Baked Mac and Cheese – it’s amazingly cheesy, deliciously comforting as well as perfect for holidays too weekends! Macaroni noodles are cooked to al dente so tossed amongst a luxuriously creamy cheddar together with gruyere sauce, then topped with crispy toasted panko in addition to oven baked. It’second ane of the ultimate side dish recipes!
My Favorite Baked Mac in addition to Cheese Recipe
This is my family’second favorite macaroni as well as cheese! I’ve made it several times at holidays and it’sec normally the acme thing that gets the almost compliments together with repeat requests. It’s merely that skilful!
You merely can’t get wrong alongside an extra saucy, classic side dish similar this. Because who doesn’t dearest cheese??
Sure it’s pricey to buy the imported Gruyere cheese simply it’sec worth it. The combination of extra sharp cheddar too Gruyere makes the best macaroni as well as cheese!
Then we upwardly the decadence by as well adding a fair total of butter too approximately half in addition to one-half to the recipe. This sauce is rich!
And don’t even go me started on that panko topping. This just wouldn’t live the same amongst out it. That crisp textural contrast perfectly compliments the tender noodles and creamy sauce.
Add this to your vacation card everyone will dearest it! And while you lot’re at it you may too make a exam work this weekend. I’1000 e'er looking for a argue to make this over-the-height delicious macaroni in addition to cheese!
Ingredients Needed for Baked Macaroni together with Cheese:
- Panko bread crumbs
- Butter
- Dry macaroni pasta
- Salt together with pepper
- Flour
- Whole milk
- Half too half
- Extra sharp cheddar cheese
- Gruyere cheese
Scroll below for full printable recipe.
How to Make Baked Mac too Cheese:
- Preheat oven, fix baking dish: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a xiii past 9 or 12 past eight-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Toast panko: Melt one Tbsp butter in a x-inch skillet over medium-high estrus. Add panko in addition to spread even, let toast, tossing oft until aureate brownish. Set aside inwards bowl.
- Cook pasta: Bring a big pot of lightly salted H2O to a boil. Cook macaroni merely to al dente according to bundle instructions. If it’sec done early on before sauce toss with a niggling olive fossil oil then it doesn’t stick together.
- Make roux and sauce: In a big saucepan or medium pot melt remaining 5 Tbsp butter over medium oestrus. Add flour too prepare, stirring constantly i i/2 minutes. While whisking slowly pour inwards warmed milk too half too one-half. Season alongside one tsp table salt (or to taste) too pepper to gustatory modality.
- Cook until thick: Cook mixture stirring constantly until thickened (it should not boil!).
- Stir inwards cheese off oestrus: Remove from oestrus let cool 1 infinitesimal and so stir inward 2 cups cheddar in addition to ane cup gruyere (it doesn’t demand to fully melt through).
- Toss pasta amongst sauce: Pour drained pasta into a bowl, pour inwards sauce and remaining one cup gruyere cheese. Toss to evenly coat alongside sauce.
- Layer inwards baking dish: Pour into prepared baking dish, spread into an fifty-fifty layer. Sprinkle panko over peak as well as gently spread into an fifty-fifty layer.
- Bake: Bake inwards preheated oven until edges are just barely bubbling, most xx minutes (if tiptop is browning during baking you tin tent with foil all ovens are lilliputian different).
- Let cool merely a few minutes and serve warm.
Can I Make It in Advance?
While you lot could ready it inwards advance and bake later on (keeping pasta tossed with oil and sauce sort), it is best baked but afterward preparing and so I recommend waiting.
Can I Reheat It?
Yes this volition reheat simply the texture isn’t every bit shine in addition to creamy as it is merely subsequently baking. I but reheat private portions inward the microwave.
What to Serve with Macaroni together with Cheese?
It’s super hearty then I like to serve with steamed or roasted vegetables (broccoli is a slap-up selection) as well as thin roast chicken. But on the holidays of class that’sec different. We serve amongst the plant: stuffing, sugariness murphy casserole, greenish bean casserole, dinner rolls, mashed potatoes too gravy, turkey in addition to pie!
What’sec the Best Kind of Cheese for Mac as well as Cheese?
My favorite blend of cheese for baked macaroni too cheese is extra sharp cheddar in addition to Gruyere (which is a type of Swiss cheese), but yous can attempt it alongside other two other types of shine melting cheese such every bit:
- Monterey jack
- Provolone
- Gouda
- Havarti
- Mozzarella
- Fontina
- American
- White cheddar
Then go along inwards listen more or less of those cheeses are more than mild then others similar mozzarella for instance inwards which you’d want to add together approximately bold parmesan or romano cheese. You tin besides only purpose all precipitous cheddar here.
Also go along in heed not all cheeses are created equal. I’ve listed the brands of cheese I like to function here. Cracker Barrel cheddar melts smoothly and has a bang-up season, as well as I like that Murray’s Gruyere has a stronger flavor than some other brands.
Can I Use Low Fat Milk or Heavy Cream?
Low fat milk will function (ane% or ii%) simply cut back the total of milk by ane/ii loving cup in addition to add some other 1/2 cup half and half.
If you accept heavy cream on paw just no one-half and half, simply function one/two cup heavy cream here together with increase milk to 3 cups.
You tin fifty-fifty brand this amongst all whole milk (no one-half too one-half) it simply won’t be quite every bit rich.
Tips for the Best Baked Macaroni in addition to Cheese Recipe:
- Pre-toast the panko breadstuff crumbs for a squeamish gold dark-brown topping. Or in a pinch you tin simply preheat the broiler afterward baking and toast underneath it briefly (the skillet method simply browns more evenly).
- Heat the milk and half in addition to one-half before adding to the roux for a smoothen mixture (heat inwards microwave or on stovetop).
- Don’t permit the sauce mixture or baked macaroni go likewise hot or it will assort. This is why I bake at 325 together with non too long.
- Add cheeses off heat and then they don’t curdle upward.
- Opt for smooth melting cheeses for a smooth sauce.
- Use a blend of flavorful cheeses for best sense of taste (choice at least 1 bold so one more mild is fine).
- Add half as well as half or cream to make it richer.
- Serve shortly afterward baking for best results. The sauce is dainty together with creamy only after baking, just as it sits together with the sauce cools naturally the fats assort a picayune then the sauce isn’t quite equally smoothen.
Looking for an Easy Stovetop Mac and Cheese?
Try my stovetop version HERE.
More Delicious Side Dish Recipes to Try:
Baked Mac in addition to Cheese
Ingredients
- i loving cup (2.v oz) panko staff of life crumbs
- half dozen Tbsp (iii oz) butter*, divided
- 12 oz. (three cups) dry macaroni pasta
- ane tsp salt, around to sense of taste
- Pepper to sense of taste
- 5 Tbsp (ane.half dozen oz) flour
- ii 1/ii cups (590ml) whole milk, warmed**
- one loving cup (235ml) one-half too one-half, warmed**
- two cups (viii oz) extra precipitous cheddar, shredded (I like to use Cracker Barrel)
- two cups (seven.v oz) Gruyere cheese, shredded, divided (I like to role Murray's)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 13 past nine or 12 by 8-inch baking dish alongside non-stick cooking spray.
- Melt ane Tbsp butter inwards a x-inch skillet over medium-high rut. Add panko and spread fifty-fifty, permit toast, tossing oftentimes until golden chocolate-brown. Pour into a bowl and then it doesn't continue to brown together with ready aside.
- Bring a big pot of lightly salted H2O to a boil. Cook macaroni only to al dente according to bundle directions (preferably add together macaroni to boiling water just when yous commencement to fix the cheese sauce in heated pan and then they finish at the same fourth dimension).
- In a big saucepan or medium pot melt remaining five Tbsp butter over medium estrus. Add flour too make, stirring constantly one 1/2 minutes. While whisking slow pour inward warmed milk together with half in addition to one-half. Season amongst common salt in addition to pepper to sense of taste (I function virtually one tsp table salt, together with 1/2 tsp pepper).
- Cook mixture stirring constantly until thickened (it should not boil!). Remove from oestrus allow cool i minute and then stir inward two cups cheddar in addition to one cup gruyere (it doesn't demand to fully melt through).
- Pour drained pasta into a large mixing bowl (or empty pasta pot), pour in sauce in addition to remaining 1 cup gruyere cheese. Toss to evenly coat alongside sauce.
- Pour into prepared baking dish, spread into an fifty-fifty layer. Sprinkle toasted panko over superlative and spread into an even layer.
- Bake in preheated oven until edges are simply barely bubbling, nearly xx minutes (if summit is browning during baking you lot tin can tent with foil, all ovens are fiddling dissimilar).
- Let cool only a few minutes as well as serve warm.
Notes
**To warm the milk too half too half I pour together into a big drinking glass liquid mensuration cup then rut in the microwave for most 3 1/2 minutes until real warm. Beginning with warm milk reduces possibility of roux clumping plus it'second less hands on stir fourth dimension for the béchamel sauce.
Amount Per Serving
Calories 397
Calories from Fat 198
% Daily Value*