Classic Baked Macaroni Cheese Recipes

BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• For the macaroni: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 2-quart casserole dish.
• Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the salt and macaroni. Bring the water back to a boil and cook the macaroni until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain well.
• For the cheese sauce: Meanwhile, melt the butter in a 1-quart saucepan. Using a wire whisk, stir in the flour and salt, stirring and cooking over medium heat until the roux bubbles and the flour turns pale brown, about 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of the milk and then whisk in the remaining 1 cup milk. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens. Add the cheese and stir until it melts. Add the drained macaroni to the cheese sauce and mix thoroughly.
• For the topping: In a small bowl, stir the breadcrumbs with the butter until the crumbs are moistened.
• Transfer the macaroni and cheese to the prepared baking dish and top with the buttered breadcrumbs. Bake until the dish bubbles around the edges, about 15 minutes.

FANNIE FARMER'S CLASSIC BAKED MACARONI & CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Cook and drain macaroni according to package directions; set aside.
• In a large saucepan melt butter.
• Add flour mixed with salt and pepper, using a whisk to stir until well blended.
• Pour milk and cream in gradually; stirring constantly.
• Bring to boiling point and boil 2 minutes (stirring constantly).
• Reduce heat and cook (stirring constantly) 10 minutes.
• Add shredded cheddar little by little and simmer an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese melts.
• Turn off flame.
• Add macaroni to the saucepan and toss to coat with the cheese sauce.
• Transfer macaroni to a buttered baking dish.
• Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
• Bake 20 minutes until the top is golden brown.
• (You can also freeze this recipe in zip-lock bags for later use - once you have mixed the macaroni along with the cheese sauce allow to cool to room temperature before adding to your freezer - I generally pull it out the night before and allow macaroni and cheese to reach room temperature; I then add the macaroni and cheese to a buttered baking dish, sprinkle with bread crumbs and then bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until golden brown on top and bubbling.

CLASSIC BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until it's barely al dente. (It should be more al dente than your average pasta: It's going to continue to cook in the oven.) Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat butter in a medium pot over medium heat. (The pot should be large enough to hold all the pasta when cooked.) Whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the flour is foamy and just starting to turn a light golden brown, about 4 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk to avoid clumping. Add garlic, paprika and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, whisking constantly and paying special attention to the edges of the pot to make sure the flour mixture is totally incorporated.
• Add grated cheese and whisk to blend until the cheese is completely melted. (The sauce will seem thick at first and thin out as the cheese melts; it will thicken while it bakes.) Season with salt and pepper and add cooked pasta, stirring to coat well.
• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil (to catch any cheesy drips).
• Make the optional topping: Combine bread crumbs, melted butter and Parmesan, if using, in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper and, using your hands, mix well to ensure the bread crumbs are evenly coated.
• Transfer the macaroni and cheese mixture to a 3-quart or 9 x 13 baking dish and scatter bread crumbs, if using, evenly over the top. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake until macaroni and cheese is bubbling, thickened and creamy, and bread crumbs are evenly golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish.
• In a large pot of salted water, lightly boil the macaroni for about 5 minutes until half-cooked.
• Whisk the egg and milk together in a large cup. Add butter and cheese to the egg and milk. Stir well.
• Place the lightly cooked macaroni in the prepared baking dish. Pour the egg and cheese liquid over the macaroni, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and stir well. Press the mixture evenly around the baking dish.
• Bake uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the top is brown.

CLASSIC BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Cook macaroni following package directions.
• Drain in a colander and rinse with hot water; set aside.
• Butter a 2-quart baking dish. Heat oven to 350 F.
• In a saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat. Stir flour into butter until smooth and bubbly.
• Stir in dry mustard, salt, and pepper.
• Gradually add milk and cream, stirring constantly until thickened.
• Add cheese and continue to cook and stir until melted.
• Combine macaroni and sauce and turn it into prepared baking dish.
• In a small bowl, toss breadcrumbs with melted butter.
• Sprinkle casserole with buttered breadcrumbs and bake for about 25 minutes, or until hot and bubbly and topping is lightly browned.

OLD-FASHIONED MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook macaroni in boiling water until almost tender; drain. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, melt butter. Stir in the flour, salt, mustard, pepper and pepper sauce until smooth. Cook for 1 minute or until bubbly. Stir in the macaroni, milk and 4 cups cheese. , Transfer to an ungreased 13x9-in. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until bubbly. Uncover; sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

CLASSIC MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Melt butter in large saucepan on low heat. Stir in flour; cook and stir 2 min. or until bubbly. Gradually stir in milk; bring to boil on medium heat, stirring constantly. Simmer on low heat 3 to 5 min. or until thickened, stirring constantly. Add 1-1/2 cups cheese; cook and stir 2 to 3 min. or until melted. Stir in macaroni.
• Spoon into 1-1/2-qt. casserole sprayed with cooking spray; sprinkle with remaining cheese.
• Bake 20 min. or until heated through.

CLASSIC BAKED MAC AND CHEESE RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
• In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour, salt, and pepper and whisk until smooth and bubbling, about 1-2 minutes.
• Slowly pour in the milk and heavy cream, whisking constantly, until smooth. Continue whisking until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 4-5 minutes. Add the cheddar cheese and stir until melted and the sauce is creamy.
• Fold in the cooked pasta until evenly coated.
• Pour the mac and cheese into a 9-inch square pan.
• Make the bread crumb topping: In a small bowl, stir together the melted butter, salt, garlic powder, and paprika with a fork until combined. Add the panko bread crumbs and stir until evenly coated in the butter mixture.
• Sprinkle the bread crumb topping evenly over the mac and cheese.
• Bake the mac and cheese for 10-15 minutes, or until the topping is browned (if the top isn't browning, broil on high for 2-3 minutes).
• Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
• Enjoy!

CLASSIC BAKED MACARONI & CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400°F and put a large pot of well-salted water on to boil over high heat.
• Meanwhile, in a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven or other heavy-duty pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoons salt and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until slightly darker, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the mustard.
• Switch to a whisk and gradually add the milk, whisking constantly. To avoid lumps, go slowly at first, whisking until the mixture is smooth before adding more milk. Once about half the milk is in and the mixture still isn't very thick, you can add the rest more quickly.
• When all the milk is in, switch back to the spoon and stir in the thyme sprig, bay leaf, and 1/2 teaspoons salt. Let come to a bare simmer, and cook, stirring frequently, for 15 minutes to meld the flavors (reduce the heat to medium low or low as needed to maintain the bare simmer).
• Discard the thyme sprig and bay leaf. Add the Cheddar and Jack cheeses, stirring until melted, and then add the Worcestershire and Tabasco. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm, stirring occasionally.
• Tip: For individual servings: choose small baking dishes that hold 1-1/2 to 2 cups each. You can fill them to within about 1/2 inch of the rim. The number of servings will, of course, depend on the volume of your baking dishes. Without any of the add-ins, this recipe yields about 9 cup.
• Cook the pasta in the boiling water until al dente. Pour into a colander and shake it a few times to drain really well. Add the pasta to the cheese sauce, and stir until well combined. Generously season to taste with salt and pepper. Lightly oil a 9x13-inch baking dish and spread the pasta in the dish.
• In a medium bowl, toss the breadcrumbs, Parmigiano, olive oil, chopped thyme, 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoons pepper. Scatter the crumbs evenly over the pasta.
• Bake in the center of the oven until the crumb topping is golden, about 15 minutes. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.