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Baked Mac and Cheese

tkradtke

tkradtke

Professional Brainstormer
Joined
Dec 28, 2009
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Anyone have good recipe they would recommend? My daughter has requested a good, creamy, baked mac and cheese for Christmas dinner this year. I have tried a couple recipes in the past that I found myself, but they were just ok. Not ones I would do again. I would love any recommended recipes!

Thanks!
 
I do America's Test Kitchen version. But it has tomatoes in it. Lots of people think that's weird, we love the flavor!
 
Hubby does his grandmother's way, which actually uses Velvetta and milk, only some cheddar.
 
OMG, yes, yes, and yes! I swear if I had one last meal to eat, it would be this mac & cheese. It is seriously amazing:
  • Butter or vegetable oil, for baking dish
  • 6 ounces penne or elbow pasta
  • 2 cups cheese sauce (below)
  • 1 ounce sharp cheddar cheese, grated (1/4 cup)
  • 1 ounce smoked gouda cheese, grated (1/4 cup)
  • 4-5 slices bacon, cooked & crumbled
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter or oil a 8-inch baking dish; set aside.
  2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Cook pasta, according to package direction, for 2 minutes less than recommended on the package. Rinse pasta in cold water; set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, mix together cooked pasta, sauce and bacon gently but thoroughly. Pour pasta into prepared baking dish; sprinkle with cheeses. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Cheese Sauce:
  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups milk*
  • 12 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 3 cups)
  • 4 ounces smoked gouda cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  1. Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat; whisk in flour. Continue whisking and cooking for 2 minutes.
  2. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly. Cook, stirring frequently, until sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Add cheeses, salt, white pepper, and garlic powder. Stir until cheese has melted and all ingredients are well incorporated, about 3 minutes. Use immediately or refrigerate up to 3 days.
  3. To reheat sauce, place in a saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently, until heated through.
*based on what's usually in my fridge, I typically do a 2 cups non-fat milk/1 cup half & half combo.

I'm an eyeball cook, so I never measure the pasta or the sauce. This will make more sauce than you can use with 6 oz. of pasta, so I usually just cook up about half a bag of pasta and then mix in as much sauce as I want (I prefer it a little saucier). The sauce is also amazing over steamed broccoli

Also, it's a variation that I adjusted from this recipe, if you want to see the original.
 
Mac and cheese is my favorite! Ooey gooey cheesy goodness!!

My favorite is from a restaurant called Homeroom that is all about the mac and cheese. I have their cookbook but here's a link to the basic recipe. I've done it with regular cheddar, and with super aged Vermont cheddar. The Vermont cheddar was amazing! http://macandcheesechick.com/homerooms-classic-macaroni-and-cheese-two-ways/

Now I want mac and cheese!
 
Julie (@mrs2a50), your recipe sounds fabulous. I've just printed it out and I'm going to try it this week.
 
Ooooo.... I have wanted to try making mac and cheese! On my list to try soon, thanks ladies~
 
I do mine very similar to Julie's and the link she shared, but I'm definitely going to try those adjustments...sounds so yummy!!! I LOVE baked mac & cheese. It's probably my very favorite thing to eat. Sometimes I just make myself a one portion meal lol.
 
YUM! Thanks so much for the recipes! I think we'll try Julie's (@mrs2a50) first for dinner with my parents tomorrow night. And we'll put the others on the list to try for some of the other dinners that we're hosting over the holidays!
 
@tkradtke - just FYI, I also bake mine in a deep, round Corelle baking dish (one of the ones on the right in the pic below) to keep it from cooking too much - if you do it in a shallow 8" glass baking dish, I would reduce the bake time to 20 minutes, and maybe use extra sauce. I think the shallower the dish, the drier the mac & cheese will be.

cw_fw_20pc_set_w_cvrs_1124425.jpg
 
mrs2a50 said:
@tkradtke - just FYI, I also bake mine in a deep, round Corelle baking dish (one of the ones on the right in the pic below) to keep it from cooking too much
Click to expand...

Thank you for that information! I have that exact set of baking dishes, so that's what I'll use!
 
I used to just do a basic bechamel sauce and add tons of sharp cheese and a smidge of Monterey Jack to add more smoothness.

But now we cheat and get a frozen tray of Beecher's at Costco. Sooooo yummy. No one wants mine anymore. LOL.
 
Tip to add yumminess to any Mac and cheese ;replace or simply add 4slices of gruyere cheese,it takes any old boring Mac and cheese to a whole new dimension. Having said that I am so going to try Julie's recipe.
 
This is the one I always make for my kids...the only thing I do differently is add all the cheese in the mixture then bake

Luby's Cafeteria Macaroni and Cheese
  • Author: CopyKat Recipes
  • Recipe Type: Copycat Restaurant Recipes, CopyKat Recipes, Pasta Recipes, Side Dish Recipes
  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 25 minutes
  • Serves: 8
884-150x100.jpg

Everyone loves Macaroni and cheese this recipe is really yummy!

Ingredients
  • 16 oz. dry elbow macaroni
  • 2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 tablespoon melted butter
  • 1 and 1/4 cups boiling water
  • 3 cups (12 ounces) grated American cheese, divided
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain and set aside. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix dry milk, flour and butter. Gradually add boiling water, beating constantly. Add 1 cup of cheese and continue beating until smooth and creamy. Stir in macaroni, one more cup of cheese and salt. Transfer to lightly greased 2-quart baking dish. Cover with foil.

Bake 25 minutes. Remove foil. Sprinkle with remaining cup of cheese. Continue baking 1 minute, or until cheese melts.
 
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