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This Homemade Baked Macaroni and Cheese recipe is over the top! If you’re looking for a meal that’s sure to be a hit, look no further. This baked mac and cheese is a family favorite recipe, loved by both children and adults. Perfect for a comforting dinner or as a holiday side dish!
Macaroni and Cheese
We use a combination of cheeses, layered in the dish as well as melted into a rich and creamy cheese sauce, and I am really convinced this is the BEST macaroni and cheese recipe out there!
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Homemade Macaroni and Cheese Ingredients
- Elbow macaroni
- Salt
- Butter, cubed
- Half-and-Half
- Velveeta cheese, cubed
- Muenster cheese, shredded
- Cheddar cheese, shredded
- Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- Monterey jack cheese, shredded
- Eggs, lightly whisked
- Seasoning salt
- Black pepper
Oozing with FIVE different kinds of cheese, we just love comfort food! Mac and cheese is the quintessential comfort food. How can you go wrong with pasta and cheese?
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the pasta according to package instructions, including 1 teaspoon of salt to the boiling water for flavor. Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Add the cubed butter to the pot and stir until almost melted.
Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
Add the remaining ingredients, reserving 1/2 cup of mixed cheese for the topping, and stir well. Pour the pot contents into a 9×13 baking dish. Top with remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes until edges become golden brown and bubbly.
More Cooking Options
- Bacon – if you love bacon, feel free to add some crispy, crumbled bacon to the topping.
- Panko – Consider adding 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 is also delicious!
- Different Baking Times – Bake this macaroni and cheese at 350 F degrees for 30 minutes, then as an option, broil for 2-3 minutes to get that gorgeous cheesy “crust”.
Creamy but not saturated like a pan mac and cheese, this recipe is, in my humble opinion, the perfect macaroni and cheese. Bring it to a potluck, add it as a dinner side, and always remember to whip it up on Thanksgiving and Christmas!
More Easy Recipes
Homemade Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
Equipment
- 9×13 casserole pan
- Cheese grater
- Pasta pot
- Colander
- Wooden spoon / Mixing spoon
Ingredients
- 1 pound elbow macaroni
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoon butter, cubed
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 8 ounces Velveeta cheese, cubed
- 1/2 cup shredded muenster cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
- 2 eggs, lightly whisked
- 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Cook pasta according to package instructions, including 1 teaspoon of salt to the boiling water for flavor.
- Drain the pasta and return to pot. Add the cubed butter to the pot and stir until almost melted.
- Add the remaining ingredients, reserving 1/2 cup of mixed cheese for the topping, and stir well.
- Pour the pot contents into a 9×13 baking dish. Top with remaining cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes until edges become golden brown and bubbly.
Notes
- Broil for 2-3 minutes to get that gorgeous cheesy “crust”.
To die for Mac and cheese! Thanks!
can you do this in a crockpot?
love the dish want more tu
May be a dumb question but. . . For the 1/2 cups of cheese are you using 2 ounces of cheese and shredding it or do you just fill a a 1/2 cup measuring and fill it with shredded cheese?
Not a dumb question! Measure the cheese that is already shredded. So, 1/2 cup of shredded cheese. Hope that helps!
Thanks! This recipe sounds fabulous! Having a family of Mac n cheese fanatics, I know this will be the new fav! On the menu for Sunday dinner.
Fabulous! New family favorite Mac n cheese! Put a panko/Parmesan topping on.
Is the egg absolutely necessary? We have an egg allergy in the family. Is there something else we could do instead or just leave it out?
You will be the hit of the carry-in if you take this recipe to your next event. Guaranteed that everyone will want the recipe and you can just throw away the pan cause there will be no leftovers‼️‼️
Can I make this earlier in the day and then bake later? Or do you think the noodles would be too soggy?