Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese - Retro Recipe Box (2024)

5 from 7 votes

Course: casseroles

Cuisine: American

Keyword: best mac and cheese, mac n cheese recipe, macaroni and cheese recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

• 1 pound Elbow Macaroni (16 ounces)
• 1 ½ teaspoons Kosher Salt, (plus 1 Tablespoon for the pasta water)
• 1 ½ sticks Unsalted Butter (¾ cup) divided
• ½ cup All Purpose Flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons Dijon Mustard
• 3 cups Whole Milk
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• ½ teaspoon Pepper
• 8 ounces Velveeta® Processed Cheese, cubed
• 2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese, I prefer sharp cheddar

Topping - Optional

• 1 teaspoon Paprika
• 1 ½ cups Panko Bread Crumbs

• Before starting the cooking process, I recommend having all of the ingredients weighed, measured, cheese shredded, and laid out and ready to go. It makes the process easier and faster.

• Heat oven to 350° F. Spray a 9"x13" baking dish with cooking spray.

• Bring a pot of water to a boil and add 1 Tablespoon of the salt. Add the pasta and stir. Bring down to a low boil and reduce the heat to maintain low boil. Cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, then drain and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

• Meanwhile, as the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheese sauce. In a medium saucepan, heat one stick (½ cup) of butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk until combined and the mixture starts to bubble.

• Add the mustard, heavy cream, milk, 1 ½ teaspoon salt, and the pepper. Whisk frequently as the mixture heats up, until the mixture thickens.

• Add the processed cheese and stir until it is melted. Then add the cheddar cheese and stir until melted and no lumps remain.

• Pour the cheese sauce into the bowl of cooked macaroni pasta and stir to coat all of the noodles. Then transfer to the prepared baking dish. Smooth the top.

  See Also

  I Tried Alton Brown’s Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipe (& Here’s What I Thought)

Make the Topping

• If you don't want the crisp bread crumb topping you can bake as is or add some shredded cheese to the top.

• Melt 4 Tablespoons remaining butter and add to a small bowl with the paprika and panko bread crumbs. Stir to coat the bread crumbs with the butter. Then sprinkle the bread crumbs evenly over the macaroni and cheese.

Bake

• Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes, or until the top is a golden color and the mac and cheese is bubbling. Try not to over bake so it doesn't dry out.

• Remove from oven and let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Tips

• Cooking the Pasta– Boil the pasta to be a little less than done (also called al dente). It will continue to cook in the oven and end up just right.
• Use Room Temperature Milks– This will help the sauce thicken faster as they won't be very cold to start. Set the milk and heavy cream out before you start the recipe.

The Cheese

• Types of Cheeses– Use what you like. My favorites are cheddar, Velveeta®, gruyere, and Monterey Jack. You can get creative with the cheese and use what you enjoy.
• Shred Your Own– For the best result, and complete melting, it is best to shred your own cheese using a box grater (you don't have to shred the Velveeta®). Bags of cheese that you buy pre-shredded contain starch (I think it's potato starch) that prevents the cheese from clumping in the bag. This makes it harder for the cheese to melt.