Creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese

By Eric Kim

Updated Dec. 16, 2024

Creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
1 hour
Rating
4(5,735)
Comments
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This macaroni and cheese recipe, inspired by Stouffer’s, delivers the best of all worlds: creamy, saucy comfort, with a consistency that’s slightly more set than a stovetop version, thanks to a final bake in the oven. It stays voluptuous and molten as a result of a higher ratio of sauce to noodles, which are cooked completely so they don’t soak up as much liquid. The Velveeta is necessary here, as it has sodium citrate, which prevents the sauce from separating in the oven. Elbow macaroni works fine, but cavatappi is an especially fun shape to eat with its telephone-cord bounciness.

Featured in: The Platonic Ideal of Macaroni and Cheese

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings
  • Salt
  • 1pound cavatappi or elbow macaroni
  • ½cup unsalted butter
  • ½cup all-purpose flour
  • 6cups whole milk
  • 1pound sharp or extra-sharp yellow Cheddar, coarsely grated (5¼ cups)
  • 8ounces Velveeta, torn into pieces
  • 4ounces Pecorino Romano, coarsely grated (1 cup)
  • ½teaspoon dry mustard powder
  • ¼teaspoon onion powder
  • Pinch of ground cayenne
  • Freshly ground black pepper
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

946 calories; 57 grams fat; 34 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 14 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 64 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 14 grams sugars; 43 grams protein; 1278 milligrams sodium

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 oven to 350 degrees.

  2. Step 2

    Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season generously with salt. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until just past al dente. Drain and set aside.

  3. Step 3

    Return the empty pot to the stove (no need to clean it) and set over medium heat. Melt the butter and simmer, whisking occasionally, until the butter stops spurting and quiets down, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the flour and cook, whisking, until smooth like gravy, about 1 minute.

  4. Step 4

    Whisk in the milk. Raise the heat to high and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly, then immediately reduce the heat to low and continue simmering until the sauce lightly coats the back of a spoon, 2 to 5 minutes. At this stage, the sauce should be smooth but relatively loose. Take the pot off the heat.

  5. Step 5

    To the pot, add the Cheddar, Velveeta, Pecorino Romano, mustard powder, onion powder and cayenne, and season generously with salt and black pepper. Whisk until the cheese is melted and smooth like nacho cheese. Add the drained pasta, breaking up any clumps, and stir until evenly coated in the cheese sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

  6. Step 6

    Transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking pan or dish and bake until bubbling at the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

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FAQS

  1. You can hold the finished dish at room temperature, covered, for up to 1 hour; it will firm up as it sits and may need to be reheated. Mac and cheese also can be prepared through the step before baking, then covered and refrigerated in the baking dish for up to 3 days before it goes in the oven. It will take longer to heat through if baking directly from the refrigerator.

Ratings

4 out of 5
5,735 user ratings
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Comments

Ryan

I'd encourage the posters who want more "interesting" cheese, or an 18th-century French version of the dish, to actually read the story accompanying the recipe--there's a place for all of that but that's not what this recipe is intended to provide.

Janet H.

I wanted to make this recipe, as I have always loved Stouffer's version. After looking through the entire list of notes for helpful hints, it appears that only one person actually made the recipe before commenting (thank you, Steve). I made the recipe as written, and although the proportions of butter to flour in the roux seemed like it would be thin, it worked perfectly. It is a perfectly-balanced macaroni and cheese. I broiled the finished top for a minute to get extra color.

Lisa

Great recipe. Re Velveeta -- my mom was the sort of mother who, in the 60's, insisted we eat Pepperidge Farm instead of Wonder Bread, and made all her cakes from scratch. She didn't allow much processed food in the house. But for my favorite birthday treat of "frankfurter noodle casserole" (mac 'n cheese with Hebrew National hot dogs mixed in), she reluctantly used Velveeta in the sauce. Nothing else would do.

Local

I love and trust Eric Kim, but having no nostalgic memory for Stoufer’s , this is a never make again. Too creamy, too saucy. Much prefer Millie Peartree recipe or Martha Stewart if the people need gut busting Mac and cheese.

Paul

I made it exactly as written, measured out everything, and it mostly works as advertised. As someone noted below, it is probably more saucy than I wanted; but the biggest issue was it made far more than the recipe describes. It filled a 9 x 13 baking dish AND about two-thirds of another medium, round casserole dish. Crazy. I would start with reducing the amount of milk. 4 cups of milk is probably more than enough. Or, I could save some of the cheese sauce off of the top and set it aside.

make this again and again

Made as written. Lived to see another day despite the Velveeta! This is a go-to mac and cheese for our family. Everyone loves it and it freezes really well. We often make it ahead of time for meal prep or to pull out at the holidays (travels well and great for someone who just had a baby or is sick, meal train, etc). Don't miss out on this great recipe! So saucy and comforting. Highly recommend the fun cavatappi noodles.

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