EASY Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

This easy, homemade macaroni and cheese is so luxurious and hearty. It can be eaten by itself or served as a side dish.

How to Make EASY Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

Start by cooking your pasta al dente. You want your pasta a little under done because it can become mushy by the end if you overcook them.

Strain your pasta. You can keep your pasta in the original pot and do the next step in another pot or a skillet. To avoid using another dish, I add my cooked pasta to the oven safe container and use the original pot for the next step.

Melt the butter in your cooking vessel of choice.

Slowly whisk in your flour. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring consistently.

Pour in your milk a little at a time, stirring consistently to combine well. Don’t add more milk until what you’ve added is well combined. Being very consistent in your whisking will help you achieve a smooth cheese sauce.

Stir in your seasonings and your Worcestershire sauce.

If you made the bechamel in a pot, you can add your pasta to it. Stir gently until the pasta is well coated.

In small batches, add your shredded cheese. DO NOT add all of the cheese at once. It will clump together and be very difficult to incorporate throughout. If it isn’t melting well, turn your burner on low but be sure to stir consistently.

Preheat your oven to 350°

Pour your macaroni and cheese into an oven safe container. If you’re going to add anything additional within or on top of your macaroni and cheese, now is the time to do that.

Cover with foil and bake for 5-10 minutes, until bubbly.

EASY Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

This homemade macaroni and cheese is so luxurious and hearty, sometimes we eat it for dinner by itself. It's also an excellent side for holiday dinner.

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Servings 6 people

Equipment

• 1 stock pot oven safe is helpful
• 1 casserole dish if your stock pot isn't oven safe

Ingredients

  

• 1 16 oz box pasta cooked al dente
• 4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3-4 cups shredded cheese we use cheddar and gruyere
• 1 tsp dried mustard
• 1/8 tsp cayenne
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire

Instructions

 

• Cook pasta until al dente, strain, add to your oven safe container, set aside.
• Melt butter in your pot.
• Whisk flour into melted butter and cook for 1-2 minutes.
• Slowly whisk milk into the butter/flour mixture. Whisk constantly.
• Add seasonings and Worcestershire. Whisk well to combine.
• Add the pasta to your sauce in the pot, stir gently to combine.
• Slowly add your cheese a little at a time, stirring gently to melt and combine. You may turn your heat on low to help it melt.
• Add it all back to your oven safe dish. Cover with foil and bake at 350° for 10 minutes.

Video

Notes

I do not like bread crumbs on my macaroni and cheese but you can certainly add them if you like that. Melt four tablespoons of butter, add 1 cup of bread crumbs. You can also add herbs, salt and pepper, shredded cheese (parmesan would be good), etc. Spread over the top of your macaroni and cheese. Still bake it covered for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes, remove the foil and bake until the bread crumbs are golden brown. 

Keyword holiday sides, mac and cheese, macaroni and cheese, side dish

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