Old Fashioned Baked Macaroni and Cheese
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Nothing beats Old Fashioned Baked Macaroni and Cheese. From weeknight dinners to holiday meals, it’s a classic dish everyone from adults to kids just love. And it’s so versatile as a welcome side dish or a hearty main with soup or salad.
This Old Fashioned Baked Macaroni and Cheese is a classic favorite. Creamy macaroni is combined with three types of cheeses in this traditional style recipe. From weeknight family dinners to holiday meals, this tasty dish always earns its spot at the table.
This easy recipe is comfort food at its very best. Cozy and comforting, creamy and delicious, it’s great as both a main dish or side dish and a favorite for holiday parties and potlucks. Serve it with everything from soup or salad to steak and shrimp!
For more amazing easy and budget-friendly pasta recipes, try my Pasta Al Forno, my Chicken Pasta with Tomatoes and Basil and my Skillet Spaghetti
Why Try This Mac and Cheese Recipe
Delicious – This is comfort food at its best. Creamy and delicious just like grandma used to make. Perfect for Sunday dinner or as a cozy weeknight meal.
Easy Recipe – This recipe uses simple ingredients and can be made ahead of time.
Cozy and comforting – This delicious mac and cheese recipe is great as a side dish for potlucks and as a comforting meal for a friend or family member.
Old-Fashioned Mac and Cheese Ingredients
Use fresh ingredients for the best and creamiest results from your macaroni and cheese.
- Cheddar cheese – It’s best to freshly shred all your cheese from a block. Packaged shredded cheese contains anti-caking additives to prevent the cheese from sticking together. But it also hampers the meltability of the cheese.
- Colby Jack cheese – A great complement to the Cheddar.
- Mozzarella cheese – For a delicious 3 cheese mac and cheese.
- Macaroni noodles – Elbow shaped pasta is the classic choice. See my Substitutions Section for other alternatives
- Butter – I prefer butter to margarine.
- All purpose flour
- Evaporated milk – This is not the same as condensed milk
- Dijon mustard
- Spices – garlic powder, paprika, salt, black pepper
Equipment Needed To Make
- Large Pot
- Large Skillet
- Bowls – small and large bowl
- Whisk
- Casserole dish
Substitutions & Alterations
- You can sub the pasta noodles for another small pasta such as small shells, bowtie or Cavatappi
- You can sub half and half for the heavy cream, but I recommend using a little less than called for as it will make the sauce thinner.
- You can use another mustard, but I really like the flavor that dijon mustards imparts to the dish.
How To Make Old Fashioned Baked Macaroni and Cheese
This is an abbreviated overview of the detailed instructions found in the recipe card below.
Step 1 – Boil noodles and drain. Preheat oven to 350° F.. Shred the cheese. Blend the spices in a bowl. Melt butter in skillet and add half the seasonings and then add flour to make the roux.
Step 2 -Whisk in evaporated milk and then heavy cream. Add the remaining seasoning. Add half of the cheese little by little until fully melted into the sauce.
Step 3 – In a large bowl, combine the drained noodles with the cheese sauce.
Step 4 – Pour half of the noodles into a casserole and top with half of the remaining cheese. Add the rest of the pasta to the dish and spread with remaining shredded cheese. Bake for 35-30 minutes.
Step 5 – Raise the oven temp to broil for 2 minutes until the top of the casserole is golden brown.
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Time Saving Tips & Tricks for the Best Mac and Cheese
- Shred the cheese in advance and store it in the refrigerator so that it is ready to go when you are.
- You can boil the pasta a day in advance and refrigerate. When ready, boil some water and place the pasta in a colander and pour the boiled water over it to loosen up the pasta and bring it back.
- You can freeze this dish in smaller portions and enjoy later as you would a frozen tv dinner or frozen side dish.
- Double the recipe and freeze the second batch for future use.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
How to Serve Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Serve this homemade macaroni and cheese with beef, chicken or seafood as a creamy side dish, or have it as a main meal with some soup or salad.
These are a few of my favorite main dishes to serve it with.
Bang Bang Shrimp or Shrimp Skewers
Kid Friendly Mains
Enjoy this mac and cheese as a main dish with Simple Drop Biscuits and a salad or a big bowl of soup. It goes really well with my Creamy Sweet Potato Soup or a Bacon Lettuce and Tomato Salad.
How to Store Leftover Macaroni and Cheese
Allow the mac and cheese to cool fully before storing to avoid condensation and bacteria.
Refrigerator – place in an airtight container and store in the colder parts of your refrigerator. Eat within 3-5 days.
Freezer – store cooled mac and cheese in a freezer safe airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. I like to freeze individual portion sizes so I can just grab what I need when I’m looking for an easy dinner.
How to Reheat
Oven – This is my preferred method. Place macaroni and cheese in an oven-safe dish and add a teaspoon of milk or cream. Cover with foil. Place in a 350° oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until heated through.
Microwave – Reheat in a microwave safe dish on high for 1-2 minutes. Stir, and heat again for 1 minute or until hot.
More Easy Pasta Dinners
Jalapeño Popper Chicken Casserole
Old Fashioned Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 pound block sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 pound block colby jack cheese
- 1 8- ounce block mozzarella cheese
- 1 16 oz package macaroni noodles
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 12 ounce can evaporated milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly butter a 9×13-inch casserole dish; set aside.
- Shred the blocks of cheese and mix in a large bowl; set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Boil the pasta according to the package directions, just until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix together the garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper; set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add half the seasoning mixture; stir well and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the flour and whisk into the butter mixture to make a roux. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring often.
- Whisk the evaporated milk into the roux a little at a time, then very slowly whisk in the heavy cream while whisking constantly until fully incorporated. Add the remaining seasoning and Dijon mustard; cook until thickened while whisking often.
- Add half the shredded cheese to the skillet one handful at a time, whisking well between each addition. Make sure the cheese is fully melted into the sauce before adding another handful of cheese.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta and the cheese sauce. Pour half of the mixture into the prepared casserole dish and top with half of the reserved shredded cheese.
- Spread the rest of the pasta mixture over the cheese layer in the casserole dish, then top with the remaining shredded cheese.
- Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes until bubbly.
- Turn the oven to broil and cook the macaroni and cheese for an additional 2 minutes until the top is golden brown.
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Wow – never knew this mac and cheese would be so easy to make. Will make again!