The best baked mac and cheese casserole! Rich and cheesy on the inside, crunchy homemade breadcrumbs on the outside and ready in 45 minutes. You’ll want to add this to your list of cozy winter favorites.
Posting this recipe is so overdue I’m almost mad at myself. Baked mac and cheese is my go-to in the depths of winter, and I’ve been making this for as long as I can remember.
Every time I make it and I take the first bite (directly out of the baking dish, of course) I go “UHMYGUHRDIT’SSOGUHD” <– me with a mouthful of hot cheesy pasta
Macaroni and cheese is my default dinner choice
If I had to pick one food to eat for the rest of my life, I would probably have to say mac and cheese – but specifically homemade baked mac and cheese. You may also know it by its aliases “macaroni and cheese” or “mac ‘n cheese”.
You could feed it to me in pretty much any form and I’d be happy as… well, a person eating mac and cheese.
I know, you’re probably surprised that I would pick a sweet. My other top choice is ice cream, but then I start thinking about all the different kinds of ice cream and I get overwhelmed because there’s too many choices and I get FOMO over choosing the wrong one. What if I choose chocolate and miss out on fruit flavors?
What if I pick something loaded with chocolate covered ice cream cones and someday I decide I don’t like those? What if I’m not allowed to put cherries and whipped cream on top and I get bored without them?
These are serious concerns, people.
What kind of cheese should I use for a baked mac and cheese casserole?
NOT VELVEETA. And also ALL THE CHEESE.
Okay, maybe not all the cheese, but I’m serious when I say you shouldn’t use just one kind of cheese – it doesn’t have enough depth. I’m an enormous fan of a combination of cheddar and asiago. Asiago is a serious weakness of mine. (That’s why I also use it on my garlic bread!)
You could use another kind of melting cheese like Gruyere, Provolone or Monterey Jack.
You’re going to end up with a thick, rich cheese sauce that coats the macaroni to perfection. Perfection, I tell you.
Top with breadcrumbs
I love having a slight crunch along with my mac and cheese, so homemade breadcrumbs are a must. But we’re not going to chop up pieces of bread, coat them all with butter and then bake them in the oven or brown them on the stovetop. That’s too much work.
To make your own breadcrumbs, just toast bread like you would for breakfast and put them in a food processor with a little melted butter and pulse.
That’s it! It’s the easiest way to make breadcrumbs when you’re putting them on a dish that’s going to be baked. But don’t do that if you’re just looking to make a stash of homemade breadcrumbs. All you’ll have is tiny mushy pieces of bread that will grow mold – I’m 99% sure you don’t want that.
Don’t have any bread? Then it’s totally okay to use store bought breadcrumbs. Either way, just don’t leave them out!
After you’ve made this recipe, please consider coming back to share your experience with others by leaving a comment below with a star rating!
Baked Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 pound elbow macaroni
- 3 slices whole wheat bread
- ½ cup + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
- 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 12- ounce can evaporated milk
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup onion, minced (or 1 Tablespoon onion powder)
- 1 Tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1 ½ pounds cheddar cheese, grated or shredded
- 8 ounces asiago cheese, grated or shredded
- 1 egg, room temperature and beaten
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Make macaroni al dente according to package directions. Drain and toss in 1 tablespoon butter. Set aside.
- Melt two tablespoons of butter (either in the microwave or in a small saucepan). Toast the bread and then pulse the butter and bread together in a food processor until you have relatively small crumbs. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt 6 tablespoons butter. Add flour and whisk constantly until combined and golden.
- Add the evaporated milk and milk and whisk constantly until combined and relatively smooth. Add onion and garlic and stir for a few minutes until they've softened. Add ground mustard and whisk to combine. Salt and pepper to taste, then bring to a simmer.
- Remove from heat, add cheddar and asiago cheeses and use a heat-resistant stirring spoon to combine until melted and smooth.
- Add beaten egg and stir to combine. Taste test and add salt and pepper as needed.
- Add macaroni to the pan and stir to complete coat and combine.
- Transfer to prepared baking dish and top with breadcrumbs.
- Cover dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and let broil for another 5 minutes until the breadcrumbs are golden and toasted.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Eileen xo
I am all about delicious comfort food and this mac and cheese is just that, absolutely delicious!
Jessa
This is the ultimate comfort dish…yum!
Mackenzie
Mac and cheese is my favorite comfort food by far; especially topped with breadcrumbs like this!! I could easily sit down and eat the entire pan and then ask for more!!
lauren
Guuuuuurl. This looks ridiculously good. How did you know I’m sustaining on a diet of carbs and cheese? Definitely throwing this on the must make list.
Rachel
Mmmmm… For me, Mac and Cheese is the ultimate winter comfort food! Your’s look SO good!
jpinney13
Wow, this looks wonderful! Especially in cold weather. Love all those breadcrumbs!
Carol Borchardt
This looks sooo good and I could use some right about now! Mac and cheese is the perfect winter comfort food!
staceymdoyle
There is nothing more comfy than a serving a baked mac and cheese! Looks so good!
Julie | Bunsen Burner Bakery
Ooooh my goodness, this looks like the most amazing comfort food!!! (Although this is one of those recipes where I’d rather NOT know the calorie count, haha.) Also, -25?! Yikes! That makes my single digit highs walk to work seem downright tropical!
passmesometasty
Mac & Cheese HAS to be a universal comfort food. I just want to face plant in your delicious pictures.
Amanda
Mac and Cheese is my comfort food weakness! I love that you’ve used asiago in this recipe. It’s one of my favorite cheeses! That crunchy topping is perfection, too!
annelawton
This looks delicious!
Sarah @ Champagne Tastes
There’s currently like.. 6″ of snow outside, and no end in sight. I want this.. SO BAD. So so so bad. I wish I could eat my computer screen. I’ll be snowed in tomorrow too.. maybe this will happen. YUM
Leslie Haasch
Girl, I feel you – we woke up to a steady snowfall too, and I think I may have to make this again. You know, for taste testing purposes ;)