Easy Baked Mac and Cheese

By Melissa Clark

Updated November 19, 2024

  • Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
1¼ hours
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour
Rating
4(308)
Comments
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You don’t have to boil the pasta ahead to make this easy baked macaroni and cheese. The noodles will absorb enough moisture from the milk to cook through while the pan is in the oven. Enriched with cream cheese (or cottage cheese, ricotta or sour cream, depending on what you have), and topped with plenty of Cheddar and a crunchy, Parmesan-spiked bread-crumb topping, it’s a simple, adaptable and crowd-pleasing recipe that you can probably even make from what’s already in your pantry.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

FOR THE MACARONI

  • 4 ½ cups milk

  • 1 (8-ounce) block cream cheese (or use 1 cup cottage cheese, ricotta or sour cream)

  • Salt and black pepper

  • 1 garlic clove

  • 1 teaspoon mustard powder or mustard (optional)

  • Pinch of ground cayenne or nutmeg (or both)

  • 1 pound elbow macaroni or another small pasta shape

  • 1 pound/5 cups grated Cheddar (or a mix of cheeses)

FOR THE TOPPING

  • ¼ cup butter

  • 1 ½ cups bread crumbs, preferably panko

  • ½ cup grated Parmesan, plus more for topping if needed

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 to 8 servings)

61 grams carbs; 120 milligrams cholesterol; 753 calories; 11 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 24 grams saturated fat; 43 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 717 milligrams sodium; 31 grams protein; 10 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 425 degrees.

  2. Step 2

    In the blender, combine milk, cream cheese, 1½ teaspoons salt, garlic, mustard powder (if using), a lot of black pepper and a pinch of cayenne, nutmeg or both. Blend until smooth.

  3. Step 3

    Put pasta in a 9-by-13-inch baking pan, and scatter Cheddar on top.

  4. Step 4

    Pour the milk mixture over the macaroni and cheese in the pan.

  5. Step 5

    Make the topping: Melt butter in a pan over medium heat or in the microwave, and stir in bread crumbs and Parmesan. Scatter the mixture over the top of the macaroni.

  6. Step 6

    Bake for 20 minutes, then increase the heat to 450 degrees and continue to bake until the top is golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes longer. Let rest for at least 10 minutes before serving; this gives the pasta a chance to absorb all of the milk.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
308 user ratings
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Comments

Bert

I cooked exactly as written, with raw pasta, and ricotta instead of cream cheese, and it all worked out fine. I will grease the pan next time though, the pasta stuck to the pan.

Kim

Yes, also wondering if this could be prepared a day in advance and then reheated for Thanksgiving.

regina s.

cooked this exactly as described, including the “pinches,” and it was fantastic. this will be my new go-to mac recipe, perhaps switching up the shredded cheese layer if i’m feeling adventurous.

thoughtful reader

Delicious and easy. I made a half-batch, and it was easily four servings for our "senior appetites." The pasta came out tender in a creamy sauce that belies how quickly this comes together. I stirred together the mixture in a big bowl to ensure everything was distributed well. Greased the pan. Added the crumb mixture halfway through only because I needed to get this in the oven. Next time I will keep the temp at 425 - too much "crust" (though tasty!). Looking forward to leftovers tonight!

Rebecca

Can you freeze this?

Suze

Made this yesterday and will definitely make it again! Very easy when you have a houseful of summer guests. I used cottage cheese and didn’t do anything more than whisk it with the milk. When I poured it over the other ingredients the cottage cheese was very obvious but it all baked together beautifully. I didn’t use the bread crumb topping.

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