next, sauteed, carmelized diced (white) onion
Followed by shredded, mixed cheeses.
Then, your next layer begins with the MACARONI, onions, tomatoes, cheese, dollop of butter, here and there, followed by the same layers until your top layer.
You will finish the casserole’s top layer with macaroni, topped with double the amount of cheese covering all the macaroni. If you want this casserole to have some meat in it, you can add, as a layer, cooked, diced pieces of bacon, ham or lean ground beef, veal, chicken or turkey. Just remember to soak all the grease off of it, with paper towelling, before using. The bacon seems to be the favourite over them all.
Cook, uncovered, at 350 degrees, for 45 minutes. This is really delicious!