Macaroni and cheese is one of those dishes that can be enjoyed for pretty much every occasion, during all times of the year, and by everyone. Kind of like Instant Pot fettuccine Alfredo. Thanksgiving, Christmas, summer picnic, you name the theme and baked mac and cheese is a good fit. Plus, it’s just amazing for dinner or when you’re craving something cheesy. This recipe is super easy to make – you just combine a few ingredients, add it to a pan, and bake with lots of yummy cheese on top. Kids will love it. Adults will love it. And if you somehow have leftovers, the family can enjoy it warmed up the next day! Serve it with garlic parmesan wings and crescent rolls for a full meal!
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
Macaroni – you could also make this recipe with something like small shells, but I don’t recommend using pasta larger than that. Cheese – as long as you keep the same amount, you can use any cheese that melts well. I just like the cheddar cheese to keep it as kid-friendly as possible.
Instructions
Okay so this recipe really just takes a few steps – cooking your macaroni, making your cream sauce and baking. I mean it is baked macaroni and cheese after all!
1 – Cook your macaroni
Unlike with this baked ziti, the first thing you want to do is cook your macaroni just like the package says. It’ll likely take somewhere around 10-15 minutes. While the macaroni is cooking, you can work on the butter cream sauce.
2 – Make Your Sauce
The best part of this recipe is the butter cream sauce that you put on top of the macaroni while it bakes. This combined with the cheese makes for the most creamy and delicious dish. To make the sauce, melt 2 TBS of butter in a large saute pan. Watch it closely and move onto the next step as soon as it’s mostly melted – you don’t want it to brown. Once the butter is heated, reduce the heat to low and add your flour, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper. Use a whisk and stir until the mixture is bubbly. Then add the milk and bring to a boil, stirring the mixture constantly. Once it’s boiling, stir for one more minute then remove the mixture from heat. You should have a cream base that’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
3 – Bake
Before you bake, you’re going to create your layered mac and cheese. It’s kind of like a lasagna but macaroni and cheese instead. Place half the cooked macaroni on the bottom of a squash baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/8 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp garlic salt. Top with half the shredded cheese. Repeat the layers again – the other half of the macaroni noodles and the other half of the cheddar cheese. Pour the white bechamel sauce over the top of the final cheese layer. Add the cuber butter on top and ocver with foil. Bake for 30 minutes covered then remove foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. Serve warm with your favorite main dish, as a side to a holiday feast, or just as a stand alone dinner on its own (like these coconut chicken tenders)! It’d be really good paired with these roasted root vegetables or some honey roasted carrots!
Expert Tips
Double the recipe by simply doubling the ingredients and baking it in a 9×13 casserole dish instead. This is a great meal for a crowd, a party, or a holiday feast! Stir the bechamel sauce constantly while you’re cooking it. You don’t want any part of it to burn or brown or it’ll change the flavor of the sauce. Cook the macaroni to al dente since they’ll get cooked a bit more in the oven and you don’t want them to end up totally mushy. Up the salt in the recipe by 1/2 tsp if you like your macaroni and cheese a bit salty. We like to salt to taste since my husband and I have different salt preferences – if you like a bit more salty, go for 1 1/4 tsp salt instead.
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