A classic and easy Baked Mac and Cheese Recipe! This recipe is dangerously easy to make and is topped off with a buttery, crisp toasted panko topping! If you have a cast iron or oven-safe pan handy, you can even bake it in the same pan that you use to make the sauce!
Baked Mac and Cheese
Today I’m sharing one of my favorite comfort foods — baked mac and cheese!
I hope you don’t mind all the savory recipes I’ve been sharing recently. With Easter right around the corner I’ve been refreshing some of my favorite side dishes like my broccoli salad, deviled eggs, and now this baked mac and cheese. Don’t worry, after today my calendar is full of sugar 😉
Until then, let’s talk more about this classic comfort food. Homemade Mac & Cheese is a simple staple that everyone should have a go-to recipe for. This one is mine. It’s cheesy, creamy, and uncomplicated. Everything a good mac & cheese should be.
What Do I Need to Make Baked Mac & Cheese?
Mac and cheese is simple to make and doesn’t require any fancy ingredients. Here’s what you need:
- Macaroni Noodles — though let’s be real you can use 8 oz of pretty much any shape of pasta!
- CHEESE — All caps for obvious reasons. Your cheese selection can make or break your baked mac and cheese. Shredding your own is preferred, more on that a bit further down the post.
- Whole Milk
- Butter
- Flour — for making your roux. Don’t worry, it’s so easy! I hate to even mention that this baked mac and cheese starts with a roux because so many people are intimidated (I even have an easy mac and cheese that requires no flour and no roux because of this). All we’re doing is whisking together melted butter and flour, honestly.
- Spices — salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion power, and ground mustard. A little goes a long way for flavor.
How to Make Baked Mac and Cheese
Alright, that roux I mentioned? It’s simple, just look at steps 1-5 below. Start by melting your butter and then add flour. Use a whisk to stir in the flour until the mixture is smooth and no lumps remain.
When you add your milk the mixture may separate a bit. This is fine, everything will come back together once the milk warms up a bit. Add your spices and bring everything to a bubble and cook (stirring continuously so nothing burns) until the mixture is thickened.
It’s very important that your mixture thickens before you continue. The mixture should be creamy and should coat the back of a spoon (see step 5 below). If it’s not thickened, your baked mac and cheese will be too liquidy and runny. We want creamy decadence, not a runny mess.
Finally add your cheese and stir until melted (steps 6-7 below). Then in go your prepared macaroni noodles. Finally top everything off with some toasted panko and bake!
Speaking of That Toasted Panko Topping…
My baked macaroni and cheese is incredibly cheesy and creamy, but what really sets it over the top is the buttery panko topping. I love the crisp, crunchy texture of panko (and 100% prefer it to using breadcrumbs). Panko gives the smooth and creamy mac and cheese that extra something that makes it irresistible.
Before adding it to the top of your (not yet) baked mac and cheese, you’ll add it to a small pan along with some butter and olive oil and then stir it frequently until it becomes lightly golden/toasted.
It’s such an easy extra step and it adds everything to this baked mac and cheese!
What cheese should I use for my baked mac and cheese:
I use a mix of sharp cheddar and white cheddar as well as mozzarella for this recipe, but you can substitute your favorite cheese for the cheddar (I recommend leaving the mozzarella alone, it helps make things creamy and amazing, but you do you). Colby, Monterey Jack, and Gruyere are all great options!
Another word of caution, most cheeses that you buy pre-shredded are tossed with cellulose powder before they are packaged. This keeps the shreds from clinging to each other so that you don’t have a big glob of sticky cheese. Unfortunately, this cellulose powder can keep things from melting properly when you go to use that cheese in this recipe. If you opt to use pre-shredded, you run the risk of things not melting properly and your mac and cheese not turning out.
Honestly, more than once I’ve made this using pre-shredded cheese with great results, it’s just risky and results can’t be guaranteed. I’m currently having a moment with Tillamook brand cheese, which is the best pre-shredded cheese I’ve ever tasted and is not tossed with cellulose. It’s pricier but worth it (and no, they’re not paying me to say this!). Even Zach loves it and he’s usually the first to try and talk me back over to generic.
Do you cover baked mac and cheese in the oven?
For this recipe there is no need to!
I made a brief video (see it on my YouTube channel or below the recipe) so you can see exactly how I made this baked mac and cheese. Enjoy!
Other Recipes You Might Like:
Baked Mac and Cheese
Be sure to check out the how-to VIDEO at the bottom of the recipe!
Ingredients
- 8 oz (226 g) dry macaroni noodles
- 4 Tablespoons (55 g) salted butter
- ¼ cup (31 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 cups (710 ml) whole milk (see note)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard
- 2 cups (226 g) shredded sharp cheddar cheese see note
- 1 cup (113 g) shredded mozzarella cheese
Panko Topping
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup (60 g) seasoned panko crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C)
- Begin cooking your pasta according to package instructions in well-salted water. Do not over-cook, in fact, for best results cook one minute less than indicated time. Once finished, drain, drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil (about ½ teaspoon) and toss to coat so the noodles don't stick together while sitting.8 oz (226 g) dry macaroni noodles
- Meanwhile, melt butter in a 10" cast iron pan² over medium heat. Once it has melted, add flour and whisk until smooth and no lumps remain..4 Tablespoons (55 g) salted butter, ¼ cup (31 g) all-purpose flour
- Add milk and spices (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and ground mustard), stir well and bring to a boil. You may notice that the milk and butter will separate -- continue to heat, stirring frequently, until the milk is heated and they combine3 cups (710 ml) whole milk, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon ground mustard
- Once mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat, bring to a simmer, and stir frequently until mixture is thickened.
- Reduce heat to low and add cheddar and mozzarella cheese. Stir until cheeses are melted and mixture is smooth.2 cups (226 g) shredded sharp cheddar cheese, 1 cup (113 g) shredded mozzarella cheese
- Add cooked, drained pasta noodles and stir until well coated by the sauce.
- Set aside while you prepare your Panko topping.
Panko Topping
- Combine butter and olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat, stirring occasionally, until melted.2 Tablespoons salted butter, 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- Add panko and stir well until the butter and oil has been mostly absorbed. Continue to stir until panko is lightly toasted and turns a light-medium brown color1 cup (60 g) seasoned panko crumbs
- Sprinkle toasted panko evenly over mac and cheese.
- Transfer to oven and bake uncovered on 350F (175C) for 15 minutes.
- Garnish with parsley, if desired, and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
This Baked Mac & Cheese Recipe was originally published 01/12/2018. Post has been updated to include additional tips and improve user experience 04/19/2019.
Hayley
I’m having company over for pulled pork sandwiches and I’m looking for a thick and creamy mac n cheese with a bold cheese flavor to go with it. This looks perfect but I’m just wondering if the cheese flavor is subtle or very obviously there? Either way this looks amazing!
Sam
Hi Hayley! This has a great cheesy flavor to it! 🙂
Peggy
My hubby loved it. The best ever
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it, Peggy! 🙂
Andrea
Was going to make this for Super Bowl, can I make it in tin foil tray so I can serve to the kids at the party
Sam
Hi Andrea! I think that would work just fine. The baking time will vary in a foil tray. Just make sure to keep it covered and refrigerated. 🙂
Angela
Best mac n cheese I’ve ever made!! Delicious and easy to make 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
Sam
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed, Angela!! Thank you for commenting 🙂
Melanie Dowdle
I had to substitute crushed croutons for the panko crumbs, because it’s hard to find locally(or my local Walmart was just out!), but it turned out fantastic. I used shredded colby jack just because of preferences in my house, but it was wonderful on a cold winter night like this evening…
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Melanie! 🙂 It is a great dish for a cold evening. 🙂
Ryan Dougherty
Made this tonight. Doubling it doesn’t work out quite right. 2x the cheese sauce for this recipe doesn’t quite work with a pound of macaroni. I feel like the called for amount of cheese sauce and a lb of noodles would be a better ratio. Flavor is good though!
Amy
FANTASTIC!! Love this recipe, thank you for sharing and making it so easy to understand. I am not a great cook either, but my family all said they loved it. The panko was my favorite addition!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it, Amy! The panko is a great little finishing touch. 🙂
Shania
Made this tonight for dinner and it was sooo good and simple to make! I’m not a very good cook but I promise this wasn’t very hard lol.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Shania! 🙂
Kathy Sissel
Followed the recipe exactly and it turned out fantastic !!! Used the toasted Panko too n lived it . Going to experiment with some other sharp cheeses too. Thanks for sharing
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Kathy! 🙂
Diana
Family loved it! Even the picky eaters. Thanks for sharing. I followed recipe as written
Sam
So glad to hear that it was a hit! Thanks for commenting, Diana! 🙂
Elaine Brodzinski
I have all ingredients but no cast iron pan. Once I have everything combined, except topping, what size baking dish should I use for oven? Making for Christmas Eve.
Sam
Hi Elaine! I would use a lightly buttered 9×9 square pan or 1.5qt baking dish. Enjoy! 🙂
Elaine Brodzinski
Thank you, think I better double it. Merry Christmas!
David
Can you place the prepped Mac n cheese in a cast iron pan in the refrigerator and the cook the next day? Or do you think the iron in the refrigerator would alter the taste. Thanks!
Sam
Hi, David. That would work just fine. I would hold off on putting the topping on until you are ready to bake it. Enjoy! 🙂
Claire
Can you make this the day before, refrigerate and then bake the next day?
Sam
Hi, Claire. That shouldn’t be an issue. I would probably leave the topping off until ready to bake so it doesn’t get too soggy in the refrigerator. 🙂
Isa
this recipe was amazing!!! my friends are still talking about it. and my friends are the toughest bunch to please. super hard critics! thanks!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it. 🙂
Kristine
Made this tonight and my 6yr old said he loved it and it was amazing. He’s been so good about trying new foods lately instead of his usuals. Toasting the Panko was definitely worth it
Sam
I am so glad he enjoyed it, Kristine! 🙂 I hope he loves it every time you make it for him!
Judy Wilson
Can you tell me how many servings this makes? I want to make it on Christmas Eve.
Sam
Hi, Judy! It makes about 8 servings. 🙂