Old Fashioned Baked Macaroni and Cheese

This is the ultimate Old Fashioned Baked Macaroni and Cheese recipe. This white cheddar mac and cheese is loaded with flavor and will bring you right back to childhood.

this classic mac and cheese recipe deserves a spot on your holiday table

There is truly nothing more comforting than a scoop of old fashioned baked macaroni and cheese. It immediately transports me back to my childhood.

My nana always made baked mac and cheese and could not understand why we would ever even want to eat the instant stuff. Now trust me, I still grab a blue box every once in a while, but nothing compare to the homemade stuff.

It might take a bit longer, but take the time to grate the cheese by hand for a smooth and creamy sauce. I promise everyone will love this mac and cheese recipe!

Kitchen tools

• Large pot for boiling pasta and making cheese sauce
• Cheese grater
• Measuring spoons, measuring cups and liquid measuring cup
• 9×13 casserole dish

Serving Suggestions

This baked old fashioned mac and cheese recipe is a great addition to any holiday menu! If you need help planning your Thanksgiving meal, check out this Simple Thanksgiving Dinner Menu.

I love making a batch of this old fashioned baked macaroni and cheese for friends who just had a baby or are sick. You can make it ahead of time, freeze it and then pop in the oven whenever you are ready to eat it.

Ingredients

• Pasta
• Butter
• All purpose flour
• Salt, mustard powder, black pepper, smoked paprika
• Extra sharp white cheddar and sharp yellow cheddar
• 2% milk
• Hot sauce

What noodles are best for macaroni?

A classic macaroni noodle will always be a great choice for baked macaroni. I also like to use a large elbow because they hold a bit more cheese sauce.

For this recipe I used cavatapi noodles because the curve is great for a baked mac and cheese. One of my other favorite noodles for this dish is small shells.

Why should i grate my own cheese for baked macaroni?

Pre grated cheeses are made with fillers that prevent in clumping. These fillers make the cheese sauce gritty.

For a smooth and creamy cheese sauce it is best to buy a brick of sharp cheddar cheese and grate it yourself. Then, mix the hand grated cheese into the cheese sauce.

How to make old fashioned baked macaroni and cheese

Step 1: Boil noodles and grate cheese

To begin, preheat oven to 375F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil pasta until al dente.

While the pasta boils, grate the cheese. Mix the white cheddar and yellow cheddar together and then separate into 4 cups of cheese for the sauce and 2 cups of cheese for topping the casserole.

Then, drain cooked pasta and pour into a greased 9×13 casserole dish. 

Step 2: Prepare cheese Sauce

Next, heat a large pot over medium-low heat and place butter inside. Once butter is melted, mix in the flour, salt, mustard powder, black pepper and smoked paprika. Mix until a smooth paste remains.

Slowly whisk in the milk mixing constantly until a smooth even sauce remains. Stir in the hot sauce.

Next, reduce heat to low and pour 4 cups of shredded cheese into the pot. Continue mixing constantly until the cheese is completely and a smooth sauce remains.

Step 3: mix it together and Bake in the oven

Then, pour cheese sauce over the noodles in the casserole dish and toss to coat the noodles evenly. Top with 2 cups shredded cheese.

If you are freezing this dish or making ahead of time, stop cooking here. Cover and place in fridge or freezer. See below for reheating instructions

Finally, bake at 375F covered with foil for 30 minutes, remove the foil and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Storage and reheating

Allow the cooked old fashioned mac and cheese to cool completely and transfer to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Reheat in the oven or toaster oven until warmed through.

can i make this ahead of time?

Yes! You can make this a few days ahead of time and place in the fridge OR you can make it and freeze it. It is good in the freezer for up to 3 months.

To bake from refrigerated, bake at 375F covered with foil for 45 minutes, remove the foil and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

To bake from frozen, bake at 375F covered with foil for 1 hour and 15 minutes, remove the foil and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Check out these other Comforting side dishes

• Easy Creamy Mashed Potatoes
• Cheesy Brussels Sprouts
• Crispy Maple Bacon Brussles Sprouts
• Air Fryer Sweet Potato Wedges

You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!

Recipe

Old Fashioned Baked Macaroni and Cheese

★★★★★ 5 from 3 reviews

A classic recipe for baked macaroni and cheese

Recipe By: Madeline

Prep: 20 minutesCook: 45 minutesTotal: 1 hour 5 minutes

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Servings: 10 servings 1x

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Ingredients

• 1lb pasta – I used cavatapi, but macaroni noodles are great
• 6 cups shredded cheddar cheese (4 cups extra sharp white cheddar + 2 cups sharp yellow cheddar) ***for a smooth sauce, grate this by hand instead of buying pregrated.
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 cups 2% milk
• 1 tsp hot sauce

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil pasta until al dente.
2. While the pasta boils, grate the cheese. Mix the white cheddar and yellow cheddar together and then separate into 4 cups of cheese for the sauce and 2 cups of cheese for topping the casserole.
3. Drain cooked pasta and pour into a greased 9×13 casserole dish. 
4. Heat a large pot over medium-low heat and place butter inside. Once butter is melted, mix in the flour, salt, mustard powder, black pepper and smoked paprika. Mix until a smooth paste remains.
5. Slowly whisk in the milk mixing constantly until a smooth even sauce remains. Stir in the hot sauce.
6. Reduce heat to low and pour 4 cups of shredded cheese into the pot. Continue mixing constantly until the cheese is completely and a smooth sauce remains.
7. Pour cheese sauce over the noodles in the casserole dish and toss to coat the noodles evenly. Top with 2 cups shredded cheese. *** If you are freezing this dish or making ahead of time, stop cooking here. Cover and place in fridge or freezer.
8. Bake at 375F covered with foil for 30 minutes, remove the foil and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

*** To bake from refrigerated, bake at 375F covered with foil for 45 minutes, remove the foil and cook for an additional 15 minutes. To bake from frozen, bake at 375F covered with foil for 1 hour and 15 minutes, remove the foil and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Notes

• hand grated cheese will make the sauce smoother and creamier
• extra sharp white cheddar cheese adds lots of flavor to this dish
• omit the hot sauce if you do not like spice
• use any kind of noodle, but I like cavatapi or macaroni noodles best

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.