The CREAMIEST Baked Mac and Cheese
This baked mac and cheese will have everyone asking for the recipe! It’s rich, creamy, outrageously cheesy with a crunchy crust of panko on top. It’s the perfect comforting dinner or side dish!
As you all know I love cheese and the KEY to a good mac and cheese is this three cheese combo I use. I have tried many cheese combinations and nothing compares to these three. Baked together in a sauce, they make the trilogy of all cheese sauces! You get that nice cheese pull with the mozzarella but also that flavor with the gruyere. Trust me when I say that this mac and cheese recipe will become a family favorite and one you make time and time again.
Ingredients for BAKED MAC AND CHEESE
This baked mac and cheese is very easy to make. The hardest part is shredding all your fresh cheeses but it’s so worth it to shred them fresh! You can taste the difference in the sauce with freshly shredded cheese. These ingredients are all my secret weapon to making the cheesiest & creamiest mac and cheese.
sharp white cheddar
sharp orange cheddar
mozzarella cheese
Le Gruyère cheese
macaroni elbow noodles
salted butter
flour
heavy cream
full fat milk
smoked paprika
garlic powder
dry mustard powder
salt & pepper
panko bread crumbs
These three cheeses are the triology of all cheeses! Sharp cheddar makes it flavorful, smooth and creamy as its a very good melting cheese. Mozzarella will give a nice cheese pull which will have your guests in awe. Le Gruyère has a ton of flavor and is very creamy which is a must in any baked mac and cheese recipe!
Seasonings like smoked paprika and dry mustard will really add a lot of flavor in your cheese sauce, don’t skip out on these! You can get both at your local grocery store.
TIP: use panko NOT regular breadcrumbs. Panko will give you that nice crust on top with a CRUNCH!
SHOP THE REICPE
Fresh grated cheese only for this recipe! Prepackaged shredded cheese has an ingredient in it that makes it stay fresh but compromises its melting abilities. If you use pre packaged shredded cheese you risk your sauce coming out oily or not melting right.
Baked Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 6 oz sharp white cheddar
- 6 oz sharp orange cheddar
- 6 oz mozzarella cheese
- 6 oz Le Gruyère cheese
- 1 lb or 16 oz macaroni elbow noodles
- 1/3 cup salted butter
- 1/3 cup flour
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups full fat milk
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dry mustard powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/3 cup panko
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F and lightly grease a 3 qt to 4 qt oven safe pot or baking dish
- Cook the pasta one minute shy of el dente. Remove from the heat, drain and put in your lightly greased baking dish or pot. Set to the side. TIP: add a little bit of olive oil on your pasta noodles if you want to prevent them from sticking
- Freshly grate all of your cheeses- this is key for a cheesy and creamy baked mac!
- On med heat, melt butter in a sauce pan
- Then whisk in your seasonings and flour until golden brown and bubbling a bit- this will create a roux which will thicken your sauce
- Gradually and slowly whisk in your cream and then your milk
- Then gradually whisk in your cheeses until sauce is thick and smooth (set a bit of the shredded cheese aside for the end)
- Pour your cheese sauce on your pasta noodles.
- Then add the rest of your shredded cheese on top and then panko as this will created a cheesy crust on top
- Bake for 20 minutes. You can always raise the heat to 375 for the last 5 minutes if you want the panko to brown a little. Serve immediately!
Notes
This will stay fresh in the fridge for a couple days and serves great as leftovers!
Noodle to sauce ratio is important to consider when baking a mac and cheese. You always want to have more sauce than noodles in order for your pasta to not dry out while it cooks in the oven. It might look super saucy, but don’t worry trust the process. We love a saucy mac!
That creamy cheese pull is courtesy of that three cheese trilogy! TRUST ME!
You might also like
This is your sign to make your charcuterie board inside an Easter basket this Spring! Such a beautiful way to display an appetizer or bring to someone’s house as a hostess gift.