Classic Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Hello Kristy,

            Thank you for telling the truth in a group of LIARS!! Everyone else is rating it five stars, and you were the only one who spoke the truth. We stand with you, and support your reviews. #NOMOREDRYMAC . Stay strong, Kristy, and continue the quest for creamy mac.

    Until the next creamy macaroni,

                                                   macaroniluvr

I made this for Easter. I only had large seashells as the pasta so had to guess at the amount to use compared to more dense macaroni noodle. Used all the cheddar in the sauce and I added pecorino cheese on top and some panko breadcrumbs, baked it 15 minutes covered and 5 uncovered, so not to dry it out. It was very good and all loved it.

I made this for Easter.  I used Farfalle bow tie noodles, cheddar, and Monterey Jack/Colby cheese blend because they were what I had in the house.  It was very fast, very easy, very good & a big hit.  Thank you!

I want to make this for Christmas, about how many servings does the original recipe make? Wondering if I should double it? Thanks

This recipe is simple and tastes so much better than the boxed mac and cheese! Totally worth the little bit of extra time. Came out perfectly cheesy and the shredded cheese on top melted to golden goodness!! My fiancé and I both loved it. Definitely putting this with my go-to recipes. Can't wait to share this dish with friends and family!

Pretty good, a couple alter changes though on my end, definitely our family hit. The person who said to add bread crumbs w/butter gives a nice touch or use Ritz crackers finely ground as topping. Also, I add real bacon bits (or cook back and break pieces down) and add to the top for a smoky taste.  I also add a little Colby cheese with the Sharp Cheddar to tone down that sharp taste.  I don't know, but it does a nice job.  In addition, instead of using real milk...I use buttermilk for creamer taste. So, it comes outstanding.  I do add a couple other ingredients but keep that to myself to make of course a more "special" dish mama that everyone can't duplicate. ha ha. Happy Thanksgiving to all and I like to check out recipes to see if anything else pops up to make my bake better.

Not described here is instructions on how to make a good roux sauce. Essentially, this is what the butter and flour is, and the reason people are getting grainy results. You really don't need to perfect a roux or be a sous chef. For easy and truly smooth and creamy mac n cheese, zero grainy, try starting with 3 tbl spns butter melted. Then in 1/2 cup milk, add 3 tbl spns corn starch. Stir the corn starch into the 1/2 cup milk until thoroughly dissolved. Then slowly add this milk corn starch mixture to the heated melted butter on medium heat stirring continuously. Then, slowly add the remaining 1-1/2 cups milk.  Forget the flour. Stir continuously until it thickens, then add your desired spices and 1/2 the cheese.  Also to give a gourmet flare, I use cellentani pasta instead of elbow noodles. ( corkscrew noodles ) And, I agree with others here, this recipe needs a lot more cheese. However I like to mix it up. Like one part swiss to 3 parts sharp cheddar. Or one part gruyere or smoked gouda, to 3 parts sharp cheddar. I even throw in a 3rd like some garlic spiced goat cheese, in moderation. Browning the top on broil is a good idea too, however don't walk away, this only takes a minute and should be watched closely. My family loves mac n cheese.  My kids used to only eat Kraft. But now they beg for Dad's classic baked. I'll admit, never comes out the same way twice. 

I used whole wheat noodles and the whole wheat overpowered the cheese. I could barrely taste the cheese. If I had not used whole wheat noodles the recipe would have been fine

it caught me off-guard a bit as well, think of it as half a regular 16 oz. box/package. which leaves you with half a box. that makes it 8 oz.

Tasty!  I think next time I will  use mild cheddar cheese because although I love sharp cheddar, it was to strong and I didn't use extra sharp as the recipe stated. It's not the best mac and cheese I've made but it's worth a go. Not dry at all but a little grainy for some reason.

Great recipe but I'm left wondering how much macaroni is "1/2 (16-oz.) package elbow macaroni"?   Are they saying take 1/2 of a 16oz pkg or are they saying 1/2 package is equal to 16oz?  I think it would be better worded if it simply stated how many oz of macaroni to add and left "1/2 ... package" out of it.   So, not sure how to double it now...  Wish me luck!   :-)  

Absolutely perfect. I've only ever made this doubled, but even at that, it hits every point you'd want from a mac n' cheese recipe. The only change I've made was to add three eggs to the doubled recipe -- that'd be two for the recipe as written -- to make it a bit fluffier when I want that. If you want it creamy, and sometimes I do, just make this as-is and it's exactly the way to go. Thanks to the original poster for this easy-to-make version of a no-nonsense, classic and wonderful dish!

EXCELLENT !!!

Have had 7 kids and I'm 54. Most are in their 20's & 30's.now. Still have 12,18, & 20 home everyone says it's the best I've ever made!! 😀🤗

This was the first time I had ever made mac and cheese from scratch. It turned out amazing andy family loved it as so fid I. I added a little more milk and cheese Also I used Italian bread crumbs for the top that's all I had at the time but turned out perfect..definitely will be one of my regular recipes..

This is exactly the way my maternal grandmother made hers. She was very picky about the cheese. It had to be Kraft Cracker Barrel Extra Sharp Cheddar in the red wrapper. The only thing you left off is the buttered bread crumbs for the top. Classic and delicious every time.

This was very good and easy! My whole family loved it.

I prepared this for my daughter's birthday at her request (age 17), and it was a huge hit. Such a hit in fact, that we are making it again - 4 days later....Double it for sure if you have more than 4 people and it makes great leftovers!!!!!!!!

Great recipes! Easy to prepare

The reason I tried this recipe is because it didn't call for eggs. I used half whole milk and half carnation milk and half mozzarella cheese and half mild cheddar cheese and it came out great, not dry at all

This recipe is classic and perfect for adding your favorite veggies or meats. You just have to use the right cheese to suit your liking. I prefer smoother mac and cheese, so I use Velveta. I also used rice milk and it worked perfectly.

I will double the sauce next time. As another reviewer noted, it was a bit dry. I topped with breadcrumbs and Parmesan which was delicious.

While making the rue, I added 3/4 block of cream cheese then added the milk slowly. I then used super super sharp cheddar (has to be from wisconsin ;o) ) and 4 slices of swiss. Then I added chopped ham to everything. 100% approval from my 2 teenage boys. They were beyond words....LOL

I just made this but with a few changes from other comments. I used half and half instead of milk, Mixed real peppered bacon crumbles in with the whole mix and used extra cheese with some extra half and half to prevent clumping. It was so good my teenage son loved it and he hates everything.

I use Velveeta instead of cheddar cheese because it melts better and doesn't have that oily skim you get w cheddar cheese. My recipe is so popular someone actually asked if I made some the day of my husband's memorial! Also, use penne rigati or a larger noodle - you'll find it holds the sauce better.

This was amazing! My boyfriend and I loved it, I added some fresh breadcrumbs and real bacon crumbles and will keep this recipe.

Made this for Thanksgiving 2012 and it was a hit...everyone loved it. I used a little extra cheese so I increased milk a little as well. Wasn't dry at all.

I had no milk but heated and made the recipe with BUTTERMILK! It added such an interesting ZIP. My young children loved it. I also topped it with buttery French bread crumbs.

just made this, not the usual way that i make mac & cheese but decided to try something different. i agree with the others, this is a great starter recipe & you can add on. if you want it creamier add more milk but keep the ratios the same, if you add more milk add more flour etc. i always add more cheese because i like my mac & cheese cheesy, lol

One of my favorite.......I always use extra, extra cheese to give it the WOW! factor.

I really liked how easy it was to make and fast. My family loves mac and cheese so I asked them to rate this recipe and they said it was five stars.

This is an good base recipe. Instead of using extra sharp cheese, I mixed mild, sharp and Vermont white cheddar cheeses. It was a huge hit at Thanksgiving.

Like with all recipes on the internet you don't know what to expect. To my suprise, this recipe came out just the way the picture displayed and it was actually good. I only had mild cheddar so I can imagine how it would taste with sharp cheddar. Like other review stated, it's a good starter and adding other add on's will make it much better. Enjoy....

I made this because it looked so good. But it is dry. I like my mac n cheese creamy and I'm always looking for a new way to make it. I thought this baked way looked good but it dried out really quick.

This is a simple and yummy dish! I double the recipe and can't keep it for more than a day. Easy to heat up and my kids love it!!

It's the best basic recipe I have tried and it works every time. You can then alter the ingredients to make it your own.

I liked the dish, but I'm from down South so I had to put my own twist on it. I will make it again, everyone loved it! I used 3 cheeses- Butterkase, Tintern and American yellow. I served it with my Sunday diner and church. Just do what you like and what taste good to you. Add bacon and broccoli and my goodness it's that much better; enjoy.