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5 from 1 vote

Creamy Baked Mac & Cheese

Get ready y'all for an oh so creamy and delicious melt in you mouth macaroni and cheese recipe. Learn how to make this amazing velveeta free dish! All real cheeses and easy to cook. It's a fan favorite packed with flavor and a velvet, smooth, oh so creamy sauce.
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine American, southern soul food
Keyword baked, baked mac n cheese, comfort food, creamy, elbow macaroni, holiday recipes, how to make, macaroni and cheese, pasta, soul food
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 8
Author thedentalmomma

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ pounds pounds of elbow macaroni noodles
  • 2 cups shredded Sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup shredded Gouda
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 2 cups shredded Colby jack
  • 3 tbsp  unsalted Butter
  • 3 tbsp All Purpose Flour
  • 1 12 oz can of evaporated milk
  • Salt & Black pepper
  • Garlic powder
  • 2 eggs 
  • 1 ½ Whole milk
  • 1 cup half n half

Optional: 1 cup panko bread crumbs, 1 tbsp avocado oil, ¼ tsp salt

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F or 177 degrees C.
  • Shred your cheeses. I highly recommend using block cheeses and shredding them yourself. Most pre-shredded cheeses at the store contain an anti-caking agent that makes it harder for the cheeses to melt.
  • Add water to a large pot and boil noodles per package instructions. But first, generously season that water honey. I like to use garlic powder, salt, and pepper. The more flavor in the water the better the noodles will taste once cooked. I prefer to cook my noodles al dente. This way the noodles won’t get mushy. Nobody has time for that.
  • Drain the noodles and place them in a bowl and set aside.
  • Melt 3 tbsp of unsalted butter on medium heat in a saucepan.
  • Once butter is melted, Add the 3 tbsp of all purpose flour and mix together. This is the base for your cheese sauce.
  • Now remove the saucepan from the heat and add in the 1 cup of warmed half n half. Mixing until the sauce becomes smooth.
  • Return the saucepan to the heat and Add 1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese and continue to stir until well incorporated.
  • Pour the cheese sauce over the macaroni noodles and gently mix to coat all the noodles.
  • Add to a large bowl the 1 ½ cups of whole milk, 1 can of evaporated milk, 1 cup of colby jack cheese, ½ cup of mozzarella, and ½ cup of gouda cheese.
  • Place macaroni noodles in a baking dish and pour the milk/cheese mixture over the noodles using a spoon to fully incorporate.
  • Taste mixture and add more salt and pepper if needed.
  • Here’s the fun part. Add the beaten eggs and use either your hands or a spatula to combine. I like to put on gloves and use my hands to fully combine. But a spatula works just fine as well.
  • Add the remaining gouda, sharp cheddar and colby jack cheeses to the top of the dish.
  • Bake for 30-35 mins until all the cheese is melted to golden brown perfection.
  • Wait 5-10 mins to allow the dish to rest and Viola!, Serve and enjoy.

Optional Instructions: In a small bowl mix together the 1 cup of panko, 1 tbsp of avocado oil and ¼ tsp of salt. Pour the mixture over the shredded cheeses and bake in the oven for 30-35 mins. This adds a nice little crust of texture to the baked mac n cheese.

    Notes

    • Shredding your own cheese is king! Your mac n cheese dish will thank you for the extra work. Also, if you have a food processor you can easily shred your block cheeses in there.
     
    • My family and I love sharp cheddar, colby jack, mozzarella, and gouda cheese but you can really use any cheese that you like to put your own spin on it and truly make it your own.
     
    • 1-8oz block of cheese is 2 cups shredded. So for this recipe I recommend shredding 1 whole block of cheddar and colby jack and ½ block of mozzarella and gouda. Of course you can always shred the whole block of mozzarella and gouda because I mean who doesn’t love a little extra cheese!!