Baked Mac And Cheese Recipe

Growing up, my family didn’t really have a lot of money or resources. I distinctly remember eating a lot of boxed mac and cheese in my youth, think Craft brand folks! While I can appreciate the occasion lazy meal of boxed mac and cheese or hamburger helper, I will always prefer whole ingredients 9 out of 10 times. I know this has been said before, but there is nothing like a wholesome, homemade meal. Oven baked mac and cheese is far superior to the stuff you can get in the box. Let’s just keep it real here!

I don’t think I had oven baked mac and cheese for the first time until home economics in highschool. In class, my group was tasked with making a full thanksgiving meal from and baked mac and cheese was one of the menu items. To be honest, after eating my first bite of this mac and cheese, I instantly thought ‘where has this been all my life?’ Since that day, I almost always baked my mac and cheese as opposed to just boiling it over the stove.

By the way, if you haven’t seen my last recipe post for How To Make Chicken Noodle Soup, you can find it here!

Preparation

The first tool you will need in your arsenal is a decent sized cooking pot. This pot from Cook N Home is affordable and does the trick, so if you don’t already have one, you can pick this up at Amazon. You will also need a 3qt sized baking dish for when we get to the oven portion of the recipe. You’ll want to make sure that your dish is oven safe, glass or pyrax. Lastly, you’ll need a way to melt and combine ingredients, I recommend a small saucepan for this. 

Baked Mac And Cheese Cooking Instructions

Cook N Home Nonstick Stockpot with Lid 10.5-Qt

Bovado USA 9″ x 13″ Inch Glass Oven 3Qt Baking Dish

Cooking Instructions

1.) Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Coat the baking dish with olive oil and set aside.

2.) Boil water in a large cooking pot and add elbow pasta. Add salt to the water for additional taste. Cook pasta according to the directions provided on the package.

3.) Using a sauce pan, melt butter at medium heat. Combine flour and milk, pour the milk in slowly while whisking. Cook until the mixture is a thick consistency.

4.) Remove from heat and add half the grated cheese (cheddar and gruyere) to the mixture. Stir until cheese is melted.

5.) Remove pot from heat. Drain the pasta and combine with melted cheese in to the pot. Stir until ingredients are fully combined.

6.) Add mac and cheese to baking dish and top with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake in the oven for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot and enjoy!