The secret to making a great Baked Macaroni and Cheese is the sauce and topping. This popular comfort food recipe has the perfect ratio of pasta to sauce, a guarantee of warm ooey gooey cheesy perfection with a crunchy topping.
Lots of people, myself included, tend to “wing it” when making certain recipes. Mac and Cheese is one of those dishes that can be really disappointing if it’s too dry. Or doesn’t have enough cheese. Or just tastes blah. This recipe will give you the right measurements and ingredients to ensure success every time. And, after making it a few times you’ll probably be able to wing it because you’ll know the secrets.
Here are a few thoughts on what can make or break a good Baked Macaroni and Cheese:
1. Don’t overcook the macaroni.
2. Use some good sharp cheese in the sauce.
3. You need way more sauce than you think.
4. Top with buttered breadcrumbs.
If you cook the macaroni completely or even worse, overcook it, the pasta will be too mushy after baking. Drain the macaroni just before it’s cooked through and make sure it’s drained well before you add the sauce.
Using at least half good quality old cheese ensures your sauce has a nice sharp flavour. Then round it out with something that melts well like gouda, Swiss or mozzarella. You can also toss in some random cheese if you have a few kinds in the fridge that need to be used up. The colour of the cheese you choose does not affect the flavour but give some thought to what you want your Mac and Cheese to look like. Try using at least some orange cheese, otherwise the finished dish will be basically colourless. Boring!
I also add a little cayenne pepper and dry mustard powder or Dijon to give the sauce a little kick. Don’t worry, it’s not hot, it just adds another dimension to the sharpness of the sauce. You can skip the cayenne if you prefer. I actually use a little bit more than this recipe calls for because I like a hint of heat. With the amount in this recipe, most people won’t detect it.
When you combine the cooked pasta with the warm sauce it should look like pasta soup. Don’t worry, the macaroni will soak up some of the liquid. My mom and I were discussing the amount of sauce needed to ensure your Mac and Cheese isn’t dry and she reminded me that macaroni is hollow so the sauce hides inside the pasta. Good point mom.
How much dry pasta do you need for Mac and Cheese?
If you use a different shape and size of pasta than elbow macaroni, you’ll have to adjust the measurement. I recently used Cavatappi (I’ve heard them called Scooby Doos), and they’re larger than macaroni so I needed about 3 cups dry pasta. You’ll see what I mean when you measure pasta, larger sizes have more air space in the measuring cup so less volume. If you’ve got a kitchen scale you can weigh the pasta. You’ll need about 225 grams give or take. Or 8 ounces for my American friends.
The sauce is the star of the Mac and Cheese show. You start with a béchamel which is also called a white sauce. Simply combine equal amounts of flour and butter and cook over low heat. That’s a step you don’t want to skip as it ensures the flour cooks in the butter so your sauce doesn’t taste pasty. Then you gradually stir in milk and whisk until it heats and thickens. The milk should be heated before you add it but seriously, if you’re short on time and don’t want to get another pot dirty, don’t even worry about it.
Always taste and season the sauce before you add it to the cooked macaroni. Different cheeses have different salt content. Some butters are saltier than others. That’s why the amount of salt and pepper is always a starting point but you might need more. Why white pepper? I prefer to use it in white sauces because it looks better because it’s ground finer.
Once everything is mixed together, pour it into a baking dish that’s large enough to accommodate all that saucy pasta without overflowing. Topping the dish with buttered breadcrumbs helps keep the Mac and Cheese from drying out. Just melt some butter, stir in some breadcrumbs, add freshly grated Parmesan cheese and sprinkle evenly over top. Add a bit more Parmesan to the top. It forms a crust that acts as a protective barrier AND adds some extra flavour and crunch. I like to use Panko breadcrumbs because they’re extra crunchy.
Bake at 350 uncovered for about 45 minutes or so until the top is browning and the sauce is bubbling around the edges. If you’re making the Baked Macaroni and Cheese in advance and cooking later, bake it for about an hour.
This makes a pretty large dish of delicious warm cheesy Mac and Cheese. You could make a smaller serving but why would you?
I love to serve this with Roasted Peameal Bacon or French Onion Chicken.
If you try this recipe for Baked Macaroni and Cheese, consider leaving a comment or rating below. Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry macaroni
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup flour
- 3 ½ cups milk
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper or hot sauce
- 1 tsp dijon mustard or 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese at least half old sharp
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp white pepper
Topping
- ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 large spoonfuls melted butter
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese plus extra to grate on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Cook macaroni one minute less than package directions. Drain well.
- Meanwhile, in large heavy pot, melt butter and combine with flour, cooking over medium heat for about one minute.
- Heat milk and add in small amounts to roux, stirring well. Stir over medium-low heat until thickened. Add cayenne pepper or hot sauce and dijon or dry mustard powder. Taste and season with salt and white pepper.
- Remove from heat and stir in shredded cheese.
- Pour cooked macaroni over cheese sauce and combine well. Pour into a large baking dish.
- Make topping by melting butter, then adding breadcrumbs and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Stir well and sprinkle evenly over top of macaroni.
- Bake at 350 degrees on middle rack for about 45 minutes. If baking after being refrigerated, bake approximately 1 hour or until bubbling and top is browning.
Notes
Nutrition
other awesome baked pasta recipes
Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Rotini
I made this Mac and cheese tonight. Perfect for a dreary rainy November day! I only had 1 3/4 cups of macaroni so I had to play around with the other amounts of milk and cheese. Turned out great. Will definitely be on my go to recipes for comfort food!
It would probably be great with the same amount of cheese sauce, extra creamy!