This ultimate homemade macaroni and cheese is the perfect comfort food for grown-ups! Rich, creamy, and cheesy, it’s bursting with bold flavors in every bite, this recipe takes it to the next level. Topped with a layer of crispy bread crumbs, it adds a satisfying crunch to balance the creamy goodness. It’s an irresistible twist on a classic that’s sure to impress!
Macaroni and cheese might be a simple dish, but it brings out some pretty strong emotions. It’s one of those comfort foods that takes us right back to childhood—satisfying kids and sparking nostalgia in adults. Of course, it can also bring out a little frustration when your kids refuse to eat anything else!
It’s super easy to make, and you can jazz it up with extra ingredients to add more flavor, or keep it simple if that’s more your style (or your picky eaters’). I love tossing in a little onion, garlic, dry mustard, and cayenne pepper to give the cheese sauce an extra kick. And the best part? The golden, crunchy breadcrumbs on top that add a perfect little crunch and make every bite even better.
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Ingredients
- macaroni pasta: elbow macaroni pasta is the most traditional to use, but many other medium shaped pasta will work also. We also like to use small shell pasta, cavatappi, ditalini, fusilli and orecchiette.
- butter, for the cheese sauce + more for toasting the breadcrumbs
- onion
- garlic
- all purpose flour
- milk (I usually use whole milk)
- salt, ground black pepper
- dry mustard, nutmeg optional: dry mustard isn't strong at all and we're only adding a little bit. It might sound strange to use it, but the slight acidity that it adds will help to cut through the rich and creamy sauce. Nutmeg is a classic addition to bechamel sauces, so it's perfect here too. We also only use a little bit, but it brings out the nuttiness of the cheeses.
- cayenne pepper, optional for a little bit of heat
- grated cheese: I used cheddar cheese and monterey jack cheese. This is the perfect recipe to experiment with lots of different cheese options. Use any combination of different varieties of cheeses that melt well. Some other great options are Colby Jack, gruyere, Jarlsberg, asiago. I also like using Parmesan cheese, which adds a lovely nutty flavor.
- breadcrumbs: fresh breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs are my favorite for this
How to make homemade macaroni and cheese
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions and then drain.
- Meanwhile, as you're waiting for the water to boil and the pasta to cook, you will make the sauce. This way, everything should be ready once the pasta is drained. Isn't that convenient?
- Saute the onion and garlic. In a heavy bottomed pot, melt the butter. Add the minced onion, season with a pinch of salt and cook until the onions are tender and translucent, but not golden. Add the minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Make the roux. Add the flour and mix until it's completely incorporated into the butter, stirring the whole time, just until the flour starts to get golden, about 1 minute
- Slowly pour in the milk, a little bit at a time, whisking constantly so that you don' t get any lumps.
- Add the salt, ground black pepper, dry mustard, nutmeg and cayenne pepper. Mix to combine. Bring the milk to a simmer, covered, on medium low heat. Keep cooking until the milk thickens up, about 5 minutes.
- Now we're ready for the cheese! Turn off the heat and add the cheeses, mixing to combine, until the cheese is melted and smooth.
- Time to mix it all together. Add the drained pasta to the cheese sauce and mix until the sauce is coating all the pasta.
The macaroni and cheese will be very saucy and creamy right away, when you mix it all together. The longer is stands, the thicker it will be. You can add a little bit more milk, or even broth, to thin it out, if you need to.
Serving the Macaroni and Cheese
- For the breadcrumb topping, toast the breadcrumbs in the butter, on a skillet, over medium heat, stirring frequently until golden brown.
- Serve right away. The longer the macaroni and cheese stands, the thicker it will get. If you want to thin it out or reheat leftovers, add some milk to it and it should still have a great saucy consistency.
- Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over each portion of macaroni and cheese.
Helpful Tips and Frequently Asked Questions
You can omit the onion and garlic, if you want to make this recipe even easier or just want to keep the flavors very simple. Not a problem at all. Just make the cheese sauce without them, then you can add some onion powder and garlic powder along with the other spices to still add some of those flavors in.
If you want to bake the macaroni and cheese in the oven, undercook the pasta, so that it still has a little bit of bite left to it. Mix the pasta with the cheese sauce, pour the macaroni and cheese into a rimmed baking dish, (a 13x9 inch baking dish works great for this) and bake in a preheated 350 degrees Fahrenheit, until the Macaroni and Cheese is bubbling around the edges.
This is perfect to prep it ahead of time. You can have it all cooked, assembled and ready to go in the oven up to a few days in advance. Sprinkle with the toasted bread crumbs when it's hot and bubbly and serve.
Macaroni and cheese is always best served right away, but if you have leftovers, make sure to reheat it very slowly and on low heat. This will prevent the sauce from breaking and become really greasy and unpleasant.
Add the macaroni and cheese to a skillet, add a little bit of milk or even broth to help loosen up the sauce and to create some steam in the skillet. Cover, and reheat on low heat, stirring frequently, until the pasta is just heated through.
More Cheesy Pasta Recipes
Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese - the easiest mac and cheese recipe!
PrintHomemade Macaroni and Cheese
This is the ultimate homemade macaroni and cheese for grown ups! Cheesy, creamy, packed with flavor and sprinkled with some crunchy bread crumbs on top to make it even more amazing.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings
- Category: Sides
Ingredients
- 16 oz pasta (elbows, shells, whatever and you like)
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 1 small onion, minced (optional)
- 1 garlic clove, minced (optional)
- 6 Tablespoons all purpose flour
- 5 cups of milk (+ about ½ cup more milk if you are reheating the pasta)
- 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard, optional
- dash of nutmeg, optional
- dash of cayenne pepper, optional
- 8 oz cheddar cheese, grated
- 8 oz monterey jack cheese, grated
- Breadcrumb Topping:
- 1 ½ Tablespoons butter
- 1 - 1 ½ cups fresh breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions and then drain.
- While you are waiting for the water to boil and cook, make the sauce, so everything should be ready once the pasta is drained.
- In a heavy bottomed pot, melt the butter. Add the minced onion, season with a pinch of salt and cook until the onions are tender and translucent, but not golden. Add the minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Add the flour and mix until it's completely incorporated into the butter, stirring the whole time, just until the flour starts to get golden, about 1 minute.
- Slowly pour in the milk, a little bit at a time, whisking constantly so that you don't get any lumps. Add the salt, ground black pepper, dry mustard and cayenne pepper. Mix to combine. Bring the milk to a simmer, covered, on medium low heat. Keep cooking until the milk thickens up, about 5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and add the cheeses, mixing to combine, until the cheese is melted and smooth.
- Add the drained pasta to the cheese sauce and mix until the sauce is coating all the pasta. Serve right away. The longer the macaroni and cheese stands, the thicker it will get. If you want to thin it out or reheat leftovers, add some milk to it and it should still have a great saucy consistency.
- For the breadcrumb topping, toast the breadcrumbs in the butter, on a skillet, over medium heat, stirring frequently until golden brown.
- Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over each portion of macaroni and cheese.
Notes
This recipe makes a big batch of macaroni and cheese. You can easily halve the recipe if you don't want to make too much.
- If you want to bake the macaroni and cheese in the oven, undercook the pasta, so that it still has a little bit of bite left to it. Mix the pasta with the cheese sauce, pour the macaroni and cheese into a rimmed baking dish, (a 13x9 inch baking dish works great for this) and bake in a preheated 350 degrees Fahrenheit, until the Macaroni and Cheese is bubbling around the edges. Sprinkle with the toasted bread crumbs and serve.
Can I use any other cheese besides Montery Jack? I am out at the moment😬
Absolutely! In this recipe, I used a mix of cheddar and Monterey Jack, but it’s a great one to experiment with! You can use any combination of cheeses that melt well. You can simply use cheddar by itself. Colby Jack, Gruyère, Jarslberg and Asiago are all great options. I also love adding a bit of Parmesan for a nice nutty flavor. Feel free to get creative with what you have on hand!
Made this today and it is delicious! Perfect mac and cheese recipe!
I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed it, Natallia.
That is very interesting. Thanks for sharing your recipes.
I tried this recipe a few days ago; fantastic mac n' cheese!! The kids loved it. I did half the recipe & used only yellow cheddar cheese and it turned out perfect; reheated very nicely. Thanks for sharing.
That's great, Natasha. Thank you for taking the time to write.
We tried this today and it's definitely a make again recipe! thank you! 🙂
I'm so happy to hear that, Natasha. Thank you for taking the time to write.
would it still work out if i used double cheddar instead of the jack cheese?
Sure it will, Marta:).
Olga, thanks for posting this recipe! Tried making Mac and Cheese for the first time in my lifetime. I'm not a big fan of Mac n Cheese, but this recipe was pretty good. (Maybe because we grew up not having much of it). Our little ones asked for seconds though. I gotta tell ya, the addition of toasted bread crumbs makes it waaaay better! And minced onion and garlic take away a lot of the "blandness". I had to add a teensy bit of salt in addition to one teaspoon. I like the fact that it's so fast to make. Was nice to come back from sledding and have a meal within half an hour.
I'm so happy to hear that, Larisa. I agree that the bread crumbs bring the mac and cheese to a whole other level. And onions and garlic make almost everything taste better in my opinion:). I'm thrilled that your little ones enjoyed it.
For some reason my milk did not thicken nor did the cheese actually melt in the milk..
I'm sorry to hear that, Amy. Perhaps you didn't cook the sauce long enough?
Also, about the cheese not melting - did you use pre shredded cheese? Sometimes certain types of pre shredded cheese have a lot of stabilizers in them which would prevent it from melting. I've never had this happen to me before, so I'm not sure how to help you.
Can it be frozen?
Yes, Masha. I would recommend undercooking the pasta if you plan to freeze it, since it will become softer while frozen and then when you reheat it.
What a creamy looking mac and cheese.....nothing worse than dry mac and cheese. Fantastic photos. Pinned. Thank you,
Creamy is the most important thing in mac and cheese:). I hope you enjoy it, Mary.
I'm always looking for a great macaroni and cheese recipe. This one sounds amazing and not too complicated! I can't wait to try it!
I hope you enjoy it, Rachel.
Olga -
My mouth is totally watering right now. I will be trying this recipe this weekend. Thank you for your easy and simple recipes. They are always a hit in our home!
I'm so happy to hear that, Olga. Thank you for your kind words.
I've been waiting for this recipe! It will be on my menu plan this week! Thank you!
Thank you for the kind words, Angela. God bless you too.