Nothing better than Macaroni and Cheese! Get this simple, classic, cheesy recipe for Macaroni and Cheese featuring three cheeses and a crispy, salty topping.
There are probably a million and one recipes for Macaroni and Cheese out there with all sorts of variations, but today I’m posting a classic, simple, homemade version of Macaroni and Cheese that is the biggest crowd-pleasing dish. Perfect as a side dish or as a stand alone meal and adaptable enough to serve as a stovetop mac and cheese or baked casserole style. Totally knocks the store bought, boxed version completely out of the water! Makes a great Thanksgiving side dish too!
How to make Macaroni and Cheese
- This recipe starts out as any other homemade macaroni and cheese does, with boiling elbow pasta in salted water and starting a bechamel (white sauce) in a large pot.
- The white sauce include butter, flour, and milk. Create a roux (paste) with the melted butter and flour and whisk in the milk. As it heats up, it will thicken into that bechamel white sauce. Once it starts to bubble, reduce the heat completely down to low.
- Add in salt, pepper and nutmeg and then slowly melt in all that grated cheese to create a smooth, creamy, cheese sauce.
- Pour the drained pasta into the cheese sauce and stir to coat. Serve as is or pour into buttered casserole dish.
- Top with breadcrumbs and bake.
- Serve hot and bubbly!
Pro Tips:
If you’re going to serve this as a stovetop version of macaroni and cheese, cook the pasta completely through until it’s al dente. If you’re planning on baking in the oven, drain 1-2 minutes before it reaches al dente. Over baked pasta turns mushy which does not a tasty macaroni and cheese make.
Since there is a lot of milk in the bechamel sauce, bringing it to a boil for an extended period of time will scald and separate your sauce! To remedy this, once it starts bubbling and thickening, reduce the heat down to low immediately. Then whisk in the cheese to creamy that cheese sauce.
If you plan on making this ahead as a baked macaroni and cheese dish, you’ll want to skip the breadcrumb topping and cover to store in the fridge. When you’re ready to reheat, bake in the oven for about 30 minutes. Once its mostly warm, stir in a little bit of milk to loosen up the sauce. After it’s back to the creamy consistency you expected, top with breadcrumbs and finish baking.
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Macaroni and Cheese
Nothing better than Macaroni and Cheese! Get this simple, classic, cheesy recipe for Macaroni and Cheese featuring three cheeses and a crispy, salty topping.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. macaroni
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 5 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 4 cups 2% milk
- Pinch of nutmeg
- Salt to taste
- 3 oz. cream cheese cubed
- 1 ½ cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 ½ cups grated smoked gouda
- 1 ½ cups grated gruyere
- 3 tablespoons seasoned bread crumbs
Instructions
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Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Cook macaroni one minute less according to package directions. Drain completely and set aside.
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In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook 30 seconds. Pour in milk and continue whisking until sauce thickens. Add in salt, nutmeg and cream cheese cubes. Whisk until completely melted. Slowly add in remaining cheese and whisk until thick and creamy. Remove from heat. Stir in macaroni to coat in sauce.
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Pour into baking dish and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Bake 10-15 minutes and serve.
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