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!Â
This post is sponsored by Walmart and SheKnows Media.
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.
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!
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!
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.
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!
- The Ultimate Chicken Fried Steak and Gravy
- Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with Root Beer BBQ Sauce
- Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwiches
- One Pot Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup
- Slow Cooker Shrimp Boil
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
The BEST Homemade Baked Mac and Cheese
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
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Sarah says
love this recipe! Ive used it ever year for my holiday dish and its always a hit! I was wondering, does anything need to be changed if i wanted to prep it and bake it the next day?
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
So happy and honored to hear that Sarah! You can assemble the entire dish, minus the topping, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Let it come to room temperature (as much as possible) while the oven is preheating and you are preparing the topping. Then bake as directed. You will need to bake a bit longer because the ingredients are going in cool, not hot. Hope that helps!
Linda says
Delicious
Blair says
Very creamy! Perfect base recipe.
Linda says
I made this today as a test for Christmas Eve. I was pleased it turned out really good and my husband especially liked the crispy topping. The instructions were easy to follow along with the video. I plan to make it the day before as I read you could as long as the topping went on right before baking. Just checking to see if this correct??
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Exactly! You can assemble the entire dish, minus the topping, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Let it come to room temperature (as much as possible) while the oven is preheating and you are preparing the topping. Then bake as directed. You will need to bake a bit longer because the ingredients are going in cool, not hot. Hope that helps!
Mariam says
Soooo good. Absolutely delicious!
Tori says
It tasted amazing but unfortunately the sauce separated while baking. Definitely going to try it again as my kids loved it. The only thing I substituted was I used crushed Ritz crackers mixed with the melted butter instead of panko.
Jennifer H says
I have not made homemade Mac and cheese in years. This recipe is great! I used Swiss and cheddar cheese. Also I used half and half instead of cream, margarine and some salted butter. I cut back on salt. It turned out really good. Thank you Trish
Michael Falls says
I have made this twice and everyone loves it. I need to make mac n cheese for mac n cheese hamburgers, if I fully cook the pasta, would this recipe be complete with out the final step of baking it?
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Yes! Everything is fully cooked at that point. Sounds yummy!
Ronald M Akers says
I don’t normal rave but OMG! This is my first attempt at homemade mac and cheese. I looked over lots of recipes to include, Dolly Parton’s, Trisha Yearwood’s, Paula Dean’s, Yoda’s and others across the universe. I settled on this one (Mom on Timeout–Trisha’s) and this is spectacular. I used the gruyere and blended three cheddars. I followed everything else perfectly. GREAT JOB TRISHA!!!
Maggie says
There are no words to say how incredible this recipe is. I first made this for my son and his girlfriend after a day of final exams. They were so happy coming home to this. Since that time, this recipe has been on repeat in this house. It’s just so delicious. I have tried many other Mac and cheese recipes, but nothing comes close to this. I have always stuck to cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese since it’s what I had on hand the first time, and it worked well. Hands down….you have created the most amazing, and comforting recipe!! Bravo. 🙂
Jackie says
I am 63 years old and aI have never made homemade Mac and cheese! This recipe changes that–it was delicious and easy. Made a half recipe. Hubby and I ate about 1/3 of that tonight with the rest going into 2 freezer containers for later. Hope it freezes ok…
Walter says
10/10 would recommend. I added cooked ground beef and substituted Brami Protein Pasta and it was so good with a great amount of protein!!
Heather says
Oh no! I forgot to rate. <3
Martha says
This looks delish. Wondering if I can assemble it and freeze before baking to use at a later date?
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Hi there! This recipe can be frozen. You can assemble the entire dish, minus the topping, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and then foil (and then I do another round of plastic wrap) and freeze for up to 2 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Let it come to room temperature (as much as possible) while the oven is preheating and you are preparing the topping. Then bake as directed. You will need to bake a bit longer because the ingredients are going in cool, not hot. Hope that helps!
Yessica Polonia says
The best mac and cheese ever! For now on my favorite recipe