Creamy Baked Mac And Cheese
The Chunky Chef09/30/2019
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This baked mac and cheese is a family favorite recipe, loved by both children and adults. It uses a combination of cheeses, layered in the dish as well as melted into a rich and creamy cheese sauce, for the ultimate in cheesy deliciousness! Perfect for a comforting dinner or as a holiday side dish!
Looking for other comfort food dishes? Check out my Homemade Sloppy Joes, Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup, Crockpot Meatloaf, and Homestyle No-Boil Mashed Potatoes!
BAKED MAC AND CHEESE
Baked mac and cheese. Its nearly the universal comfort food, and there are SO many variations! In fact, I almost didnt post this recipe, as there are SOOOO many mac and cheese recipes available, and most people already have their favorite way of making it.
Of course, theres no right way or wrong way, so Im here sharing the way I like to make my mac and cheese .
How To Make The Creamiest Macaroni And Cheese
Youre only looking at six ingredients . Itcan even be made in under 30 minutes .
I love that you can keep this as a quick stovetop mac and cheese or slide it into the oven to get bubbly and browned. I love it both ways.
Were going to call this our basic mac and cheese not because it isnt incredibly delicious, but because its the perfect base for other variations. Take a look below for some suggestions.
To make our go-to macaroni and cheese, you will need the following:
Can I Make This Ahead And Reheat It
We dont recommend reheating macaroni and cheese as it never tastes quite the same and theres a possibility that the macaroni will become mushy. However, if this is a deal breaker, you can reheat it simply add some milk to loosen the thickened sauce while reheating. We recommend making it and having it ready right before you leave. Turn off the slow cooker but leave the lid on. When you arrive stir it and loosen with milk if needed.
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Can I Make This Mac And Cheese Crispy On Top
Yes, you can make it crispy by putting it under a broiler, or adding bread crumbs mixed with butter and top the mac and cheese with it and place it under the broiler to crisp the top.
Another way is to add grated cheese on top a mix of cheddar and parmesan is nice, crisp it under the broiler for a cheesy top!
My mom always eats it in a thin layer crisped under the broiler..really until its almost burnt. Sometimes I enjoy it, but most often I like in a bow, creamy style
How Do You Make Creamy Mac And Cheese From Scratch
So lets get started with this cheesy, creamy dish.
Boil 16 oz Macaroni noodles
In a separate pan melt 1/2 stick of butter, add 2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream,.
Next add your cheeses, 1 Cup Parmesan, 1 Cup Shredded white cheddar, 1/2 sharp yellow cheese spread , 1 Cup Monterey Jack. Add 1 TBSP Garlic Salt and pepper.
Let Simmer 10-15 minutes. Pour Cheese Sauce over Noodles. Spread in a 9x13in pan.
Sprinkle cheese over top and cover with cooked bacon bits if desired. Cover with Aluminum Foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
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What To Do With Leftover Mac And Cheese
Despite being mac and cheeses #1 fan, Ive never really loved the leftovers. Heating it in the microwave always left it clumpy and drynot my scene.
If youre still hankering for a creamy mac, reheat the leftovers on the stove top, adding a few extra splashes of half and half as it warms up. This should keep the sauce from being dry.
You can also pan fry leftovers! Melt some butter in a skillet and add a big scoop of leftover mac and cheese. Flatten it a bit with your spatula and let it brown and crisp on the bottom a bit before flipping and browning the other side. I love this method for those crispy browned bits!
Finally, you can use leftovers to make Fried Mac and Cheese Balls, which are delightful as an appetizer or entree!
Choose Your Noodles Carefully
When making mac and cheese, you need to consider your desired ultimate outcome when choosing a noodle. You don’t have to stick with macaroni every time just because that’s the technical name of the dish. If you’re going for the utmost creaminess, opt for a noodle that will hold a lot of sauce. Noodles with ridges are always a good choice: cavatappi, cavatell, rotini, and even penne are all good mac and cheese noodles.
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Why Was My Mac And Cheese Gritty
Prepackaged shredded cheese contains an anti-caking agent that can cause your final product to taste gritty. Purchase your cheese from the deli and shred it yourself. Weve also discovered that some less expensive cheeses are gritty even when you shred them yourself, but after the mac and cheese sits for a while the grittiness goes away.
Creamy Crockpot Mac And Cheese
There are lots of different ways to make mac and cheese, but two of them are more popular than others. The first type is southern or baked mac and cheese, which includes eggs and is almost like a casserole. The second type is cooked on the stovetop in a béchamel sauce. There are no eggs and it is super creamy.
In order to get that ultra creamy texture in a crock pot, you either have to use condensed cheese soup or Velveeta cheese, neither of which appealed to me.
The next best thing is to use evaporated milk and American cheese, the kind you get from the deli counter. Barring American cheese, using a melty cheese like Monterey Jack or White American will also produce creamy results.
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What Is A Mac And Cheese Roux And Why Do I Need It
A roux is essentially a way to thicken a sauce or liquid. You need a fat and a flour in order to make this thickening agent and then you need to heat it to activate it.
The reason why you dont want to skip the roux for this mac and cheese sauce recipe is that the roux is what helps make it thick and luscious.
Variations Of Mac And Cheese
- Bacon if you love bacon, feel free to add some crispy, crumbled bacon to the topping, or even inside the mac and cheese as well!
- Stovetop if youd prefer not to bake this mac and cheese, you dont have to! Make sure you boil your pasta until al dente , and youll only need about 3 3 1/2 cups of cheese total. No need to layer the pasta and cheese, just add all the cheese to the sauce, then combine with the pasta.
- Different Toppings Im a huge fan of the cheese layer on top, since it gets nice and crispy, but we also love tossing 1 cup of panko with 2 Tbsp of melted butter and using that as a topping. 1 cup of crushed Ritz crackers with 2 Tbsp of butter work amazingly well too!
- Different Baking Times the recipe calls for a lower baking temperature and time, but most of the time I find myself adjusting that based on my familys tastes. I like to bake this mac and cheese at 350 F degrees for 30 minutes, then broil for 2-3 minutes to get that glorious cheesy crust.
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Creamy Mac And Cheese
Get ready for the creamiest and easiest mac and cheese! I’m not against a boxed version, but once you try this creamy mac and cheese recipe you might never go back. Plus, everyone should have a homemade mac and cheese recipe in their collection, right? Save this one!
This recipe is a combination of one I found in my ancient Better Homes and Garden cookbook and another from my Paula Deen cookbook. Paula tosses all the cheese and cream into the pot with the boiled pasta, but I like to make the sauce in a separate pot then pour at once onto the macaroni similar to the BHG version.
This mac and cheese is a DELICIOUS side with our favorite spiral ham! Follow me on for more daily recipe inspiration!
Whats The Difference Between Manwich And Sloppy Joes
Technically Manwich is a pre-made sauce thats used to make sloppy joes. Im not sure exactly whats in it, and have never tried it myself, so I cant say that my recipe tastes similar or not. Manwich is marketed as a easy way to make sloppy joes but in reality, homemade sloppy joes are JUST as easy to make!
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I Messed It Up How Do I Fix My Mac And Cheese
If your mac and cheese is to thin, if you added way to much milk, thicken it by adding 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 1/2 cup of milk, stir that into the mixture and heat over medium until it thickens, alternatively add another 1/2-1 cup of grated cheese. When mac and cheese if finished cooking, it will thicken up as the noodles will absorb the sauce.
If its not creamy, add more milk, whole milk is best, it has enough milk fat to make a creamy sauce. If you use skim milk, it can curdle, if that happens, in a separate pan start another roux, butter, and flour, then add the ruined sauce on low heat and whisk it until it is creamy. If the texture of your mac and cheese is not creamy, add a little more butter, a tablespoon or two will make it silky.
Silky smooth creamy mac and cheese it the goal, that GOLDEN creamy deliciousness youve come to love is only minutes away.
Since were talking CHEESE
- 2 tablespoons blue cheese dressing
- 2 tablespoons Franks hot sauce
- 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
All these items will change the flavor enough for the non-traditional cheesy flavor for kids Id make it plain, many adults have come to love a little spice in their life, add some to a portion of the mac and cheese to test it before adding additional flavors to the whole batch!
I often add some diced jalapenos and cooked chopped bacon, it tastes like a jalapeno popper.
KEEP SCROLLING after the recipe if you would like a LOW-CARB option!
Stick With The Stovetop
All too often, baked macaroni and cheese takes on more of a casserole feel than the creaminess you’re looking for here. To prevent that, cook it entirely on your stovetop rather than finishing it in the oven. The sauce won’t get overly thick and clumpy on the stovetop, meaning the end result will be creamy and silky smooth just what you’re after.
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Creamy Mac And Cheese Recipe Reviews
Folks really do think it is one of the best macaroni and cheese recipes theyve tried. For more real-life reviews and pictures, check out this pin! Reviews like:
- Very yummy as is! I like to put the dish in the oven with breadcrumbs and more cheese and let it form a crispy top. Also note I used everything gluten free and it was delish.
- I made this for a cookout and everyone loved it. I used 1/2 & 1/2 instead of milk for some extra creaminess and added 1/2 t smoked paprika. Good stuff!
- This was so delicious! Creamy, flavourful, and really simple. Our favorite mac and cheese recipe yet!
- Made for dinner last night, and it really was the creamiest mac and cheese! The only thing I changed was using American cheese, instead of cheddar
If you loved this creamy mac and cheese recipe, please leave a comment below. Let me know if you added your own flair, and feel free to humble-brag.
What Are The Best Cheeses For Baked Mac And Cheese
As I mentioned above, the secret to creamy baked mac and cheese is Velveeta cheese! This American cheese just melts smoother than other cheeses and gives the sauce that creamy mouthfeel that we’re all looking for. I’ve found that an equal ratio of cheddar cheese and Velveeta cheese yields the best of both worlds — a smooth, creamy mac and cheese with plenty of rich, sharp cheddar flavor.
If you like a combination of other cheeses, you can feel free to replace some of the cheddar with other good melting cheeses. Try Gruyere, Pepper Jack or Monterey Jack, gouda, smoked gouda, Swiss or mozzarella. The options are endless, so pick your favorites!
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Variations Of This Recipe
- PROTEIN Feel free to add in some shredded chicken, pulled pork, or some crispy bacon for an extra protein punch.
- VEGGIES Trying to get your veggies in? Stir in some steamed broccoli or cauliflower.
- TOPPINGS If you love a topping on your mac and cheese, transfer the cooked cheesy mac to a baking dish and top with either some extra cheese, buttered panko breadcrumbs, or buttered crushed Ritz crackers. Broil a few minutes until crispy.
- COOKING LIQUID If you prefer to use all chicken broth, or all water feel free to do that. Just make sure there are 4 total cups of liquid.
- DIFFERENT CHEESES Gruyere, Gouda, Fontina, Mozzarella, Monterey Jack, Colby, or all Cheddar. These are all good melting cheeses and will give you a smooth sauce. However, feel free to play around with different combinations that you like!
Can I Bake This Recipe
At this point of stovetop mac and cheese, you can choose to transfer to a 9 x 13 inch baking dish, top with more cheese and other toppings of choice, bake at 350 degrees F. for 20-25 minutes for a baked mac and cheese. This is another fantastic option. Adding buttered bread crumbs and bacon is another winning option before baking to add a nice crunch. Try adding cooked beef or chicken for more dinner options too.
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Create A New Tradition Today
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How To Make A Roux
First time making a roux? No problem! Check out this super simple tutorial:
Congrats, youve made your roux! This will give your mac the thick and creamy texture youre looking for.
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Stovetop Mac And Cheese
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This truly is the BEST stovetop mac and cheese recipe! It only requires one pot , its ready to go in about 20 minutes from start to finish, and its perfectly creamy and cheesy and delicious.
This weekend, Barclay and I went to a food festival here in Barcelona that was fabulously, deliciously, entirely devoted to CHEESE.
And it was just about the best thing ever.
Literally everywhere you turned, ooey gooey cheesy dishes were being served. And youd better believe we took full advantage of them. From freshly-scraped raclette toasts, to the most amazing Korean-inspired mushroom grilled cheese sandwiches, to Spanish onion and smoked cheese soup, to vegan Mexican cheesy quesadillas, to the best ricotta Ive ever sampled, to the most dreamy Italian gyoza-ish dumplings filled with potato and cheese and served in a pecorino-sage saucethe day was all of our cheesiest dreams come true. And we left feeling so happy. And soooo full, ha.
That said, there was one dish notably missing at the festival. But, it just so happens that Ive been on a mission this month to nail down my all-time favorite recipe for it. So yesterday, we decided to round out our cheesy weekend by taste-testing a final version of this recipe. And ohhh guys, I think weve got it. Im humbly calling it
The Best Stovetop Mac and Cheese recipe. Ever.
How Do You Make Mac And Cheese From Scratch
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat stir in flour, salt, and pepper until smooth, about 5 minutes. Slowly pour milk into butter-flour mixture while continuously stirring until mixture is smooth and bubbling, about 5 minutes. Add Cheddar cheese to milk mixture and stir until cheese is melted, 2 to 4 minutes.
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Tricks To Making The Creamiest Mac And Cheese Ever
There’s nothing like a warm, gooey bowl of delicious mac and cheese, am I right? Mac and cheese is a comfort food if there ever was one, but if you don’t make it right, you’ll end up with a less-than-comforting bowl of dried out, not-cheesy-at-all noodles. Worse yet, you might end up with a gritty, mealy mess. That doesn’t mean you should turn to that familiar blue box whenever a craving arrives homemade mac and cheese is the best, by far . To make the creamiest mac and cheese ever, you just have to do a couple of things differently than you might do them now. In fact, it’s probably a lot less complicated than you might think. Armed with these tricks and ideas and a little know-how, you’ll be well on your way to the creamiest mac and cheese ever. But be careful who you tell once word gets out that you’ve mastered this dish, you’ll have more dinner guests than you can handle!