Want to make your family’s eyes light up around the dining table? Serve this baked mac and cheese tonight! Homemade from scratch, ultra creamy and oh so yum!
A Note from Nora
We LOVE Macaroni and Cheese around here! I have already shared my stovetop apple bacon mac and cheese. And the butternut squash mac and cheese. And my one pot mac and cheese. So now, here I’m sharing my way of making a pure, simple and classic creamy baked Mac and Cheese!
How to Make Mac and Cheese:
Read on for the detailed step-by-step ingredients and instructions, or scroll down for tips and the printable recipe card.
Mac and Cheese Video Tutorial:
Ingredients for Baked Mac and Cheese:
- 3 cups macaroni
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp ground mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp ground paprika
- Black pepper to taste
- Pinch nutmeg
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt OR cream cheese
- 5 tbsp bread crumbs
The Key Steps to the Best Mac and Cheese:
1 Do the prep work first:
Before you start making the cheese sauce, cook the macaroni according to package directions, drain and then rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process.
This is very important! Cook it a bit less than you would if you served it right away.
And it’s important to drain it and then immediately rinse it under cold water, because otherwise the cooking process will continue as it cools.
It’s important to do this because you will then bake the macaroni in the cheese sauce. Not only will they cook a bit more in the oven (and turn to mush if they’re already very soft), but when they’re hot when you mix in the sauce they will soak up too much of the cheese sauce and your mac will be less creamy.
You’ll also want to grease a 9×13 inch baking pan and preheat the oven to 350°F.
2 Don’t brown the roux:
A roux is what you call it when you first cook flour in fat and then add liquid. This is how you make bechamel, for example. The flour thickens the sauce.
It is very important that you do not let your pan get too hot when making the roux for this recipe. You don’t want to add any color to the flour (or worse – burn it!), just very gently cook it.
Once you have melted the butter, whisk in the flour (use a silicone covered whisk like this one* from Amazon for easy clean up). It works best using a whisk, so try not to use another tool. It will become foamy, keep whisking until it is smooth and no longer foamy (about one minute).
3 Whisk the sauce well:
Then you’ll want to carefully but swiftly add about one cup of the recipe’s liquid (the pan is hot, so watch out!). It’s important to pour quite fast, as the flour will seize up and thicken the liquid immediately. Pull the pan off the heat if it happens too quickly.
Now you need to whisk very well and very fast to make a smooth and thick sauce. Then pour in the remaining milk and broth and whisk very well. No lumps allowed! Now you’ll need to simmer for about 5-6 minutes, whisking from time to time, until thickened.
4 Don’t overbake
15 minutes in the oven may not seem like it’s enough, but everything is cooked already and you just want it to come together, heat through and become bubbly.
Don’t wait for the top to get browned and crispy, rather switch on the broiler and broil it for a minute or two, until golden brown and crispy.
If you overbake the Mac and cheese, the macaroni will keep soaking up the sauce as they cook, and your Mac will not be creamy but dry and mushy at the same time.
Nora’s Tips for Perfect Mac and Cheese:
Serve this straight away. The longer it stands for, the more of the sauce the macaroni will soak up!
If the sauce is too hot when you add the Greek yogurt, it might split. Be sure to measure out the yogurt when you first start cooking and leave it out on the counter to bring it to room temperature. When you’ve cooked your roux, first take the sauce off the heat and stir in all other ingredients. This will cool the sauce down a bit. Once you add the Greek yogurt, stir it in very quickly.
This is my favorite pan to make Mac and Cheese:
What to serve with Baked Mac and Cheese:
Print your Mac and Cheese Recipe:
Creamy Homemade Baked Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 3 cups macaroni
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp mustard powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp ground paprika
- Black pepper to taste
- Pinch nutmeg
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 5 tbsp bread crumbs
Instructions
- Prep macaroni, pan and oven: Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process (they will get mushy otherwise). Pour into a lightly greased 9×13″ pan and set aside. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Make the roux: Melt the butter in a wide skillet. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the flour is no longer foamy (about one minute).
- Make the sauce: Carefully whisk in the milk and chicken broth (the pan is hot so watch out for splatters) and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened (about 5-6 minutes). Take off the heat.
- Finish the sauce and combine with macaroni: Stir in the mustard, salt and spices. Add the mozzarella and cheddar cheese. Stir well. Fold in the Greek yogurt. Combine with the macaroni in the pan.
- Add breadcrumbs: Evenly sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the macaroni.
- Bake and broil: Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until the sauce bubbles up on the sides. Brown the top under the broiler for 1 minute if you like.
Video
Nutrition (this is an estimate)
Bethany
I love nothing better than a really good homemade mac and cheese! This looks awesome, and I love that you used mozzarella in it!
Ben Myhre
I loooove me some mac and cheese!