Easiest Creamy Mac and Cheese

This is truly a no-fail creamy mac and cheese recipe: it will taste great even if overcooked. I worked hard to get the recipe just right, using my family and friends as guinea pigs. I went back to the drawing board several times before landing on the perfect creamy mac and cheese recipe.

Perfection came just in time. For my daughter’s wedding, I needed a foolproof pasta dish that would feed a crowd. When there are crowds, as you know, you have to expect a lot of interruptions and delays. Reception food needs to hold up well under pressure, just like the mother of the bride!

This homemade mac and cheese didn’t disappoint. It paired beautifully with the groom’s contributions, North Carolina double smoked pork and North Carolina slaw. For dessert we had Fig Wedding Cake and Chocolate Fudge Pie (groom’s request). It’s great to have another food lover in the family.

What is the trick to keeping mac and cheese creamy?

Since I was making it ahead, I needed this baked mac and cheese not to break when reheated. I’d pre-cook it and then rewarm it for the wedding reception, so it needed to be just as good the 3rd time reheated as it was the after the first bake.

You know how the cheese sauce in stovetop mac and cheese can separate and get a cottage-cheese look to it? I don’t like that at all, and it definitely would not do for the wedding. I wanted a side dish that was creamy, smooth, velvety, and cheesy from the first presentation to the last bite.

So what’s the trick for creamy mac and cheese? To keep a smooth texture, especially upon reheating, it needs to have enough fat. Whole milk, cream, and cream cheese, along with a little velveeta, create the creaminess and staying power in this recipe. (They also give it extra rich flavor.) If you use cream cheese, you probably can skip the Velveeta, but do use one or the other to stabilize the sauce and keep it from curdling. The best cheese in this case is fatty cheese. Don’t go lowfat and skimp on the calories for this one!

Another hint to keep this dish creamy upon reheating is to heat it very slowly and keep it warm at a lower temperature, just enough to melt the cheese. For the reception I reheated it at 250 degrees and kept it in a chafing dish.

Baked Mac and Cheese: How to Make Ahead

You can make this mac and cheese up to 3 days ahead, or longer if you are going to freeze it. To save time, you can use pre-shredded cheese if you like.

How to Store

Keep covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days. To freeze, transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze up to 2 months. 

How to Reheat

Bake, covered, in a 325°F oven for about an hour. Or thaw in the refrigerator overnight and gently reheat on 300°F until heated through. If it seems too dry, add evaporated milk or cream and mix. 

If you are going to reheat this recipe, don’t add any crunchy toppings until the end of the final reheating. You may have to stir the mac and cheese before reheating. 

More Tips and Tricks

To loosen the mac and cheese if it seems too thick, add warmed evaporated milk or heavy cream in increments of ¼ cup.

If you don’t have all these cheeses or don’t like one or another, you can use your favorites, including mozzarella, swiss, colby, or pepper jack for a little extra kick. Do use the cream cheese, evaporated milk, and/or Velveeta to ensure the sauce stays creamy. 

Feel free to use penne instead of macaroni pasta or substitute gluten free pasta if you need to.

Mac and Cheese Spaghetti

Crawfish Mac and Cheese: Perfect for Leftover Crawfish

Mac and Cheese Spaghetti is another of my family’s favorites. To feed a crowd with a succulent seafood version, check out my Crawfish Mac and Cheese.

Creamy Mac and Cheese (No-Fail and Break-Proof)

This is truly a no-fail creamy, baked mac and cheese recipe. You can make it ahead to feed a crowd.

5 from 2 votes

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Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Ingredients

  

• 1 pound uncooked elbow macaroni noodles Barilla brand
• 2½ cups whole milk warmed
• 12 ounces evaporated milk warmed
• 1 oz or ¼ cup of shredded gouda
• 3 oz or 3/4 cup of shredded Gruyere
• 4 oz or 1 cup of shredded Jarlsberg cheese
• 8 oz or 2 cups shredded white or sharp cheddar cheese divided
• 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
• 3 ounces American or Velveeta I like the queso Velveeta
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon dry mustard
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• Dash of cayenne pepper to taste
• ¼ cup butter cubed
• Panko optional
• ¼ cup Parmesan Reggiano Cheese optional

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 325° F.
• Spray 9 x 13 casserole dish with non-stick spray.
• On the stovetop boil a large pot of salted water and cook the pasta until just done, as instructed on the macaroni package.
• Drain pasta and add the pasta back to the pot. Stir the milks, 6 ounces of the cheddar cheese, other cheeses, salt, pepper, mustard, garlic and cayenne pepper.
• Once thoroughly mixed, add the mixture to the sprayed casserole dish, making sure macaroni is submerged in liquid as much as possible.
• Top with the 2 ounces of remaining cheddar, and dot with cubed butter.
• Cook mac and cheese in the oven at 325 degrees F for about 1 hour or until heated through, or refrigerate until you are ready to cook it. It should last in the fridge for 3 days.
• Keep the lid or aluminum foil over the baking dish until the last 10 minutes. When done, pasta will be tender, and the liquid will be thick and creamy. The sauce will thicken even more after lid is removed and the mac and cheese sits for a few minutes.
• Optional topping layer: Mix Panko breadcrumbs, butter, and parmesan together for an added crunch as a topping. Sprinkle on after removing the lid.
• Remove the lid or foil the last 10 minutes of cooking to brown the cheese.

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