Homemade Baked Mac and Cheese

This recipe for oven baked mac and cheese defines cheesy and creamy in a new way! Elbow Macaroni is tossed with the creamiest cheese sauce made with some of the best cheese for mac and cheese. Sharp cheddar cheese, Gruyere cheese and white cheddar. The result is the best homemade mac and cheese ever!

• Pasta: We use the classic elbow pasta but any other short pasta shape can be used.
• Flour: We use all-purpose flour to create a roux that will thickened the cheesy sauce.
• Butter: We usually use unsalted butter but salted butter works as well. Cut it into smaller pieces so it melts quickly and evenly.
• Milk and half and half: The combination of whole milk and half and half creates a velvety rich homemade cheese sauce. For a more decadent and richer sauce, use a combination of heavy cream and half and half. You can use 2% milk instead of whole milk for a lighter sauce.Seasonings: Salt, ground black pepper, nutmeg, garlic powder and dried mustard aka mustard powder. If you want to add some spicy heat, cayenne pepper or a few dashes of hot sauce can be added.
• Cheese: We use a combination of cheeses to make the decadent cheesy sauce. Sharp cheddar cheese, Gruyere cheese and white cheddar cheese. You can use your favorite cheese or a combination of 2-3 type of cheese. It’s best to shred your own cheese at home but if you have to use pre-shredded cheese, that’s Ok.
• Mac n cheese topping: Panko bread crumbs, melted butter and seasoned salt.

For me, the best mac and cheese starts with a béchamel sauce made with a basic roux. The roux in this recipe is made with butter and flour. This is the base of most cheese sauces unless you use processed cheese like Velveeta.

1. Prep: Preheat the oven and grease a 3 qt. baking dish with non-stick cooking spray or melted butter.
2. Mix topping: In a small bowl, mix the topping ingredients.
3. Cook pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until almost al dente (about 2 minutes less than the cooking time indicated on the package). Drain, transfer the pasta to a large bowl and toss it with a little bit of olive oil (or butter).
4. Make a Roux: In a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium high heat, melt the butter. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk to combine. Continue to cook, stirring for about a minute. Whisking constantly, slowly pour in the milk and the half and half until combined and smooth.
5. Season Béchamel sauce : Season the creamy béchamel white sauce and simmer until the white sauce thickens. Add the shredded cheese, in small increments, one at a time only adding additional cheese after each cheese addition has melted and incorporated.
6. Mix macaroni and cheese sauce: Pour the cheese sauce over the cooked macaroni and toss well.
7. Bake: Spoon the cheesy macaroni into a baking dish and top it with the Panko mixture. Bake for 20 minutes. If the topping is not golden enough, you can place the baking dish under a broiler (6-inches from heat source) and broil for 2-3 minutes.

Béchamel or white sauce is one of the five mother sauces of French Cuisine. These sauces are the building blocks to many others. Béchamel is made with 3 ingredients. Flour, butter and milk (half and half or heavy cream can be used).

This versatile white sauce is the base for many comfort food dishes like cheese sauce, many casseroles, and even soups.

How to Make Béchamel Sauce or White Sauce?

This versatile 3-ingredients sauce is very easy to make. First, make a roux by combining flour and fat (in the case of this macaroni and cheese recipe we use butter). Roux serves as a thickening agent and gives the sauce it’s consistency. Next, whisk in the milk and simmer until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon.

How to Know When Your Béchamel Sauce is Done?

You know that béchamel sauce is done when it has the right consistency or has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon (see photo below). To test for doneness, simply coat a spoon with sauce and rub your finger through the spoon as if drawing a path (be careful the sauce will be hot). If it leaves a mark, the béchamel sauce is done! You can add the cheese and finish the sauce. Adding the cheese too early can break the sauce turning it into an oily mess.

There are many good options when making this dish. Sharp Cheddar, White Cheddar, Gruyere cheese, Fontina cheese, Mozzarella and Gouda are great and popular options. Parmesan cheese adds great flavor to mac & cheese however, it gives the sauce a slightly grainy texture.

Any short pasta that can hold the cheese sauce works. Elbow macaroni small shells, farfalle, cavatappi, rotini and mini penne are all good options.