Baked Mac and Cheese
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Everyone’s favorite classic mac and cheese! Super simple, super easy and super quick. You’ll never want the boxed stuff ever again!
Featured Comment
Greetings from Chicago!
We did it. We finally moved to the Midwest after 20 years of living in California.
It almost feels a bit surreal as we cope with the 22 degree weather. I mean, it was 65 degrees when we left LA!
But honestly, it feels like home. Except home is filled with 17 unopened boxes filled with my kitchen stuff.
So I need to unpack as fast as possible so I can never leave my Chicago house and instead, nest inside with my new electric blanket and the coziest homemade mac and cheese ever.
This is your classic mac and cheese – there are no surprises here and there’s no fuss at all. It’s simple, it’s quick, and it’s completely made from scratch.
It’s perfectly cheesy without being too gummy, and the crunchy tops are just to die for before you get into that creamy heaven underneath.
You can of course choose to bake these in individual ramekins to avoid any kind of sharing or you can dump the entire mixture into a 2-qt baking dish.
Either works. It’s just that sharing can be a bit difficult on this one.
Baked Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 ounces elbow pasta
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 (12-ounce) cans evaporated milk
- 12 ounces shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese, about 3 cups, divided
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Whisk in flour, paprika and onion powder until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Gradually whisk in evaporated milk until slightly thickened, about 4-5 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Stir in 2 cups cheddar cheese and Parmesan. Stir in pasta; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Divide pasta mixture into 5 (10-ounce) or 6 (8-ounce) ramekins or ovenproof bowls.* Place onto a baking sheet; sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheddar cheese.
- Place into oven and bake until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.
- Serve immediately, garnished with chives, if desired.
Video
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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I am about to make this mac and cheese however I notice the cheese goes from 12oz (1cup and a half )to 3 cups and I got 16oz thinking that would be plenty
Full of flavour and really yummy! I used smoked paprika and topped off with a little crispy bacon before adding cheddar cheese.
Hello,
It’s getting to that time of the year to break out the pepto
bismol and tums. I am glad to have found this as I will
be cooking for thanksgiving and Christmas and want
to make a easy but hearty meal!
So good!Me and my kids are it with some bacon in the sauce! Delicious
I have used this exact recipe, and it came out AMAZING!
Mac n cheese is a staple in our home. I made it and my boys enjoyed it although there was a ‘curdling’ consistency to the sauce mix. It was like I added ricotta or mashed cottage cheese when I didn’t. Maybe the flour wasn’t cooked enough with the butter mix? It was my first time making a homemade version but I will try again!
Same thing happened to mine. Did you figure out why that happened?
I’m not a moderator, but I have two guesses.
1. Did you buy pre- shredded cheese instead of shedding your own? The cellulose powder in those prevent them from melting well. Always shred your own.
2. Are you sure the four/ butter/ milk thickened before adding the cheese? Depending on your heat setting, this may take longer than the listed time.
Sheri
Definitely pre-shredded cheese if you used it. Also, I only buy a premium brand block of cheddar cheese. The cheaper store brands can cause this curdling. Never had it happen when I shredded my own block of Tillamook cheese.
I dint have condensed milk so I used half and half and it was delish!!
I replaced the milk with water and a little olive oil and it was delicious for the baked Mac and cheese
Hol’ up
No milk in the mac? How does that even work….
I did same no milk. Olive oil and white wine and water with the cheeses and herbs etc (I only had brie and mozzerella though), a small amount of powder thickener instead of milk or flour. No one knew the difference, so delicious.
LOL
I’ve been looking for the perfect from scratch mac and cheese recipe for a long time. I’ve tried lots of them, but they were always either too cheesy/greasy or to liquid or too dry. I’m so happy to have come across this. It’s simply THE best! None of the previous recipes used evaporated milk and that’s what gives it the perfect amount of creaminess. I’m so happy the search for the best mac and cheese has come to an end, thank you very much!
I just prepped this, substituting cream for the evap milk since I did not have that.
Was really greasy. So would half and half be a better way?
I soaked up some of the grease, it was better once stirred in with the pasta, and I added some creama which seemed to help with creaminess. We will see how it tastes.
Jutta, evaporated milk can be substituted with a combination of whole milk and half-and-half, but not heavy cream.
Just made this for a simple Saturday nite dinner, so tasty. I followed the recipe exactly but also added panko on top of the cheese!! Soooo tasty!
This is BY FAR my favorite recipe for baked mac n chz! The evaporated milk and spices make a HUGE difference in the flavor and texture. And I love the minimal butter and flour requirements. I used pepper jack and horseradish cheeses on top of the cheddar and parm. Magnificent! Thanks for the recipe!
We’re so glad you enjoyed this, Tina! Thanks for sharing with us!
This turned out fantastic. The noodles were soft, not mushy, and not broken down. The sauce had the right amount of saltiness and tang from the cheddar. My family enjoyed this a lot. It was so easy. No more boxed stuff for us!
No more boxed stuff ever! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Can you use milk instead?
Yes, but the consistency may vary quite a bit with this substitution.
Sooo delicious! I made it in a 2.75 qt casserole because I only have two small ramekins and that’s the closest size of casserole dish I have and it came out wonderfully 🙂
We’re so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing, Hannah!
Holy cow. The onion powder makes a huge difference. I followed the recipe pretty closely, but used corkscrew pasta because it’s what I had on hand. The flavor is just incredible! I made it in a big batch instead of ramekins and it was perfect. I’ll definitely be making this again.
Hi. I haven’t made but need to make mac & cheese for 30 adults as a side dish with bbq. Would you be able to tell me how many batches I need to make or what your recipe serves? Thanks,
This recipe yields about 5-6 servings so I would multiply accordingly. Hope that helps, Brenda!
ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! Im almost 50 years old and I have never been able to make Mac and Cheese. Here you come along with this super simple recipe worthy of an AWARD! THANK YOU
Amazing! Nothing like a good homemade mac and cheese, right? 🙂
Yummy! Yummy! This is the first baked mac and cheese I have made that we could actually eat! I made 4 side dish portions (for 2 people) and froze 3 of them. Can’t wait to have the others.
That’s so great, Paul! 🙂
My family loves this recipe! We are gluten free so I used GF flour and GF elbow pasta. So yummy!
We are so happy to hear that! Thanks for sharing, Karla!