Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Updated December 10, 2025
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
- Total Time
- 1 hour 15 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter
12 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
12 ounces American cheese or cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
1 pound elbow pasta, boiled in salted water until just tender, drained, and rinsed under cold water
⅛ teaspoon cayenne (optional)
Salt
⅔ cup whole milk.
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 to 12 servings)
5 grams carbs; 66 milligrams cholesterol; 290 calories; 7 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 24 grams fat; 560 milligrams sodium; 15 grams protein; 1 gram 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
- Step 1
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Use one tablespoon butter to thickly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Combine grated cheeses and set aside two heaping cups for topping.
- Step 2
In a large bowl, toss together the pasta, cheeses, cayenne (if using) and salt to taste. Place in prepared pan and evenly pour milk over surface. Sprinkle reserved cheese on top, dot with remaining butter and bake, uncovered, 45 minutes. Raise heat to 400 degrees and bake 15 to 20 minutes more, until crusty on top and bottom.
Private Notes
Comments
Be careful with the pre-grated cheese as it is "sprayed" with a wood pulp to keep the cheese from sticking together.
I modified this recipe by swapping out some of the american cheese for smoked gouda and sharp cheddar (8 oz. of each of the three), along with a few tablespoons of ground reggiano ptarmigan. Because we believe bacon makes everything better, I chopped up 6 slices of crispy bacon and added that as well, along with a little panko on top. Every time I've made it, everyone goes back for seconds and thirds.
Easy, indeed! I used a cup of milk and think it might benefit from more milk, as others have suggested. Also a bit more cayenne -- couldn't even taste 1/8 t with all that cheese. And, I'm thinking that it might be a bit cheesier if only 1 cup of the cheese were used as topping and the rest was mixed in with the pasta. This recipe is a keeper, though, for the crunch and because it's so much easier and less time consuming than making a bechamel.
Most of my crew did not like this drier version of mac and cheese; they prefer a creamy texture. Although, one person did enjoy the crunchy cheese topping.
Somewhat disappointed in the result. Based on previous comments I added additional milk (double) and the result was still too dry for my taste. I will not be making this again.
I made this for Christmas dinner. I followed the recipe exactly, and it did not turn out well at all I could not taste the cayenne. It was so hard. I had to break it up with a fork. It was just tough as could be. I ended up disposing of it.