Easy and Delicious Baked Macaroni Cheese
Old Fashioned Baked Macaroni and Cheese is the ULTIMATE comfort food! This baked mac and cheese has a delicious cheese sauce, with 3 different cheeses, and baked until golden brown and bubbly.
While you’re here be sure to checkout this Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese and this Lobster Mac and Cheese!
There are so many delicious variations of mac and cheese, but this one is fuss-free; no roux, and no egg, just a delicious creamy cheese sauce! It is definitely our go-to for any weeknight meal, or even delicious enough for the holidays!
Why you will love this old fashioned Macaroni and Cheese
- Simple and Delicious: this is a great recipe for southern baked mac n cheese because you don’t have to worry about making a roux, or adding eggs!
- The BEST mac: take this recipe to your next gathering, or simply make it for your family, and I promise people will agree that it is the best mac n cheese they’ve ever had!
- Comfort food: the mixture of shredded cheese used in the cheese sauce, along with the seasonings and butter, make this one of the most comforting dishes of all time.
How to Make the Best Homemade Mac and Cheese
Step 1
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Now you can prepare your baking dish by spraying a 9×13″ baking dish with non-stick cooking spray, and set that aside.
Start by adding your water into a large pot. You want to boil your pasta in salted water for added flavor, so add a nice sprinkle of salt to your water. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
Step 2
Once the water is boiling, gently pour in your elbow pasta. Let the pasta boil until it is al dente- so about 7-10 minutes. DO NOT overcook the macaroni! You can follow cooking times on the package instructions if you need to.
After the noodles are al dente, you can drain the water and run cold water over them so that they stop the cooking process. Now set them aside and start the cheese sauce.
Cheese Recipe for cheese sauce
Step 3
While the elbow pasta is boiling, you can begin making your cheese recipe. Heat up a medium saucepan or large pot over medium heat.
Now add 2 tablespoons of butter into the skillet, and allow it to melt. Once the butter is melted, you want to gently stir in your heavy cream, about 1 cup at a time. Stir this together and begin adding in HALF of your shredded cheese including the sharp cheddar, monterey jack, and colby jack cheese.
Continue to stir and allow the cheeses to melt, for about 2 minutes. If the sauce is too thick, slowly drizzle in more milk or heavy cream until you get a nice and smooth mixture.
step 4
After about 2 minutes, start adding in your seasonings, including: black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, mustard powder, and salt to taste (about 1 tsp of salt to begin).
Taste the cheese sauce and add more salt and black pepper as you see fit. Remove the sauce from the heat and set it aside.
Baking Old Fashioned Mac n Cheese
Step 5
Add your cooked pasta into a large bowl, and sprinkle some of the remaining cheese in. Mix this around, then add your cheese sauce and stir it until everything is combined.
Pour half of the mac and cheese into the prepared baking dish, then sprinkle more of the grated cheese on top, then pour the rest of the mac, and add the remaining cheese to cover the top.
Now tightly wrap a piece of aluminum foil over the casserole dish, and place it in the oven to bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes to 30 minutes.
Optional: At the last 5 minutes of cooking, remove the foil and broil the macaroni until the top is golden brown and crispy!
Variations and substitutions for Southern Macaroni and Cheese
- Make a white sauce: use heavy cream or evaporated milk and butter, and add in white cheeses instead of yellow. Such as, white cheddar, white American, Monterey jack, and Mozzarella cheese are all great substitutions
- Different cheese options: you can use cheddar cheese, sharp cheddar, gruyere, gouda, monterey jack, colby jack cheese, or almost any grated cheese that you like.
- Make a roux: if you want to have a tighter or creamier southern baked mac and cheese, then you can make a roux using flour and butter. Some people like to add hot sauce to their roux for an acidic kick too!
- Add an egg or two: some southern baked mac and cheeses, especially old fashioned baked macaroni and cheese, call for eggs. You can mix an egg into your milk or heavy cream in a small bowl, and add it to your mac before baking. This creates a more tight, custard-like macaroni and cheese.
- Breadcrumb topping: if you want a nice crusty topping, you can add breadcrumbs to the top of your mac before baking. When the breadcrumbs bake with that creamy butter sauce, they create a nice crunchy topping on your main dish!
Storing Leftover Southern Baked Mac and Cheese
IF you have any leftovers after you have baked your mac, allow it to cool down completely, then place it in an airtight container. You can store the airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
FAQ
Ingredients
- 1 16 ounce box Large elbow macaroni
- 1 tablespoon Salt or Chicken bouillon to season boiling water
- 2 tablespoons Butter unsalted
- 2 cups Heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon each of Salt and pepper adjust to your taste
- 2 cups Sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 cups Colby jack cheese shredded
- 2 cups Monterey jack cheese shredded
- 2 teaspoons Paprika to sprinkle over the top
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set it aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium heat. Once the water is boiling, add in a heaping tablespoon of salt OR chicken bouillon.
- Now gently pour your elbow pasta into the boiling water. Allow the pasta to cook until it is al dente (do not overcook the pasta because it will continue to cook in the oven. After about 7-10 minutes, drain the pasta and set it aside.
Make the Cheese Sauce
- Heat up a medium saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Add your butter into the skillet and allow it to melt. Now gently pour 1 cup of your heavy cream into the pan, and mix it in with the butter.
- Now begin to sprinkle about 1/4 cup of each of your shredded cheeses into the butter cream mixture. Stir continuously until the cheese begins to melt.
- If the sauce is too thick, add more of the heavy cream, about 1 tablespoon at a time. Now mix in your seasonings including the garlic powder, mustard powder, salt and pepper. Stir until thoroughly combined.
Assemble the Mac and Cheese to Bake
- Add your cooked pasta into a large bowl, sprinkle in 1/4 cup of each of your shredded cheeses and stir it up until everything is mixed well.
- Now pour your cheese sauce into the bowl with the pasta, and stir it up well.
- Pour half of the macaroni and cheese into the prepared baking dish, sprinkle a little bit more of the cheddar cheese over the top (leave enough to cover the final layer).
- Add the rest of the macaroni and cheese and then sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese right over the top.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and wrap it tightly around the edges. You can place the dish on a flat sheet tray before placing it in the oven, just in case the cheese overflows.
- Place it in the oven and bake it covered for 20 minutes.
- To Brown the Top: Remove the foil from the baking dish, and change the oven to BROIL. Broil the mac for 3-5 minutes, keep a close eye on it so that it does not burn. Once it's golden brown and bubbly, remove it from the oven and let it sit for at least 5-10 minutes before serving. And enjoy!
Nutrition
Amazing
I used this recipe for dinner last night. It turned out really good and it’s nice and simple!
So glad you enjoyed it!
So good!
So happy this Mac and cheese didn’t require a million different ingredients but it was still delicious! The whole family was impressed!
I’m so happy you guys enjoyed it!