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The Best Macaroni and Cheese I’ve Ever Made
We make a lot of mac and cheese at my house. Not the orange, powdery mac and cheese, but the real stuff. The winter makes mac and cheese some how imperative in one’s weekly diet. Well, maybe not at your house, but it most definitely is at ours.
Despite my endless attempts at making totally fabu mac and cheese (and believe you me, there have been more than a few), I can hands down say that this weeks most recent recipe was a superb victory. Resplendent with creamy, gooey cheddar, topped with buttery panko breadcrumbs. The recipe is simple, straightforward, and ridiculously divine.
The Best Macaroni and Cheese Ever
1 (8-ounce) package elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
2 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large saucepan, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter, add the garlic and cook until the garlic is softened, about 2 minutes. Add the onion powder, then whisk in the flour and milk, then cook until slightly thickened. Add three cups of the cheddar cheese and stir until melted in the mixture. Toss the cheese mixture with the cooked pasta, salt and pepper to taste. Stir the remaining grated cheese into the pasta. Spoon into a large baking dish.
In a small bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs and melted butter. I always like to add a bunch of freshly ground pepper and a sprinkling of sea salt to this mixture. Spread over the pasta. Bake in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are golden brown. Serve with fresh sliced tomatoes and a big glass of chocolate milk. Just because.
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22 Comments
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Harry Potter Eats Here: The Menu and Recipes from the Three Broomsticks | Family Kitchen commented on Jul 16 11 at 4:44 pmJenny commented on Feb 24 11 at 1:19 pmI might sound naive, but how do you measure 6 cups of solid cheddar cheese?
Brittany commented on Feb 24 11 at 4:28 pmUse shredded cheese
megan commented on Feb 24 11 at 7:37 pmTry again – Beecher’s Mac and Cheese recipe out of “Pure Flavor” cookbook. Hands down the most delicious mac and cheese ever made. Won our community taste test last month.
I would crawl over broken glass to eat it. Well – maybe. If I was starving.
marla {family fresh cooking} commented on Feb 24 11 at 8:12 pmI trust that this is the best mac and cheese ever – looks amazing!
Miss @ Miss in the Kitchen commented on Feb 24 11 at 11:45 pmI LOVE mac & cheese, consider myself an expert and I would say this is a definite winner!!
ChocolateCoveredEverything commented on Feb 25 11 at 1:20 amLooks really really delicious! Might have to make it sometime very soon! I LOVE mac and cheese with fresh tomatoes!
Amnah commented on Feb 25 11 at 7:25 pmI just made homemade mac and cheese today for the first time and I hated it. The recipe calls for (a lot) of mustard powder. That’s all I could taste. It was horrible. I’m going to try this version next time.
Jake @ The Official Blog of Jake Monk commented on Feb 26 11 at 1:33 amThanks for posting this Brooke! It looked amazing so I decided to give it a try. AWESOME. I typically use an Alton Brown recipe for Mac&Cheese that serves me well; however, this recipe is my new number one. Instead of an 8-oz package of elbow macaroni, I went with a 16-oz (2lb). I didn’t change the amount of cheese or milk. Not sure if you meant 16-oz to begin with. After tasting, I added another 1/2 tsp. of onion powder and was pretty generous with salt and fresh pepper in the cheese mix.
This recipe is killer.
Rachael commented on Feb 26 11 at 1:18 pmJust came across this, I can’t wait to make it for a dinner side this week! Question though- do you think it could work if baked in individual ramekins? I love the look of little mini baked mac and cheeses, but I’m not sure how it would might make the flavor different.
Thanks!
Tnyo commented on Feb 27 11 at 7:29 amThis recipe turned out great! I didn’t have enough cheese so I only used 4 cups and it still tasted great.. I never made Mac and Cheese before but will start making it more often..
Ben commented on Mar 01 11 at 12:34 pmGreetings from South Africa. Just Stumbled onto this. What I do is to use the exact same recipe, only substitute the breadcrumbs with broken up potato crisps (any flavour) for a delicious variation. Different flavours will give a slightly different taste. Try it, and enjoy.
Dustin commented on Mar 04 11 at 3:16 pmI agree with Megan! Beecher’s Mac and cheese is the BOMB!!!
Alex commented on Mar 09 11 at 6:20 pmTrying this tonight….anyone know the serving size??? ;)
Alex commented on Mar 09 11 at 11:43 pmUsed the 16oz package of elbow mac and kept the rest of the recipe the same…..turned out so yummy! It made a full pan of mac, yum!
katie commented on Jul 05 11 at 12:04 amperfect for the 4th of july. I have searched long and hard. This is my go-to mac and cheese recipe
Emily commented on Aug 10 11 at 11:49 amcan I make this recipe in advance, and store each part in the refrigerator separately, then assemble when ready to cook? how well will the cheese sauce hold up in the fridge until I bake it tonight? This looks delish :) Can’t wait to make it.
Annie commented on Oct 30 11 at 4:05 pmI just made this mac & cheese and it was AWESOME. I actually used about 12 oz of pasta instead of 8 oz and reduced the amount of cheddar cheese slightly (by about half a cup) and it came out great. Thanks for the great recipe – will definitely use it again!
Meghann commented on Nov 24 11 at 2:10 pmI love this mac n cheese recipe! So easy and always stuff I have around the house. I made it one time with rice milk because I was out of fresh dairy milk and it turned out great! I also added a can of diced jalapenos for thanksgiving this year and it was so yummy! Added an extra kick and tanginess! Thanks!
Tam commented on Dec 31 11 at 1:08 amI made this tonight and it was delicious! It beats my great-grandma’s recipe that I’ve been using for years. I used the Italian Panko bread crumbs and it was simply incredible.
Anna commented on Feb 13 12 at 8:17 pmGood but far too much breadcrumbs!! You only need about 1/6 of what the recipe says.
Mary Yamada commented on Feb 20 12 at 12:43 pmThis looks scrumptious, but now I’m thinking of subbing brown rice macaroni in place of the regular elbow mac. I hope it turns out good.
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