The Best Macaroni and Cheese

This is the Best Macaroni and Cheese recipe ever. Cheesy, gooey, full of flavour and with a crusted topping of cheese. This baked mac and cheese recipe has a delicious creamy cheese sauce.

A bowl of mac and cheese, with Cheese and Macaroni

The Best Macaroni and Cheese

If you love the looks of this old fashioned macaroni and cheese recipe, you’ll love our Mac and Cheese poutine!

Is there anything more classic that Macaroni and Cheese? It’s the ultimate in comfort food.

While I have to admit that we do reach for a box of kraft macaroni and cheese more often than not, I’ve always been curious about the easy homemade macaroni and cheese recipes flying about, to make your own.

It wasn’t until my pantry was pretty bare, that I was forced to make Baked Macaroni and Cheese myself. By the way, forced being a term I’m using for ‘I really don’t want to go shopping today’.

So, I scoured the net, talked to friends and adjusted a few recipes to create what I consider to be The Best Macaroni and Cheese – ever. Seriously, I’m very proud of this great recipe, it’s literal perfection.

This recipe has the best flavor ever, in my humble opinion. Of course sometimes I do that this recipe the next level and make Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese.

mac and cheese

What’s the best recipe for macaroni and cheese?

This recipe is by far the best ever creamy macaroni and cheese recipe.

This easy mac is super cheesy, gooey, full of flavour and has that crusted topping of cheese that we love from a casserole. In other words, this recipe right here. YUM.


How to Make the Best Mac and Cheese Recipe

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this recipe. The detailed instructions is below in the printable recipe card

  • macaroni pasta, or other favourite pasta
  • unsalted butter
  • all purpose flour
  • salt
  • dry mustard
  • black pepper
  • 2% milk or whole milk
  • 2 cups grated cheddar cheese and 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
  • optional, cooked crispy bacon pieces, panko bread crumbs, garlic powder
A plate of food, with Cheese and Macaroni

To Make: Boil the pasta in large pot as per package directions, until al dente. Then drain and rinse the pasta with cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain excess water completely. Transfer macaroni to the pan that you boiled it in and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add the flour, salt, dry mustard, and pepper (and garlic if you wish). Stir constantly over medium heat for about three minutes. Stir in the milk and whisk constantly for approx. 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens.

Remove from heat, and add 2 cups of the cheese, stirring until melted. Pour the creamy sauce over the cooked pasta and toss gently until all noodles are covered. You can enjoy this mac and cheese like this as quick stovetop mac and cheese OR continue on to bake, which makes this recipe so much better as it’ll have a crispy top!

The Best Baked Mac and Cheese Recipe: Add half the noodles to a casserole dish and sprinkle half the remaining cheese on top. Add the rest of the noodles and again sprinkle on the remaining cheese. if preferred, also sprinkle a little bit of panko on top for a crispy crust.

Bake uncovered at 375 for about 25-30 minutes, until it starts getting brown on top and it looks like the cheese has really thickened. Enjoy with crumbled bacon on top.

best macaroni and cheese

What Types of Cheeses to Use for Homemade Mac and Cheese:

In total this recipe calls for 3 cups of shredded cheese. I like to use cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese, yet sometimes I use different cheeses to mix this recipe up.

Yet you can also use a combination of cheeses or just your favorite cheese. Options are: medium cheddar cheese, colby jack cheese, sharp cheddar cheese, monterey jack, pepper jack.

You could go with a blend or have all white cheese to make this recipe with white sauce. Of course, the best cheese will always be based on your preference in taste, sharpness and spice.

Take note thought, this classic mac recipe does take quite a bit of cheese. There is no holding back, so cheese lovers unite!

mac and cheese

Thankfully, I usually am swimming in a vast variety of cheeses at all times. Not only versatile in so many countless recipes, we eat lots on it’s own as well.

Making this favorite recipe of ours is pretty simple, though it does require a lot of whisking on the stove to prevent burning. Monotonous yet necessary, so I suggest blasting some music to make the time pass faster.

The end result will be classic, warming with a side of accomplishment that ‘hey, you can make your own!‘.

Give this classic homemade mac and cheese recipe a try and see for yourself, why is really is The Best Macaroni and Cheese – ever! Especially if you add some crumbled bacon on top of the cheesy sauce!

Best Ever Baked Mac and Cheese Recipe
A bowl of mac and cheese, with Cheese and Macaroni

The Best Macaroni and Cheese

Yield: 6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

The Best Macaroni and Cheese - ever. Cheesy, gooey, full of flavour and with that crusted topping of cheese that we love from a casserole.

Ingredients

  • 1¾ cups macaroni or other favourite pasta
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1/3 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2½ cups 2% milk
  • 2 cups grated cheddar cheese and 1 cup grated mozza cheese {or 3 cups grated medium cheddar cheese}

Instructions

  1. Boil the pasta until al dente, then drain and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking process. Return the pasta to the pan that you boiled it in and set aside.
  2. Melt the butter over medium heat
  3. Add the flour, salt, dry mustard, and pepper. Stir constantly over medium heat for about three minutes.
  4. Stir in the milk and whisk constantly for approx. 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
  5. Remove from heat, and add 2 cups of the cheese, stirring until melted.
  6. Pour the cheese sauce over the noodles and toss gently until all noodles are covered.
  7. Add half the noodles to a casserole dish and sprinkle half the remaining cheese on top.
  8. Add the rest of the noodles and again sprinkle on the remaining cheese.
  9. Bake uncovered at 375 for about 25-30 minutes, until it starts getting brown on top and it looks like the cheese has really thickened.
  10. Enjoy with crumbled bacon on top.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 6 Servings
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 384Saturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 526mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 1gSugar: 6gProtein: 17g

Did you make this recipe?

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Created by Tammi Roy

Tammi Roy is the founder of My Organized Chaos, a Canadian food and lifestyle blog. She lives in Alberta, Canada and is the mom of three beautiful teenage girls. Tammi’s passions are her family, creating and sharing delicious recipes, travelling and photography. Learn more about Tammi.

74 Comments

  1. I tried this once, but I think it needed the dry mustard and the layering, great idea!

  2. I love all your recipes, I try many of them. Just wanted to stop by and say thanks! 🙂

  3. I need to try this next time I’m out of my usual, I don’t often think to just do it myself. Wise suggestion!

  4. I think I’m going to make this tonight, it sounds a lot better than my mac and cheese recipe

  5. looks delish; classic comfort food; definitely saving this recipe. Bet the girls loved it

  6. My husband loves mac and cheese – he will eat it any way it’s made. But I prefer to make it a little more “grown up” I think this recipe would be delicious.

  7. Totally trying this recipe! We’ve been making the same homemade mac and cheese recipe for years (with bacon!). Love making it from scratch.

  8. This sounds so good! My 9 year old loves Mac & Cheese more than anything else. He would eat it at every meal if he was allowed. Oddly enough my other son won’t eat it and never would.

  9. I am not usually a fan of mac and cheese from scratch, but every so often I get a hankering for some! I agree with Stacey about increasing the dry mustard, too.

  10. I love Mac N Cheese.. my perfect comfort food and your recipe looks delicious.. YUMM.. I know what we will dish up tonight.. not sure what to add (not like I need something to go with..lol).. but deff. making this.. thanks for sharing

  11. i am definitely trying this!!! my family LOVES mac and cheese and love the touch of bacon

  12. My love macaroni, thanks for the recipe, going to try this one, it looks so good. Oh and the dry mustard is something that I never heard of of before, would never have thought of putting it in macaroni.

  13. Love Mac and Cheese. I use my mother-in-laws recipes which I enjoy. I think it is time to try a new recipe.

  14. Oh wow!! this sounds so much better than my own homemade mac and cheese, I’m going to give this one a try, thanks for sharing

  15. My kids love this! Thanks for sharing, it is now part of our regular menu and I bet I make it once a week.

  16. I love how simple the ingredients are! I think have to make this in the next 48 hours. I’m going to check if I have any bacon in the freezer now…

  17. I just love your classic Mac and Cheese, it looks so good! Happy St. Patrick’s Day and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday!
    Miz Helen

  18. Just finding this recipe and wanted to try it, but I’m confused by the 1/3 teaspoon? I’ve never seen that. My teaspoons are 1/16, 1/8, 1/4, and 1/2. Has anyone else had this problem?

  19. This is exactly how I make it. The mustard adds a little zest. Want to put it over the top? Melt a stick and a half of butter, and add a tube of crushed saltines and coat. Then, put the buttery saltine mix on top and spread it flat to the edges, and then bake. It adds a whole new layer of comfort flavor

  20. Mmm…this reminds me of the good old fashioned Mac and cheese that my grandmother used to make. So delicious! Looks great 🙂

  21. Love the mac and cheese,
    The only thing I do is I put Montreal steak spice ,a dash of regular mustard, fresh ground pepper and top it with grated cheese, and 6 slices of bacon

  22. This Mac & Cheese recipes look delicious. I am going to save it for later to make.

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