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gooey baked macaroni and cheese recipe
Cliff

Creamy Homemade Baked Mac and Cheese

A from-scratch baked mac and cheese with a three-cheese sauce, buttery Panko-Parmesan crust, and enough for a crowd. Real ingredients, real technique, worth every minute
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Calories: 580
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 16 oz elbow macaroni cooked (or other tubular pasta)
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup all purpose flour
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 4 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded
  • 2 cups Gruyere cheese shredded
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 1/2 cups panko crumbs
  • 4 tbsp butter melted
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese shredded
  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika or regular paprika

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a large 3 qt or 4 qt baking dish and set aside.Combine shredded cheeses in a large bowl and set aside.
  2. Cook the pasta one minute shy of al dente according to the package instructions. Remove from heat, drain, and place in a large bowl.
  3. Drizzle pasta with olive oil and stir to coat pasta. Set aside to cool while preparing cheese sauce.
  4. Melt butter in a deep saucepan, dutch oven, or stock pot.
  5. Whisk in flour over medium heat and continue whisking for about 1 minute until bubbly and golden.
  6. Gradually whisk in the milk and heavy cream until nice and smooth. Continue whisking until you see bubbles on the surface and then continue cooking and whisking for another 2 minutes. Whisk in salt and pepper.
  7. Add two cups of shredded cheese and whisk until smooth. Add another two cups of shredded cheese and continue whisking until creamy and smooth. Sauce should be nice and thick.
  8. Stir in the cooled pasta until combined and pasta is fully coated with the cheese sauce.
  9. Pour half of the mac and cheese into the prepared baking dish. Top with remaining 2 cups of shredded cheese and then the remaining mac and cheese.
  10. In a small bowl, combine panko crumbs, Parmesan cheese, melted butter and paprika. Sprinkle over the top and bake until bubbly and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Notes

Shred your own cheese. Pre-shredded is coated with anti-caking agents that will break your sauce. This is non-negotiable.
Cook pasta one minute under al dente — it finishes in the oven.
Add cold milk to the roux, not warm. Prevents lumps.
Can't find Gruyere? Jarlsberg Swiss is the closest substitute.
Make-ahead: assemble the night before, add Panko topping right before baking. Add 5-10 minutes to bake time from cold.