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Baked macaroni and cheese

The Tuesday before Thanksgiving I decided I wanted to add something to the menu.  I just wasn’t sure what.  Then it hit me.  Duh!  Mac and cheese!  We doesn’t like macaroni and cheese?  No one, that’s who. 😉

Mac & cheese is the epitome of comfort food and was the perfect addition to our Thanksgiving menu. I will definitely be making this one again throughout the year.

This baked macaroni and cheese is the epitome of comfort food.

 

This was my first baked macaroni and cheese and I was so happy with how it turned out.  So was the rest of the family.  I wish I had gotten photos of everyone going back for seconds.  And it reheated so well the next day!

There are no fancy ingredients and it’s a quick one to put together.

*sorry for the weird spaces.  I’m told WordPress does this for some reason and I can’t figure out how to delete the spaces in the recipe.

Baked macaroni & cheese

Ingredients:

– 1 lb macaroni pasta

– 4 tbsp unsalted butter

– 4 tbsp all-purpose flour
– 1 tbsp salt + 1 tsp
– 1 tsp ground pepper
– 1/4 tsp garlic powder
– 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
– 1 cup milk (I used 1% but 2% would be fine as well)
– 4 cups sharp cheddar, shredded
– 2 cups colby jack cheese, shredded
 
Directions:
– Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 9×9 baking dish.
– Cook macaroni in large pot until noodles are al dente (pasta will continue to cook in the oven).  Add in 1 tbsp salt. Drain and set aside.
– In medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat.  Once melted, sprinkle in flour and stir to combine.
– Mix in 1 tsp salt, pepper and garlic powder.
– Slowly add in cream, mixing constantly to combine.  If there are still little bits of flour in the mixture that is fine.
– Add milk and stir to incorporate.
– Bring mixture to almost a boil, reduce heat and cook about 5 minutes, or until mixture is thick.
– On low heat, add 3 cups of cheddar and 1 cup of colby jack cheese and mix until cheese is melted.
– In a large mixing bowl, add the pasta then the cheese sauce and mix until fully combined.
– Add mixture to greased baking dish.
-Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of macaroni.
– Bake 20 minutes, until cheese is melted and golden in color.

Printable Recipe

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It really doesn’t get much better than that.

Enjoy!

by  

Comments

  1. Kelli {A Deeper Joy} says: December 3, 2014 at 6:07 am

    Have I told you how much of a mac n cheese fanatic Kevin is?! He’d love this!

    • Tiffany says: December 3, 2014 at 7:19 am

      Oh man. Too bad he’s not going to be on an airplane with you today. 🙂
      You’ll have to make it for him I suppose.

  2. Biana @Blovedboston says: December 3, 2014 at 6:36 am

    I dont think you know how much I love Mac & Cheese!! It’s seriously my favorite!! I’m pinning this recipe – thanks for sharing!!

    http://www.blovedboston.com

    • Tiffany says: December 3, 2014 at 7:20 am

      Girl, Mac & cheese is my daughter’s favorite food as well. But I guess that’s not surprising; she’s 3.
      But yes, it is the bomb.com. Love it!
      Thanks for pinning!

  3. Paige Allison (@anuncomplife) says: December 3, 2014 at 6:45 am

    YUM! And you’re spot on – nobody doesn’t like mac and cheese! My mom used to make a “grown up” baked recipe, but I haven’t had it in years… I need to give this one a try!

    • Tiffany says: December 3, 2014 at 7:22 am

      I know right?! Nobody. My mom never made homemade mac & cheese. I had to take that torch on. Luckily she made other good things. Hope you like it!

  4. makingmrsm says: December 3, 2014 at 7:28 am

    Uhh… Can you make this for me right now? YUM-O! I’m going to have to try this.

  5. Jennifer | The Deliberate Mom says: December 3, 2014 at 11:59 am

    Comfort food?! Ummmm, yes indeed!

    This sounds and looks fabulous Tiffany!

    Thanks so much for sharing.
    xoxo

    • Tiffany says: December 3, 2014 at 12:23 pm

      Thanks Jennifer! I love comfort food this time of year. Probably why I always put on a few lbs. 😉

      Hope you’re having a great Wednesday!
      xoxo

  6. Cindy Hasko says: December 3, 2014 at 5:15 pm

    What’s with the weird spaces!?!??? LOL!! I’m so kidding! I just had to type that 🙂 xoxo This looks sooo good. I will make this. My hubby and son will love this!!!! Thank you! You always put the yummiest recipes on your page. I’m STILL thinking about those Molasses cookies!

    • Tiffany says: December 4, 2014 at 8:14 am

      Ugh. I asked the designer and she said it’s just a WP thing. Maybe I’ll figure it out sometime.
      I bet you hubby and son will for sure love it. We ate it for a few days after and it was still so good.

      • Cindy Hasko says: December 4, 2014 at 11:03 am

        🙂 lol, I was just teasing ya since you typed about the spaces in your blog. It still looks good. You have a pretty site!

  7. Carly Blogs Here says: December 3, 2014 at 6:49 pm

    YUM! I was always just a kraft mac & cheese kind of a girl, but my husband will only eat the real stuff…aka this! Looks so good!

    • Tiffany says: December 4, 2014 at 8:15 am

      We didn’t even get Kraft as a kid, only generic brand. I know, so sad.
      My daughter love box mac and cheese and she really liked this. I bet your hubby would love it.

  8. Chelsea @ The Contented Wife says: December 5, 2014 at 11:55 am

    I’ve been looking for a good baked mac n cheese recipe, so I’m definitely pinning this for later! Thanks for sharing – can’t wait to try it!

  9. Brittnei says: December 7, 2014 at 11:54 pm

    I used to love making this with my mom. I actually make mine on the stove now when I do it. I always use whole wheat pasta and cheddar cheese. It’s Alton Brown’s recipe basically from the Food Network. 🙂

    • Tiffany says: December 8, 2014 at 7:37 am

      I think you could have just done the mac & cheese on the stove without the baking and it would have been really good still.
      OOOHHHH….love Alton Brown! I actually think I’ve seen that recipe before. Yummy!

  10. Amber says: December 12, 2014 at 1:52 pm

    I know what I’m making for dinner tomorrow night! That looks amazing-thank you so much for sharing your recipe.
    Cheers, Amber at OurCharmedLife.net

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