Creamy Homemade Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Buckle your seatbelt because this mac and cheese recipe is going to take you for a spin! It uses the optimal combination of cheeses to make the creamiest, cheesiest, most comforting macaroni and cheese you'll ever have! It uses three different kinds of cheese to create a rich, creamy sauce that's velvety smooth until the last bite.
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 799cal
Cost: $10
Equipment
- Pyrex Deep Dish 9" x13" pan (3 quart baking dish with deep walls)
- Food processor with grater attachment
- 6 quart stockpot
- large mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 1 pound macaroni cooked al dente
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 1 stick unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups half & half
- 1 tsp. kosher salt divided, for cheese sauce flavor and pasta water.
- ½ tsp. black ground pepper
- ½ tsp. dry mustard powder
- 16 ounces New York style sharp cheddar shredded off the block
- 1 pound Deli-style American cheese block We used Cooper Cheese shredded off the block.
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
Instructions
- Boil pasta until al dente in salted water. I add 1/2 tsp. of salt to my water while boiling for flavor.
- Using a food processor, grate cheddar and American cheese and set aside.
- Over medium heat, melt butter in a large saucepan. Once melted, whisk in the flour and continue to whisk until combined. Slowly pour in 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of half and half while continuously whisking. Add the rest of the milk and whisk. Mixture should be thick and smooth and not bumpy; add spices.
- Once pasta is al dente, strain pasta, and mix with 1 tsp of oil. Add pasta to the Pyrex dish; and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Reduce stove temperature to lowest setting, and stir in the cream cheese. Whisk to combine. Mixture will thicken up even more.
- Add half of the shredded cheese to the thickened sauce, and whisk until combined, and lump-free.
- Pour creamy cheese sauce over the pasta and mixing pasta with a rubber spatula to coat all surfaces.
- Add remaining cheese and bake for 20 minutes at 350°F. until cheese is golden brown with tiny bubbles on top as seen in the image above.
Notes
Nutritional Values may vary and are meant to be a guide.
Nutrition
Serving: 1portion | Calories: 799cal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 55g | Saturated Fat: 33g | Cholesterol: 165mg | Sodium: 1390mg | Potassium: 371mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1721IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 941mg | Iron: 2mg