I won’t deny that the blue box mac n cheese is easy to make when you’re pressed for time, but it will never compare to a large batch of homemade baked macaroni and cheese.
This recipe can be quite a time saver as well if you bake a large batch and refrigerate leftovers for meals and lunches later in the week.
It’s a good idea to keep the temperature low at this point so you don’t boil the milk.
Stir frequently to keep the Velveeta from sticking to the bottom of your pot. You can also increase the temperature here a little bit towards medium to melt the cheese.
Don’t forget to use cooking spray on the baking dish or you’ll end up with a nightmare clean up trying to scrape all of the baked on cheese from the dish.
Swiss Steak is my absolute favorite pairing for macaroni and cheese. The flavors just blend together so well and really brings back the true feeling of comfort food.
Ultimate Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
- 1/2 brick Velveeta cheese
- 3/4 cup milk
- 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 TBS butter
- 2 tsp black pepper
Directions
- Prep by starting elbow macaroni in large pot of boiling water. Cut Velveeta into 1 inch chunks.
- In a pot over low-medium heat combine butter, milk, velveeta, 1 tsp black pepper.
- Once melted, add 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Strain pasta and place in large, greased baking dish.
- Coat macaroni with melted cheese, top with remaining shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheeses.
- Sprinkle with black pepper and bake uncovered at 425 degrees F for 10 minutes
Serving Suggestions
I love to serve macaroni and cheese as a side dish to crock pot meals like the Slow Cooker Pot Roast and Slow Cooker Swiss Steak (recipe coming soon).
It looks super yummy. I sure do miss your Food for 5 blog. Haven’t “blogged” with you much lately but trying to get back into things. Hope things are going good for you all.
Sounds yummy! I loved baked mac & cheese. (I’m such a mac & cheese snob though-I can’t eat the box stuff.)
That sounds and looks delicious! I love mac & cheese and you’ve motivated me to give it a try on my own.
OMG that is sooo good!!!
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm mac and cheese is my NUMBER 1 fave food!
I have eaten Baked Mac N Cheese, but never had an easy recipe.. Thank You!!
Looks yummy Cat. I used to cook homemade mac n cheese but it has been a while. I have bookmarked your recipe to try!
Oh dear lord, that looks AMAZING!
Although I go weak in the knees at any kind of mac n cheese thrust before my face. LOL
Great recipe!!
I make my macaroni and cheese just like this without the topping. Now I am going to need to try it with the topping. It looks great!
That looks really good… I bet those 3 cheeses make a great combination!
Thanks for sharing.
Oooh this looks so creamy and just down right yummy!
My husband LOVES homemade cooking…WHEN he gets it. I have tried the mac n cheese like I remember making YEARS ago…and they didnt LIKE it! I guess NOT enough flavor and salt, etc. SO, I will be trying this as a side dish.
HEY…you just said in another post what a BAD MOM cook you are. I see this wonderful plate of food and am having MOM cooking envy! Looks delish! thanks for the recipe!
Those pictures are making my mouth ache, just one bite !!
My son absolutely loves mac & cheese. I’ve never attempted at making it from scratch though. You make it seem really easy. I think I’m gonna have to try your recipe. Thanks!
Yum, this looks soooo good. I have never made mac & cheese like this, wonder if my kids would like it – they LOVE The blue box stuff, which I don’t eat because it’s so fattening. :) I have a lot of velveeta right now I got on sale, so I think I’ll make this today! Thanks!
Yum-o!! Really bad for me though…..lol.
Mmm! That makes my mouth water. Thanks for the great pictures, recipe and tips.
I’ve been looking for a Mac and Cheese recipe but haven’t found any that I like. I’m writing yours down and making a trip to the grocery store. Here’s hoping that your recipe is a winner!
Hi Jodi, be sure to let me know how you like it! I’ve never made it any other way and would love to hear what you think.
Bought the ingredients and made this last night for dinner. It had the best consistency of any baked mac and cheese recipe I’ve tried, so creamy! My 2-year-old gobbled it up. I did learn, however, that my daughter and I aren’t crazy about the taste of the processed cheese. I guess I’ll continue searching for my “perfect” mac and cheese recipe.
I have to ask… do you really add 2 tsp of pepper? I only added the first tsp and the dish had a strong pepper taste. If I make it again, I’ll probably only use 1/2 tsp.
Tonight I’m going to use the leftovers to make another new recipe, fried mac and cheese balls (so excited!). I guess I’ll use the other half of the Velveeta to make my special nacho cheese dip. Thank you for the recipe – I’m off to search through your other recipies.
Yeah, we like it a bit heavy on the pepper but that’s completely optional and adjustable for the recipe to your own tastes.
The Mac n Cheese balls sound good, that’s one I’ve never tried.
Just made this with my 10 year old daughter that loves to cook. It was excellent. What I liked was that it did not call for flour. I think the recipes that have flour in them taste pasty. This has only full fledged CHEESE. My daughter, Caroline, also agreed that it was in her words “incredible”. We will definitely make in the future. Thanks for the recipe!
OMG ! I just tried this recipe tonight because I was practicing to make it for thanksgiving. I did everything the exact same except that I added garlic powder & breadcrumbs to one half of it directly on the top. On the other half I added Italian style breadcrumbs on top. These actually had Romano cheese in it. I got this idea from a popular restaurant in Atlanta. Their macaroni was crunchy because of breadcrumbs on top. I was just experimenting & hoping for the best. Both halves were delicious ! This recipe is the best ever & I’m sure it will be a hit this thanksgiving. This was very simple ! I can’t believe I know how to make macaroni & cheese from scratch ! Thanks so much for the recipe!