Classic Macaroni and Cheese- Perfect for Super Bowl Sunday!
Is there a more beloved kid’s dinner than macaroni and cheese? Combining two of the most kid-welcomed food stuffs — pasta and cheese — mac and cheese rarely requires moms to cajole, persuade or bribe their kids to eat at mealtime. Is it the healthiest dinner choice? Of course not. Would I recommend serving it more than once a week? Probably not. But when made well, perhaps with some veggies thrown in, mac & cheese is certainly a far better meal option than say, a Happy Meal.
Whenever my mom made mac and cheese, which wasn’t often, it was cause for celebration in our house. The first smell of it cooking away in the oven would make my entire day. She lovingly made her’s with tons of hand-grated cheddar and baked it until bubbly, golden and mouthwateringly delicious.
There are several different macaroni and cheese recipes on weelicious like Rice Cooker Mac and Cheese and Mac Chicken and Cheese Bites, but if you’re feeding a crowd and want a more classic take on this dish, this recipe is spot on!
Classic Mac and Cheese (Makes 8 Servings)
Topping:
1 Tbsp Butter, melted
1 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs
1/2 Cup Grated Cheddar Cheese
Mac and Cheese:
3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
3 Tablespoons Flour
3 Cups Whole Milk
4 Cups Grated Cheddar Cheese
1 Pound Elbow Macaroni (you can also use Campanelle, Cavatappi, or Shells)
1. Place the topping ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.
2. Preheat oven to 400° F.
3. Cook pasta in salted water* for about 3 minutes less than package directions call for, until al dente, reserving half a cup of the pasta water.
4. In a large pot melt the butter and then add the flour, whisking continuously over low-medium heat for 2-3 minutes to make a roux.
5. Slowly whisk in the milk and bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, 3 to 4 minutes, or until sauce is gently bubbling and starting to thicken.
7. Add reserved pasta water and cheddar cheese and whisk until melted.
8. Stir in the pasta.
9. Transfer to a greased 13″ x 9″ baking dish.**
10. Sprinkle topping on macaroni and cheese.
11. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until top is golden and bubbling.
12. Serve.
* Use about 2 Tbsp of kosher salt for 4 quarts of water.
** If making ahead, mixture can be cooled after this step to room temperature, covered and then refrigerated for up to a day.
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Oh this looks so good! My family already loves the rice cooker mac and cheese! Im sure we will love this one too! I am a fan of mac and cheese that does not come from a box! Thanks, keep up the awesome work !
At which step do you add the pasta to the sauce?
I have a similar home style mac n cheese on my site and we stir in the pasta after all of the cheese has been melted in. It also helps to add the cheese a bit at a time to get a nice creamy sauce, not stringy or gritty.
I was thinking the same thing, but I’m pretty sure it’s after step 7 and before step 8.
Oh no! Stir it into the cheese sauce after step 7. I have corrected it. Thanks! This Momma’s brain gets a little fuzzy sometimes.
try adding a tablespoon of dijon mustard to the cheese sauce. It doesn’t taste mustardy but it does give it a nice flavor
Don’t fall out, but my kid HATES macaroni and cheese. He always has. But I love macaroni and cheese and love to try new, different recipes. I haven’t found a great classic recipe yet, but this looks delicious!
I think I’m going to give this a try this weekend! I would love to add a veggie to this…any reccomendations? Maybe finely chopped broccoli?
Chopped broccoli would be wonderful in this!
yum! I’ve been on a crockpot craze lately and would love to see what weelicious has to offer for mac ‘n cheese in the crockpot! I’ve tried one recipe i found online (uncooked macaroni) which was good – but weelicious always knows how to make things better =D
I’ll give this a try as soon as I can! yummmo!!
by the way, what does the flour do to the recipe? Just wondering~
The flour thickens the sauce.
I have been working on a crockpot version!
If I added veggies, should they be cooked/steamed before adding them to the pasta and cheese?
That really depends on what you’re adding. Broccoli can go in raw because it will cook long enough in the oven. Carrot chunks take longer to cook so I would steam those first. What veggie are thinking about using?
Thank you for this! I tried to find a mac and cheese recipe just this weekend and failed to be inspired. This will do the trick!
Does this recipe freeze well?
I have not frozen it, but after assembling it and before baking it I have covered it and and left it in the fridge all day!
Yes, it will freeze fabulously! We always make two pans of mac n cheese at a time to have on standby. After stirring in the pasta, cover with foil and then freeze. Bake an additional 20ish minutes.
When I make a baked mac and cheese I add in some carrot/sweet potato puree (a few tablespoons) with the cheese sauce. It gives it a bright orange color that the kids like and adds a touch of sweetness that doesn’t hurt, either. I also try to make mac and cheese with 1% or skim whenever possible to reduce the fat a bit. Also, to pump up nutrition, I will often add ground flax seed meal to the panko crumb topping. It is my kid’s favorite meal.
I added one bag of fresh baby spinach and a package of diced pancetta for a one pot meal for the kiddos. They loved it!
I currently have this in the oven as a side dish for our turkey burgers (they’ll be topped with avocado and tomato-no buns). I used parmesan and two kinds of cheddar cheese and added chopped broccoli. I don’t usually put a topping on my mac n cheese, but decided to give this one a whirl. I only had whole wheat bread crumbs, so I used those and combined the three cheeses to get the 1/2c. Maybe it’s because I used regular instead of panko crumbs or maybe because I’m not used to a topping, but I found it to be a little too much so I didn’t use it all. I think next time I will try chopped kale or maybe make it a one pot Mexican wonder by adding ground beef (organic), diced tomato, onion, a package of organic taco seasoning and make the topping out of tortilla chips! Endless possibilities with this recipe!! Thanks:)
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Classic Macaroni and Cheese | Weelicious â„¢ – Fast, Easy & Fresh Homemade Home Made Baby Food Babyfood Recipes, Toddler Food and recipes for the entire family! – just great!
I made this for my kids today, the pasta was not tender enough, I had to take it out of the oven after 25 min because the top was burning, anyways my kids did not like it : ( i will try to fix the left overs tomorrow by putting them back in the oven covered with foil, but that might make it too dry. I don’t know : (
Oh what a bummer! Putting it lower in the oven might help the top not brown too quickly. You could also cover it with foil for the first 20 minutes, remove the cover and let the topping brown for the final 10-20 minutes. How long did you cook your pasta before adding it to all the other ingredients? It should be al dente, which means it has just a little bite to it, firm but not hard, and then it will continue cooking in the oven. I hope you’ll try again and I hope it works out better for you!
What happens if all you have it regular table salt?
You can use table salt for boiling pasta water! I prefer the flavor and texture of kosher salt and always have it on hand so it is my preferred salt in cooking.
Oh good thanks! Sorry, probably was a silly question but I haven’t been cooking long
I used to cook food out of a box but when I had my son I wanted to change my cooking ways to healthy, wholesome food 
I made this and my husband loved it – he is the mac and cheese fan in our house. I made it diabetic friendly for him by using whole wheat panko and the Barilla “yellow box” pasta. Also, this is more of a weekend recipe – takes a bit long for a weeknight.