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The BEST Homemade Baked Mac and Cheese

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The BEST Homemade Mac and Cheese of your LIFE. Outrageously cheesy, ultra creamy, and topped with a crunchy Panko-Parmesan topping, this mac and cheese recipe is most definitely a keeper. I used three different cheese and a homemade cheese sauce to take this macaroni and cheese recipe over the top. Love cheesy recipes? Make sure to try this Lazy Day Lasagna and Cheesy Kielbasa Rice and Broccoli Skillet next week for dinner! 

This post is sponsored by Walmart and SheKnows Media.

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Homemade Baked Mac and Cheese

There is absolutely nothing I love more than cheese. And when you add pasta to it? Fuggetaboutit.

Mac and cheese is one of those recipes that can take on so many different forms. I love it anyway I can get it but baked mac and cheese is my very favorite and I’ll tell you why… The topping. I use breadcrumbs for my topping occasionally, but, a Panko topped mac and cheese is just that much better.

I mix in Parmesan, butter, and paprika with the Panko so it crisps up beautifully and gets a nice golden brown color when this amazing homemade mac and cheese is baked.

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I’m going to be honest here. When I make mac and cheese, it’s the mac to cheese ratio that I am most concerned about. I love it when the mac and cheese is oeey gooey and the cheese sauce is just so creamy. GIMME.

With all this cheese going on in this macaroni and cheese recipe, I need a little help from my KitchenAid Deluxe Stand Mixer and it’s handy dandy Fresh Prep Slice/Shredder attachment. I picked up this beauty at Walmart this past week and I am in LOOOOOVE. I was torn between the options: SILVER | COBALT | PISTACHIO. But, when I pictured them in my kitchen, I knew I had to go with the cobalt – it’s just stunning!

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My sister had bought me the pasta maker attachment years ago and it’s used A LOT so I was excited to pick up the shredder attachment on this last trip to Walmart because, I mean, come on. You guys know that I’m all about the cheese. But it’s not just for shredding cheese you guys! We’ve already used it to make the hash brown crust on this quiche too. What a time saver!

I use my stand mixer about 954 times each week. Being a food blogger and mom means I’m in my kitchen a lot baking up goodies and whipping up amazing dinners like this homemade baked mac and cheese. I am always, always looking for help in the kitchen and the Kitchen Aid Deluxe Stand Mixer is the answer.

You’re going to find all the features you know and love including a tilt-head design to easily add ingredients, 10 speeds to thoroughly mix, whip, and knead ingredients, and it comes with the coated flat beater, coated dough hook, and the wire whip.

There are 10 hub powered attachments including a spiralizer, food grinder and citrus juicer. SO much fun to be had you guys!

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Tips for the Best Homemade Baked Mac and Cheese

  • Use block cheese and shred, do not buy the pre-shredded cheese. The pre-shredded cheese is great for so many things but not macaroni and cheese. It’s coated and won’t melt properly. You need to shred it yourself for the best result.
  • Cook your pasta to slightly less than al dente, about one minute shy is perfect. The reason is that this is baked mac and cheese so the pasta will continue to cook in the homemade cheese sauce in the oven. You don’t want soggy macaroni.
  • I used elbow pasta but really, any tubular past will work.
  • This mac and cheese recipe starts with a roux. The roux is super important to getting the creamiest cheese sauce of your life. Here is what you need to look for:
    • The roux (equal parts butter and flour) is whisked together until bubbly and golden.
    • Whisk in cold milk – not warm – to prevent the flour from clumping.
    • Cook the roux until  you see bubbles on the surface and then continue cooking for an additional 2 minutes before adding the cheese.

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Homemade Macaroni and Cheese: What Kind of Cheese Should I Use?

I honestly use different cheese combinations almost every time I make this mac and cheese recipe but the one I always come back to is sharp cheddar and Gruyere. If you can’t find Gruyere, Jarlsberg Swiss cheese is the best substitute. Other cheese that work: mozzarella, jack cheese or pepper jack for a little zip, American and Velveeta as well for a creamier cheese sauce. This baked mac and cheese uses 6 cups of cheese so just

To add even more flavor to my homemade mac and cheese, I add Parmesan to the Panko topping – so good!

Make sure to try out these favorites too!

I sure hope you give this a try and please, let me know what you think in the comments below!

How To Make Homemade Mac and Cheese

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4.99 from 3566 votes

The BEST Homemade Baked Mac and Cheese

The BEST Homemade Mac and Cheese of your LIFE. Outrageously cheesy, ultra creamy, and topped with a crunchy Panko-Parmesan topping, this mac and cheese recipe is most definitely a keeper. I used three different cheese and a homemade cheese sauce to take this macaroni and cheese recipe over the top. 
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Keyword cheese, dinner, kid friendly, mac and cheese, macaroni and cheese
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 12
Calories 642kcal
Author Trish - Mom On Timeout

Ingredients

  • 16 oz elbow macaroni, cooked (or other tubular pasta)
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup all purpose flour
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 4 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded
  • 2 cups Gruyere cheese shredded
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 1/2 cups panko crumbs
  • 4 tbsp butter melted
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese shredded
  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika (or regular paprika)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a large 3 qt or 4 qt baking dish and set aside.
    Combine shredded cheeses in a large bowl and set aside.
  • Cook the pasta one minute shy of al dente according to the package instructions. Remove from heat, drain, and place in a large bowl.
  • Drizzle pasta with olive oil and stir to coat pasta. Set aside to cool while preparing cheese sauce.
  • Melt butter in a deep saucepan, dutch oven, or stock pot.
  • Whisk in flour over medium heat and continue whisking for about 1 minute until bubbly and golden.
  • Gradually whisk in the milk and heavy cream until nice and smooth. Continue whisking until you see bubbles on the surface and then continue cooking and whisking for another 2 minutes. Whisk in salt and pepper.
  • Add two cups of shredded cheese and whisk until smooth. Add another two cups of shredded cheese and continue whisking until creamy and smooth. Sauce should be nice and thick.
  • Stir in the cooled pasta until combined and pasta is fully coated with the cheese sauce.
  • Pour half of the mac and cheese into the prepared baking dish. Top with remaining 2 cups of shredded cheese and then the remaining mac and cheese.
  • In a small bowl, combine panko crumbs, Parmesan cheese, melted butter and paprika. Sprinkle over the top and bake until bubbly and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 642kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Cholesterol: 125mg | Sodium: 550mg | Potassium: 256mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1325IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 650mg | Iron: 1.4mg

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Comments

  2. Dealvia says

    The best homemade mac&cheese I’ve made to date. And thank God no eggs were involved. I did sub gruyere with smoked goada due to price. And I have no regrets. The reheat- ability is just as if it just came out the oven. Maintains its creaminess. Yum! Family loved it. Enjoyed it for 3days no problem.

    Reply

  3. Maddie says

    Absolutely amazing! i probably could have added more salt but the instructions were easy to follow and the end result was to die for!

    Reply

  5. Sharyn says

    The mac and cheese was wonderful! We cut the recipe in half because there are only two of us. We get to have it at least twice! Soooo good!!!

    Reply

  6. Jon W says

    Excellent. Relatively easy to make. Based on earlier comment I mostly eliminated the cheese between the two layers of mac and cheese. For two of us I should have cut the recipe in half.

    Reply

  7. Vince says

    Greeting from Ireland! I just made this for my fam and we loved it! Smooth, creamy and the crunchy breadcrumbs were spot on. It wasn’t too difficult either…which really helps after working 8 hour day and then having to come home and cook straight away. Thank you for sharing this recipe. Will definitely be making this again 🙂

    Reply

  8. Debbie says

    Wow! This was fantastic. I added a little garlic with the butter, and I added a little Tabasco in the cheese mixture. We used mozzarella, nacho cheese and old cheddar as that is what we had on hand. It was really amazing!!!

    Reply

  9. Jazmin says

    One of the best Mac and cheeses we’ve ever had! We ate so much of it we kept going back for seconds and thirds! Cheese ratio was perfect! Gonna make it again tonight !

    Reply

  10. Wendi Gates-Morgante says

    If you love cheesey, this is the best recipe in the world. It was a hit with everyone one in our family, cheese lovers, mega cheese lovers and mediocre cheese lovers. Just phenomenal! I will say, though, that it makes alot! 🙂 fills a 13×9 right up to the top.
    Thank you Trish.

    Reply

  11. Carolyn M Osborne says

    This is an excellent recipe! I made this last night, though with not as good an assortment of cheese: generic sharp cheddar, mild cheddar, and Monterey Jack. To boost the less-flavorful cheese, I cooked 2 T grated yellow onion into the roux, plus I stirred a pinch each of cayenne and nutmeg and abt 1/2 teaspoon each of mustard powder and Worchester sauce into the white sauce along with the cheese.

    Mine needed a much longer baking time – an hour plus. That may be because I had cooked the pasta the day before, tossed with melted butter and refrigerated it, so it had more warming up to do before baking. When it was done, though, it was absolutely the best mac & cheese I’ve made. This made the old-fashioned kind which has almost a custard-y texture around the noodles. I’ll make this recipe again!

    Reply

    • Trish - Mom On Timeout says

      Thank you Carolyn! And yes, we frequently make this with just an assortment of cheese we happen to have on hand and I have yet to be disappointed. And yes, it would definitely take a bit longer to cook if the pasta was chilled. So glad you gave it a try!

      Reply

  13. Anna says

    I’ve been eating macaroni and cheese for most of my 70 years. This is far and away the best I’ve ever eaten. Ever. Absolute perfection.

    Reply

  14. Jess says

    I just made this and it was delicious….only thing, we all felt it was way yo much cheese. so we will tweak it next time…

    Reply

  15. Amélie says

    So good!! I loved it and all my family too!! But I add some bacon and it was delicious ?
    Thanks for the recipe!!

    Reply
4.99 from 3566 votes (2,942 ratings without comment)

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