The Best Macaroni and Cheese Recipe (2024)

This recipe is definitely easier to make than my typical Pasta and Chicken Gratin that my kids love, but the final flavors are too one dimensional. Using only cheddar, even a good cheddar, is a mistake. If I make it again, I will replace half the cheddar with a good gruyere and Parmesan.

I simply do not see how 1/2 pound of macaroni can feed 4 people.

Very tasty, nicely cheesy. Use a sharper cheddar for more "bite". The intermittent stirring of the baking mac and cheese did make it very light and was worth the extra fussing. I didn't use the bread-crumb topping and was still happy with the result.

I make this but change it up by adding Gruyère cheese and I use large shell pasta. Very nice!

Half pound of past does feed 4 people and feeds them well. Evaporated milk gives richness to the dish that regular milk would not. I used extra sharp Cheddar as my husband and I prefer this flavor. This was a fabulous recipe and definitely a keeper.

Great recipe. Where I grew up, we typically have a "crust" on top, and so I reserved about 1/2 cup of cheese, combined it with crushed saltines (yes, I am from Mississippi) and put the mixture on for the last 5 minutes, I then broiled the top til a beautiful brown, about a minute. Watch it carefully! For new cooks, while a simple recipe, this is a dish that can get away from you. It will look too gooey, and you will want to cooke it longer. Don't. It will cool and firm up.

A little dry - try next time with more liquid and chives or shallots

I use half milk and half cream to make a white sauce, add plenty of mature cheddar, Parmesan cheese, an egg, and a pinch of grated nutmeg plus seasoning, then bake until golden and the top is crispy. One can always add some cooked crispy pancetta or bacon to the pasta before baking it to make it more substantial.

I'm with you on the cheese. "Very sharp" is the cheddar of choice at my house. In fact, I'd say one could experiment at will with different cheeses in this recipe!

Not condensed milk -- evaporated milk! That could be the trouble.

Try adding more salt.

Excellent recipe. I felt it needed salt. I made a double batch - one as directed (plus salt, and Pablo instead of bread crumbs- the other added extra hot sauce and a hefty dose of roasted hatch green chiles. Both were good, but the green chile version was divine.

I felt a little unsure about this recipe, because of the timing instructions. I forgot to add the butter to the pasta, but it turned out delicious! Used chiocciolo pasta - nice elegant shape for this dish. Added regular mustard, used Panko and upped the heat with cayenne. I also used a combo of gruyere and cheddar (what I had in the fridge), and stirred it up but probably not on the time schedule - and it turned out great.
Served with an arugula and tomato salad, and it was a hit!

Always more cheese. But never met a homemade macaroni and cheese that was not wondrrful if prepared carefully with hand grated cheese. With kids, sneak u n some green.

Did half sharp cheddar and half white cheddar was delish. A bit too much mustard for me and would cut that in half next time

If i did it again, I would use more like 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs. The full cup was way too much, overwhelmed the dish and not really that satisfying. I agree with the post below that it would be better with a combination of cheeses. even with the chili sauce and mustard, this was s bit dull.

Alton Brown has a similar ingredient list in his recipe and much easier to cook. The cheese sauce is made stovetop and then mixed with cooked macaroni. It is amazing!

Received high praise! Used about 2/3 very sharp aged cheddar and 1/3 Gruyère, and there in 1/2 cup Parmesan in with the breadcrumbs.

Easy to make and our 7 year old ate it. ;-)

Way too dry. I’d suggest adding more milk or lessening the baking time a little.

There’s a joint in Raleigh, North Carolina called Poole’s Diner. They have the best mac and cheese of all time (it’s absolutely ridiculous) and the recipe is available online. Sharp white cheddar, Jarlsberg, and Grana Padano a bit of heavy cream. It’s about the most sinful thing I’ve ever eaten and is worth every glorious calorie. I believe I’ll make it today. Just because.

Used extra sharp cheddar, the cheese completely broke. When transferring the pasta to the pre-heated dish, the pasta immediately began sticking and "cooking". I'd recommend building the sauce separately, no need to stage it over many minutes and processes.

This is a go to recipe. Made mostly as directed except I use half mild cheddar and half spicy cheddar instead of the red pepper sauce. I also add green onion and andouille sausage.

Tried this- had to add lots more liquid. Frequent mixing after in oven was a bit laborious- will go back to roux method which I find gives better texture

Made 1 1/2 times the recipe. Had to use about 6TB cream because 12 mil can was not quite enough. Used mix of cheeses: cheddar, pecorino, and because i had a few ounces leftover, brie. Baked in 10 inch round shallow pottery pan. Froze. Finished with fried shallots instead of bread crumbs.

add plenty of mature or sharp cheddar, Parmesan cheese and a pinch of grated nutmeg plus seasoning, then bake until golden and the top is crispy. One can always add some cooked crispy pancetta or bacon to the pasta before baking it to make it more substantial.

This was pretty good with good creaminess and flavor, but slightly labor intensive with the multiple stirs and repeatedly having to open the oven. Also, I spread the bread crumbs over the pasta during the last 10 minutes to bake on top. I wouldn’t jump to make it again, but a solid recipe.

I liked this recipe because it wasn’t a huge amount. Although I had evaporated milk, I chose to make a white sauce with 12 oz milk and 1 and 1/2 T of flour. For cheese, I used sharp cheddar, truffle cheddar, 2 oz cream cheese, and a couple of slices of Swiss. Added parm to the breadcrumbs. I cooked the dish for 25 minutes and didn’t mass around with stirring. Delicious. Sriracha sauce and dijon mustard added some pizzaz. Will make again.

Excellent, though I substituted a bit to use what I had on hand: slightly watered-down sour cream instead of evaporated milk, a mix of gruyere and parmesan cheese instead of mild cheddar, panko instead of the specified bread crumbs, and a frilly pasta instead of elbow. It was so good I'm not sure how the "real" recipe could be better but I will try it next time to compare.