Description
Creamy Homemade Baked Mac and Cheese is a rich, cheesy comfort food classic featuring a velvety cheese sauce made from cheddar and Gruyere cheeses combined with elbow pasta and baked to golden perfection. Perfect for family dinners, this dish balances creamy textures and smoky paprika flavor in a baked casserole.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta
- 1 lb. dried elbow pasta
Cheese Sauce
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 2 1/2 cups half and half
- 4 cups shredded medium cheddar cheese (divided)
- 2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese (divided)
- 1/2 Tbsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1/4 tsp. paprika (smoked paprika preferred)
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Dish: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and grease a 3 quart (9x13") baking dish. Set aside for later.
- Cook Pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the dried elbow pasta and cook for 1 minute less than package instructions until al dente. Drain the pasta and drizzle with a little olive oil to prevent sticking, then set aside.
- Prepare Cheese: While the water heats, shred the cheddar and Gruyere cheeses and toss together. Divide the cheese into three piles: approximately 3 cups for the sauce, 1 1/2 cups for the inner layer, and 1 1/2 cups for the topping.
- Make Roux: In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Sprinkle the flour in and whisk continuously until the mixture resembles very wet sand, cooking about 1 minute to remove raw flour taste.
- Add Dairy: Slowly whisk in about 2 cups of the half and half, stirring constantly until smooth. Then whisk in the remaining half and half plus the whole milk until fully combined and smooth.
- Thicken Sauce: Continue cooking the sauce over medium heat, whisking frequently, until it thickens to a consistency similar to a semi-thinned condensed soup.
- Add Cheese and Seasoning: Remove sauce from heat and stir in salt, black pepper, paprika, and 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheese mixture. Stir to melt. Then add another 1 1/2 cups of cheese, stirring until fully melted and smooth.
- Combine Pasta and Sauce: In a large mixing bowl, toss the drained pasta with the cheese sauce until fully coated.
- Assemble Casserole: Pour half of the pasta and cheese mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the 1 1/2 cups of cheese designated for the inner layer evenly over the pasta. Top with the remaining pasta mixture, then sprinkle the final 1 1/2 cups of cheese on top.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, until the cheese topping is bubbly and lightly golden brown.
Notes
- This baked mac and cheese recipe is a beloved family favorite, suitable for children and adults alike.
- Using smoked paprika adds a lovely smoky depth to the flavor but regular paprika can be used as a substitute.
- Half and half improves creaminess but you can substitute with equal parts whole milk and heavy cream if desired.
- Toss the pasta with olive oil after draining to prevent sticking before mixing into the cheese sauce.
- For a crispy topping variation, sprinkle breadcrumbs mixed with melted butter on top before baking.
- Ensure the sauce is thickened fully to avoid a runny casserole.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 665 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 41 g
- Saturated Fat: 25 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 43 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 126 mg
