Old Fashioned Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

Old Fashioned Baked Macaroni and Cheese with a spoon scooping some out.

5 from 6 votes

Old Fashioned Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

Here's a creamy, saucy Old Fashioned Baked Macaroni and Cheese recipe that will never turn out dry or bland. So much flavor and lots of creamy, cheesy sauce.

Prep Time15

Cook Time35

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Old Fashioned Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

Servings:

Author: Jennifer Pallian BSc, RD

Ingredients

1 lb elbow macaroni or your choice of pasta
½ cup unsalted butter
½ cup all-purpose flour
5 cups whole milk
3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded Gruyere or Monterey Jack cheese (or more cheddar)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 ½ tsp kosher salt plus more to taste (see note)
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp garlic powder

For topping:

1 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tbsp melted butter
Pinch of salt
½ tsp dried parsley

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

First Steps:

Preheat your oven to 400°F.
Cook the elbow macaroni in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions until just al dente. Drain and set aside.

Make Cheese Sauce:

In a large saucepan, melt the 1/2 cup of unsalted butter over medium heat.
Whisk in the all-purpose flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Gradually add the whole milk, a little at a time, whisking continuously to avoid lumps. Continue cooking until the mixture thickens.
Turn off the heat, and add the cheeses by a small handful at a time. Stir each addition until the cheese is fully melted before adding another handful. Turn the heat on to low to finish melting, but don't let the sauce simmer or boil (which can make it separate and become grainy).
Season with salt, black pepper, paprika, and garlic powder. Mix well.

Combine Pasta and Sauce:

Add the cooked pasta to the cheese sauce and stir until the pasta is well-coated. At this point, it will look like too much sauce and not enough macaroni, but trust the process. It will absorb as it bakes.

Topping:

In a separate bowl, combine the panko breadcrumbs and the 2 tablespoons of melted butter.

Assembling and Baking:

Transfer the mac and cheese mixture into a greased 9x13-inch baking dish.
Evenly sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture on top. (Optionally press some cubes of extra cheese into the top if you love a dramatic cheese pull).
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven and let it cool for about 10 minutes. It'll thicken up to perfection.

Video

Notes

For the creamiest, saucy mac and cheese that's never dry, it's best to bake it right away after assembling it, while the macaroni and sauce are both still hot. The longer it stands, and the longer it's baked, the more the pasta absorbs the moisture. If you bake it immediately, all you need is a quick 15 minutes in the oven to crisp the topping.
Make the cheese sauce in your largest pot. That way, you can add the macaroni to it rather than pouring the sauce over the macaroni and dirtying TWO pots with cheese sauce.
If the pasta water didn’t have enough salt, the mac and cheese might taste bland. The cooking water should taste salty like the sea. If you accidentally under-season it, my secret ingredient when that happens is soy sauce. It adds salt and umami flavor, and really helps boost under-seasoned mac and cheese. Add to 2 tbsp soy sauce after stirring in the cooked macaroni, if needed. (Or more salt to taste).

Nutrition