Baked Macaroni & Cheese
This recipe for homemade macaroni & cheese is definitely not the same as the one from a box. It's so much better! With a creamy texture and four different types of cheese, this is a simple and straightforward dish. And while baked macaroni & cheese is usually for adults, kids will love this too!
Servings 12 servings
Calories 562kcal
Ingredients
- 1 lb elbow macaroni
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 36 oz (3 cans) evaporated milk
- 2 ¼ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 4 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp dry mustard
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
For the breadcrumb topping
- 3 tbsp melted butter
- 1 ½ cups breadcrumbs
- ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9x13 baking dish and set aside.
- Cook the macaroni al dente according to the instructions on the box. When the pasta is finished cooking, drain it and return it to the cooking stock pot. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheese sauce.
- In a 4-quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Once the butter is melted, sprinkle the flour over the butter and whisk to combine. Cook the flour and butter until it forms a paste and is bubbling, 2-3 minutes. Slowly pour in the milk a few tablespoons at a time, making sure to fully whisk until smooth. After each addition of milk, cook the mixture until it slightly thickens. Continue whisking and adding milk until all of the milk is used.
- Once all the milk is added, bring the mixture to a simmer for 1 minute. Add the dry mustard, ground nutmeg, black pepper, and salt. Mix to combine all of the spices into the milk mixture. Then add the cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and cream cheese. Whisk until smooth, 2-3 minutes.
- Pour the cheese sauce over the prepared macaroni and stir to combine. The mixture will seem slightly liquid-like. Pour the pasta and sauce into the prepared baking dish.
- Combine the melted butter, breadcrumbs, and Parmesan cheese and mix. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the pasta.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the breadcrumbs are golden and the pasta is finished cooking, 17-20 minutes. Allow the dish to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- When cooking the pasta, make sure to cook the macaroni al dente. If the pasta is fully cooked before it’s added to the cheese sauce and then baked in the oven, it will become really mushy. If you only cook to al dente (meaning the pasta still has a bit of “bite” to it), the pasta will finish cooking correctly with the cheese.
- When mixing together the milk mixture and the cheese, if not all pieces of cheese melt right away, that is fine. When the pasta is poured over the top of the cheese, it will add additional heat, which will finish melting the cheese.
- This recipe can be prepared ahead of time and then baked when needed. Simply prepare everything, add everything to the baking dish, then cover and place it in the refrigerator. When ready to bake, remove it from the refrigerator and bake.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 562kcal