Need Good Mac & Cheese Recipe

Updated on December 23, 2009
K.G. asks from Fort Worth, TX
24 answers

For Christmas dinner, my mom just wants to have ham but she wants potato salad and baked beans. I thought of taking mac & cheese but I'm sorry to say that the only kind I have made (besides the kind from the blue box) is mac & velveeta but I wanted to make one a little more homemade. My nephew's mother-in-law sent one over at Thanksgiving but all it had was milk in the bottom of the pan with the mac on top of that and about 20 or so cut up pieces of cheese. Needless to say, it had no taste whatsoever. So please help me out if you have a recipe you don't mind sharing. Thanks!

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So What Happened?

Thank you so much to everyone who provided me with what sounds like all good recipes or sources. It will be hard to decide which to use. But somehow I will eat my way through them slowly but surely (probably slowly!) Enjoy the holidays and Merry Christmas!

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S.O.

answers from Dallas on

The Barefoot Contessa has an amazing recipe. I got it off the food network website, but if you google Barefoot contessa mac & cheese it will probably come us.

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J.R.

answers from Dallas on

Well if you want to go really easy, Stouffers makes a yummy macaroni and cheese! Just pop it in the oven and it comes out creamy with a little crustiness on top. It's in the frozen section and you can buy a family size. I actually prefer this one over other homemade ones.

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T.C.

answers from Dallas on

Try Paula Dean's recipe. You can find it at Foodnetwork.com. My mother in law makes it and it is fantastic. If anyone knows how to do mac and cheese right it is the queen of southern cooking.

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M.G.

answers from Dallas on

I watched the show down with Bobby Flay and is Mac & Cheese Recipe as follows:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-inch thick piece pancetta, cut into small dice
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 to 7 cups whole milk, heated
4 large egg yolks, lightly whisked
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups freshly grated Asiago cheese, plus more for the top
1 1/2 cups Irish white Cheddar, plus more for the top
1 1/2 cups Mountain Valley Cheddar, plus more for the top
1 cup grated Fontina cheese, plus more for the top
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more for the top
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked just under al dente
1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 3 quart baking dish and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until golden brown on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.

Add the garlic to the pan and cook until lightly golden brown. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in 6 cups of the hot milk, increase the heat to high and cook, whisking constantly until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk in the eggs until incorporated and let cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the thyme, cayenne, and all of the cheese until completely melted, season with salt and pepper. If the mixture appears too thick, add some of the remaining milk 1/4 cup at a time.

Place the cooked macaroni in a large bowl, add the cheese sauce, reserved pancetta and parsley and stir until combined. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. Combine together additional Asiago, Cheddars, Fontina, and Parmesan in a bowl and sprinkle evenly over the top of the macaroni. Bake in the oven until heated through and the top is lightly golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before serving.

I thought the recipe would be good however,our family's favorite is cooked elbow macaroni as cookeddirected on package add lots of velveeta and some milk and little bit of butter to add creamy goodness!Sometimes simple is best... I just know that no matter how much I cook it's always all gone!

Merry Christmas to all!

1 mom found this helpful
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H.M.

answers from Dallas on

I made one from Kraftfoods.com and it was really good.
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H.J.

answers from Dallas on

My favorite homemade mac & cheese is the following recipe. My husband says its the best he has ever had.

Wisconsin Five-Cheese bake
Ingredients

* 1 (16 ounce) package elbow macaroni
* 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
* 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
* 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 1 cup shredded provolone cheese
* 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
* 1/2 cup sour cream
* 1/2 cup heavy cream (I did not use this, instead I added more ricotta cheese and more sour cream)
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
* 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
* 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add macaroni, and cook until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain.
2. In a large bowl, toss together the mozzarella cheese, Swiss cheese, Parmesan cheese and Provolone cheese. Remove about 1/2 cup for topping and set aside. In a separate bowl, stir together the ricotta cheese, sour cream and heavy cream. Season with parsley, Italian seasoning and garlic salt.
3. Pour the ricotta cheese mixture and drained macaroni into the bowl with the cheeses and toss lightly. Do not mix too thoroughly, it's better left messy. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the reserved cheese over the top.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes, then turn the oven to broil. Broil for about 5 minutes to brown the top.

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A.F.

answers from Dallas on

This is from Martha Stewart and it's amazing!

Serves 12
6 slices good-quality white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
5 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar
2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyere or 1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) grated pecorino Romano
1 pound elbow macaroni

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread pieces in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into the bowl with bread, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.

2. Slowly pour hot milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.
3. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup pecorino Romano. Set cheese sauce aside.

4. Fill a large saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 fewer minutes than manufacturer's directions, until outside of pasta is cooked and inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.

5. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar and 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup pecorino Romano; scatter breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes; serve.

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L.P.

answers from Dallas on

I don't measure stuff so bear with me. Mix cooked pasta with a combo of cheddar and Jack cheeses, mix in 5 oz of cottage cheese. Season with salt and pepper. On top lay on slices of Swiss cheese. Mix 1/2 cup of milk with 1 egg and pour over the top. Bake for about 1 hour at 325. You will want to cover it with foil too, cook until milk and egg are not runny.

This is the only mac and cheese my husband will eat!

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L.A.

answers from Reno on

ok here you go

3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup paremesan cheese
1 cup fontina or grueyre cheese shredded
4 cups milk
4 tbs butter
4 tbs flour
2 tsp salt
1 tsp red pepper flakes
4 tbs mustard

in big pan melt butter then add flour and mix together let the flour mixture cook about a minute and add red pepper flakes, and salt. Then add milk and stir till the flour mixes in completely. Add cheddar and stir ( using a whisk) until cheddar is melted. Then add paremesan and fontina. Add mustard and mix well. Stir til they melt completely and turn the heat down so the sauce thickens ( about 10 minutes) Cook a full pot of macaroni and place in greased baking dish. Pour cheese sauce over it. Then crush up about 20 crackers and add 1-2 tsp of garlic powder. Sprinkle crushed crackers over top and bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until top is brown and bubbly.Good luck

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K.R.

answers from Dallas on

I always make the one from the Ultimate Recipe Showdown that was on the Food Network...it won and made it onto the TGI Fridays MENU. Here is the recipe or you can go to the link at http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cheese-lovers-5-cheese...

Ingredients
Kosher salt
1 (16-ounce) package macaroni (cellentani or other curly noodle)
1/4 pound bacon, diced
1 medium onion, diced
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more to butter baking dish
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups grated fontina
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
3/4 cup grated Gruyere
3/4 cup grated white Cheddar (Australian)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
1/4 cup bread crumbs
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and butter a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain.

In a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot, saute the bacon until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Saute the onion in the bacon drippings until soft. Add the 5 tablespoons butter to the onion mixture and melt the butter stirring with a wooden spoon.

Using a whisk, add the flour, and stir constantly until well mixed with the fat making a roux. Whisk in the mustard. Gradually add the milk and cream whisking constantly.

Add the thyme, bay leaf, and salt. Let come to a simmer and stir frequently for 15 minutes.

Strain the hot milk mixture into a metal bowl and discard the solids. Working quickly, mix in 1 cup fontina, blue cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyere, 1/2 cup white Cheddar, 1/2 cup Parmesan, the reserved bacon, and parsley. Continue to stir until all cheese is melted.

Add the cooked noodles to the cheese mixture to coat. Add the noodle mixture to the prepared baking dish. Mix the remaining cheese and bread crumbs together and sprinkle on top of the noodles. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown. Remove from oven when done and rest for 5 minutes.

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K.R.

answers from Dallas on

Don't sleep on that box macaroni girl

I buy the cheesy powder and add it to my noodles with two eggs, milk, butter velveeta and shredded cheddar, a little salt, white pepper and bake it with foil on top until firm then take it off for a bit to let it brown

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S.B.

answers from Dallas on

America's Test Kitchen has great recipes and they have even done Mac & Cheese. I am not a good cook and have collected a lot of recipe books; my family does not always like what have come out of them! But ATK recipes they have always rated them high/good. One son also recommends Food Network for recipes.

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C.R.

answers from Dallas on

Hi K.,

I don't have a mac & cheese recipe, but, you might want to check on-line maybe the velvetta website.

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J.W.

answers from Dallas on

Go to foodnetwork.com and check out paula deen's recipe. Very easy and uses basic ingredients.milk butter, sour cream, eggs, pasta. Typing from my phone or I would send it to you.

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L.L.

answers from Dallas on

The smitten kitchen one is very good indeed. Another one I've wanted to try is this one. You boil the pasta in chicken broth (adds flavor) http://www.katiebrown.com/kbep3.cfm?seasonid=3&episod.... I just saw this one too and it looks like something good to try: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/12/fancy-macaroni/. I think any of these recipes including the ones below, will give you something much better than the out of the box stuff or the kind your relative made. The yummier ones tend to include dry mustard or other seasonings in the sauce. Oh, and when making your sauce, gradually add the milk and it will thicken like a charm. Good luck!

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S.B.

answers from Dallas on

We love this recipe. It's Patti Labelle's Over the Rainbow Mac and Cheese. Definitely an indulgence. We only do this once a year...might as well enjoy it. http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/12/Patti_LaBelles_M...

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P.B.

answers from Dallas on

Looks like you've got quite a few choices already, but, here's one more to choose from! Happy cooking!

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

1/2 pound elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon powdered mustard
3 cups milk
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 large egg
12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper

Topping:
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.
Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

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B.H.

answers from Dallas on

So simple & so easy!!!

Mac & Cheese
12 oz. elbow macaroni
1 lb. velvetta
1 can cream of cheddar cheese soup

Cook mac till done. Drain - put in casserole. Cover w/milk.
Pour in velvetta & soup. Bake till hot.

KIDS LOVE IT!!

G.R.

answers from Dallas on

1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 (16 ounce) package elbow macaroni 9 tablespoons butter 1/2 cup shredded Muenster cheese 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese 1 1/2 cups half-and-half 8 ounces cubed processed cheese food 2 eggs, beaten 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the oil and the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain well and return to cooking pot.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 8 tablespoons butter; stir into the macaroni.
In a large bowl, combine the Muenster cheese, mild and sharp Cheddar cheeses, and Monterey Jack cheese; mix well.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Add the half and half, 1 1/2 cups of cheese mixture, cubed processed cheese food, and eggs to macaroni; mix together and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a lightly greased deep 2 1/2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese mixture and 1 tablespoon of butter.
Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes or until hot and bubbling around the edges; serve.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Four-Cheese-Macaroni/Detail....

JUST OMIT THE EGGS

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

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E.C.

answers from Abilene on

Easiest ever! Boil the noodles till tender, drain, add velveeta, some margarine and bit of milk to make it creamy and salt to taste. Don't have to bake it or anything and this is the creamiest tastiest macaroni ever. We just put it in the big 4 quart pan to cook it, then if I want it to look "pretty" I pour it in a long baking dish, put a sprinkle of grated cheese on top and it's good to go. You can make a large amount or small. The secret is lots of cheese and only enough milk to make it creamy. Merry Christmas!

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H.B.

answers from Dallas on

There is a recipe on allrecipes.com for a five cheese mac and cheese that is really amazing!

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