• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Simply Delicious

  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Quick and Easy
    • Dinner Recipes
    • Lunch
    • Chicken Recipes
    • Meat
    • Baking Recipes
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Vegetarian
    • Gluten Free
  • Videos
  • In My Pantry
  • Reviews
  • Contact
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

Home » Recipes » Classic baked mac and cheese

Classic baked mac and cheese

November 7, 2019 by Alida Ryder 16 Comments

Pin1K
Share1
1K Shares
Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

Classic baked mac and cheese is a comfort food favorite. The cheesiest sauce mixed with pasta, layered with tomatoes & cheese makes this an instant winner.

Classic baked mac and cheese

Mac and cheese is the kind of recipes mothers across the world fall back on when they need to feed their families because a) it’s easy and cost effective and b) there are very few people who can say no to a good macaroni cheese.

My mom used to make an intensely cheesy macaroni and cheese when I was little. She grated an entire block of cheddar into the bechamel sauce before adding cooked pasta and layering with sliced tomatoes and even more cheese. I remember how excited I would get when macaroni and cheese was for dinner. Can you blame me?

Classic baked mac and cheese

How to make baked mac and cheese?

The best mac and cheese is made with a bechamel sauce mixed with par-boiled pasta before baking. Mix butter and flour in a medium saucepan to form a roux then whisk in milk. Season with salt, pepper and spices then add grated cheese and stir until smooth. Stir in par-cooked pasta (it will continue cooking while baking) and cream then layer with sliced tomatoes and more cheese. Bake until golden brown then allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.

What cheese to use?

Strong flavored cheese work well as you want to be able to get the big cheese flavor in every bite. Good melting cheeses like mozzarella, raclette and fontina are good for adding that ooey-gooey cheesiness to any mac and cheese recipe. The best cheese for macaroni and cheese are:

  • Strong, mature cheddar. 
  • Gruyère.
  • Parmesan.
  • Aged Pecorino.
  • Havarti.
  • Raclette.
  • Fontina.

How do you make mac and cheese tasty?

Bechamel sauce is a blank canvas for flavor and you can add delicious flavor to macaroni cheese by seasoning the sauce with good, strong cheese and spices that compliment the flavor of the cheese. Cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, mustard and nutmeg all work exceptionally well in a cheese sauce.

Freezing and making ahead

  1. Freezing: Assemble the pasta and cheese sauce in a foil container. Press a piece of parchment paper onto the surface of the macaroni then wrap tightly in a layer of plastic wrap and then in a layer of foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Remove all the wrapping and bake from frozen for 60-90 minutes until warmed through and bubbling.
  2. Make ahead: Mac and cheese is a great make ahead recipe. The entire dish can be assembled and kept covered in the fridge for up to 2 days before baking. Alternatively, make the cheese sauce and keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Classic baked mac and cheese

Serving suggestions

  1. Easy side salad with lemon dressing
  2. Garlic butter dinner rolls
  3. Spicy garlic roasted broccoli
  4. Braised Brussels sprouts with bacon
Classic baked mac and cheese

Classic baked mac and cheese

Classic baked mac and cheese is a comfort food favorite. The cheesiest sauce mixed with pasta, layered with tomatoes & cheese makes this an instant winner.
4.7 from 10 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dinner, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: baked mac and cheese, mac and cheese, Mac and cheese recipe
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 12 (as a side dish)
Calories: 379kcal
Author: Alida Ryder

Ingredients

For the cheese sauce

  • ½ cup butter
  • ½ cup flour
  • 2-3 cups milk
  • pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1-2 tsp mustard powder depending on preference
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • 2 cups grated mature cheddar
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan

For the baked mac and cheese

  • 1 kg (2lbs) macaroni par-cooked + reserve 1 cup of cooking water
  • ¾ cup whipping/heavy cream
  • 2-3 cups grated mozzarella cheese
  • 6 tomatoes thinly sliced
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF.
  • Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour.
  • Whisk until smooth then slowly pour in the milk, a little at a time. (I always reserve approximately ½ cup milk. Some flours will absorb more/less liquid so you might not need all of it and sometimes after adding cheese I like to thin out the sauce just a little with the remaining milk.)
  • Whisk continuously until the sauce is thick then turn down the heat, add the spices and allow to simmer, stirring, until the sauce is thick and cooked through (this takes around 7-10 minutes on a gentle heat).
  • Once the sauce is cooked (the sauce will be completely smooth tasting with no flouriness) remove from the heat and add the cheddar and Parmesan. Stir until melted then season to taste. 
  • Combine the cheese sauce with the pasta then add the cream and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Stir and add some of the reserved pasta cooking water to thin out the sauce. You want the mac and cheese to be very creamy before going into the oven. 
  • Layer the macaroni with the sliced tomatoes and remaining mozzarella, seasoning every layer of tomatoes. 
  • Place in the oven and allow to bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and crispy. 
  • Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving. 

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 379kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 127mg | Potassium: 169mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 407IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 159mg | Iron: 1mg

 

Pin1K
Share1
1K Shares

Filed Under: Dinner Recipes, Holidays, Lunch, Pasta, Recipes, Vegetarian, Videos Tagged With: baked mac and cheese, mac and cheese, Macaroni and Cheese

Subscribe

Previous Post: « The easiest chocolate sauce
Next Post: Chocolate Brownies »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Veronica

    July 25, 2019 at 7:26 PM

    Best comfort food, and best MAC n cheese recipe for this weather ? made it for supper tonight and it was a hit because ALL the cheese ? great recipe, thanks Alida, well done again!

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      July 27, 2019 at 5:00 PM

      SO happy you loved it Veronica. It’s one of my absolute favs.

      Reply
  2. Jackie

    July 18, 2019 at 12:15 AM

    Hi
    I don’t know what mature cheese is?

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      July 19, 2019 at 4:05 PM

      Any aged cheddar will work well.

      Reply
  3. Jackie

    July 12, 2019 at 9:24 PM

    Hi
    What brand of mature cheese did you use in this recipe.

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      July 14, 2019 at 2:09 PM

      I use whatever I can find at my local supermarket.

      Reply
  4. Katie

    November 29, 2018 at 9:10 PM

    Most delicious macaroni recipe I’ve tried. It was so creamy and cheesy and my family loved it.

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      December 2, 2018 at 2:12 PM

      Wow, that’s wonderful to hear. 🙂

      Reply
  5. Hannah

    November 14, 2018 at 8:06 AM

    I loved the tomatoes layered into the mac and ontop. They added so much to the finished dish.

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      November 14, 2018 at 8:33 AM

      I also love the tomatoes!

      Reply
  6. Karin

    November 14, 2018 at 8:04 AM

    Made this recipe for dinner last night and it was the best macaroni and cheese our family has ever had. The sauce is so tasty and the extra cream really makes the whole thing so delicious. Our new favourite.

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      November 14, 2018 at 8:33 AM

      Oh wow, such high praise! 🙂

      Reply
  7. Aimee

    November 12, 2018 at 6:10 PM

    I am SO into casseroles right now and baked mac and cheese is just a great classic. Love this recipe!

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      November 13, 2018 at 9:40 AM

      Thanks Aimee. It’s a goodie!

      Reply
  8. Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen

    November 12, 2018 at 6:07 PM

    Always a winner of a comfort food dish at our house Alida! This looks amazing!

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      November 13, 2018 at 9:40 AM

      It’s not a classic for nothing. 😉

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Hi! I'm Alida, mom of twins and creator of Simply Delicious. I hope to encourage a love for cooking by creating fool-proof recipes that are easy and delicious. Read More…

Conversion Chart

Simply Delicious conversion chart

DMCA Protection

Website Content Protection

Copyright © 2021 Simply Delicious on the Foodie Pro Theme Privacy