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 (see note)
- 4 Tablespoons (55 g) butter
- ¼ cup (31 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 cups (710 ml) whole milk (see note)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard
- 2 cups (226 g) shredded sharp cheddar cheese see note
- 1 ½ cup (170 g) shredded mozzarella cheese
Panko Topping
- 2 Tablespoons 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. 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 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) 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, ¾ 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 ½ cup (170 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 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.
Juliane Whitmore
I love this recipe! It’s the favorite of my kids and pretty easy to make. It’s really delicious too!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that your family has enjoyed this mac and cheese recipe, Juliane! Thank you for commenting. 🙂
Lisa
I quadrupled this recipe because I need to serve 28 people. It makes so much sauce and when I was adding the sauce to the macaroni it started to look soupy. I ended up not adding all the sauce and have 3 1/2 cups left and I did not even add all the shredded cheese to the sauce. Is this right? Can I freeze the extra sauce?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Lisa! This recipe does make quite a bit of sauce because the noodles will absorb a lot of it when it bakes. You are welcome to add more noodles to the mixture or you can freeze it. 🙂
Kelly
Just wondering if this would freeze well? If so, would you thaw it then bake it, or bake from frozen?
Sam
Hi Kelly! I haven’t tried freezing, but I think it would work just fine. I would probably thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and then bake it. 🙂
Angi
Delicious recipe! I doubled the recipe, eliminated the onion and garlic powders but added about 4 oz os shredded Monterey Jack with jalapeños and 1 lb of cooked, chopped shrimp! So yummy!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed the baked mac and cheese, Angi, and I love your choice of substitutions! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Abigail saneh
Am how long do u bake the mac n cheese for
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Abigail! You want to bake it for 15 mins, uncovered. I hope that you enjoy it! 🙂
Patty Mcdonald
Hello, just wanted you to know I made macaroni and cheese for Christmas dinner. It was a huge hit. I double the amount and there was maybe a cup left. Thank you for your wonderful recipe.
Sugar Spun Run
That is wonderful, Patty! I am so glad that it was a hit! 🙂
Judy
Ok I’m thinking of doubling the recipe, so I would need 4 cups of cheddar cheese and 3 cups of the mozzarella cheese. I found the Tillamook cheese at our Target store. Also are you going by the bag size or measuring it in a glass measuring cups? Sorry for all the questions.
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Judy! Yes, you are correct. If you are going to double the recipe you will need 4 cups of cheddar cheese and 3 cups of the mozzarella cheese. You can go by the bag size or measure it out. I hope that you enjoy the mac and cheese! 🙂
Sophia
Is 8 oz of noodles really enough for 8 servings?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Sophia! The suggested serving size is 8, however, it really depends on how big your serving size is. If you are afraid that it won’t be enough please free free to double the recipe. 🙂
Jessica
If I double, I’d double all of the ingredients, right? Thanks!!!
Sugar Spun Run
That is correct, Jessica!
Julie
Your sugar cookie recipe was perfect, so when I was looking for a mac & cheese recipe and came across yours, I figured I should pick this one.
What would be the best way to bring this to a family get-together? Crockpot? Bring unbaked and bake it there? It is about a 30 minute drive. Thanks!
Jennifer Hart
I am making this a tradition at my Christmas party because it was so popular last year!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Jennifer! I am so glad it was a hit. I hope everyone enjoys the mac and cheese again this year. 🙂
Judy
I have McCormick ground mustard is that ok to use?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Judy! Yes, that will work just fine. Let me know how your mac and cheese turns out. Enjoy! 🙂
Barbara
Making this for a large group of around 27 people. Can you prepare, include baking it and put in the freezer for about a week? Better to prepare and bake it after removing from the freezer?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Barbara! Yes! I would make it then freeze it. Then, when it is time to bake it, I would bake it at 350 until baked through. Let me know how your mac and cheese turns out. 🙂
Stephanie
Was wondering is there any reason you couldn’t leave the macaroni is the Dutch instead of transfering to bake it?
Sam
Hi Stephanie! You can bake it in the dutch oven, mine just gets a little messy on the side and I like the presentation a little bit better when I transfer it to a different pan. 🙂
Kristy
If I were to put this all together but not bake it for about four hours would it be ok or add any baking time if I put it in the fridge prior to baking? It looks wonderful
Sam
Hi Kristy! I might just leave the panko topping off until its ready to bake to keep it from getting too soggy before it bakes. 🙂
Anne Marie Schumacher
Hi I had a question about doubling the recipe…. I wanted to make 2 lbs of Capatelli pasta, so do I have to quadruple all the spices and how much milk would I have to use? How does that work? Thanks! Anne Marie
Sam
Hi Anne! Yes you would want to double all of the ingredients in the recipe. 🙂
Robert Reisma
Just double checking before I get ingredients but she wanted 4xs the noodles but you said to only double ingredients?
Sam
Whoops, sorry! If you’re doing 4x the noodles you will want to do 4x all of the ingredients. If you are doubling you would double all of the ingredients. Sorry for the confusion, Robert! I hope you enjoy the mac & cheese!
Anne Marie
I had asked if I had to quadruple the recipe not double the recipe since I was making 2 lbs of Capatelli. and needed to know also how much milk to put in but it’s too late now because by the time I was making this your reply was too late. 😔
Sam
Sorry, you had said “doubling” and I got caught up on that. If doubling, double everything, if quadrupling, quadruple everything. I hope that helps for next time!