Baked Mac & Cheese Recipe

Name: Mac & Cheese
Yield: 1

A bowl of hearty homemade mac and cheese makes a perfect comfort dish!

I don’t want to sound morbid, but if I had to pick a meal I could eat without complaint, it has to be macaroni and cheese. Why not? After all, baked mac and cheese tastes delicious and is a true comfort dish.

Ever since I learned this easy version of baked macaroni and cheese, I cannot stop myself from preparing it every week. The recipe is simple, ingredients are limited, but the taste is mouth-watering.

Whether I’m craving something creamy for dinner or have guests, this easy mac and cheese is always at my rescue. You might find different variations to this recipe, but mine is different because the flavors are the best.

I’m pretty sure you are going to love baked macaroni and cheese just how much I do once you have prepared it my way. Scroll down to get the recipe.

Healthy and Easy Baked Mac and Cheese

Once you know the secret of preparing the creamy and cheesy sauce, preparing mac and cheese at home becomes easy. It’s a simple dish, but the kind of cheese that you have selected can make a difference.

For example, adding high-aged cheddar cheese will give a smoother texture and a stronger taste. But if you put mild cheddar, you get an almost grittier taste and fewer flavors.

Similarly, many people don’t realize that using pre-shredded cheese will not melt the way they expect. So, it’s better to freshly grate cheese because it will smoothly melt in the sauce.

While it’s a family classic baked macaroni cheese with bacon, I was not aware of these cheese tips. Only after I had prepared this recipe a couple of times, I realized what works for my recipe and what doesn’t.

It’s the best mac and cheese recipe you can find online. Even if you don’t enjoy eating mac and cheese, you will love the dish after preparing it my way. You can add some other ingredients to make this recipe fit your palate.

Steps to Make the Best Homemade Mac and Cheese

You can get confused if you are preparing creamy mac and cheese with bacon for the first time. That’s why I have divided the cooking steps so you can recreate the same taste.

Step One

Start preparing easy homemade mac and cheese by mixing four tablespoons of butter in a non-stick pan. Once the butter gets nice and warm, you need to add 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour.

Cook the flour for a couple of minutes, ensuring no lumps are formed. Lumps can ruin the sauce consistency of this baked macaroni recipe.

Take a plate and cut 2 oz. bacon. Add the bacon to the non-stick pan and cook for a few minutes. You can season the bacon with mustard, salt, paprika powder, and pepper for the flavors.

Mix everything properly, so the spices are evenly coated on each bacon piece. After some time, you should add shredded cheese, whole milk, and cream. Give a good mix to the added ingredients, so the cause gets evenly cooked.

Step Two

Once the sauce is cooked, add cooked mini macaroni to it and give a nice stir. Keep stirring until all the ingredients are combined.

Afterward, you need to transfer the cooked mac and cheese to a greased casserole pan. Let the bacon mac and cheese bake for 40 minutes over 375F. Sprinkle freshly chopped parsley and enjoy.

Key Notes:

While cooking the macaroni, try keeping it al-dante, that means undercooked. Drain the macaroni and let it rest aside. Completely cooking the macaroni at first can make it taste bad after it’s added to the cheese sauce.
Try to cook the sauce from the beginning till the end on low flame.
You can improve the sauce consistency by adding milk if it becomes too thick.
You must use cheddar cheese to get the classic and healthy mac and cheese taste. But if you don’t have it, you can also look for alternate options.
You can also add breadcrumbs to the top of the dish before baking it. Breadcrumbs give an extra flavor that can enhance the overall flavors of this macaroni and cheese recipe.
Consider using a thick-bottomed pan, so the flour, butter, or milk doesn’t get burned.

What to serve with baked mac and cheese?

If you have prepared this baked mac and cheese recipe, you can serve it with a fresh green salad or vegetable side. Try keeping the side dish light as mac and cheese is heavy.

In fact, you can use mac and cheese as a side dish for baked pork chops, roasted chicken, crispy garlic chicken, thighs, or any other meat dish.

What is the best cheese for mac and cheese?

Cheddar is the best cheese for this recipe. But you can easily replace it with parmesan as it has an equally salty flavor. Besides this, gruyere, gouda, and Monterey Jack also make a great alternative for the best mac and cheese.

Equipment:

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Mac & Cheese

Are you looking for a homemade alternative to boxed mac and cheese that's easy to make? In that case, you must try my simple mac and cheese recipe that gets prepared in less than an hour.

Servings People

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1

Equipment

Large bowl
Casserole pan

Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 oz. chopped bacon
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon paprika powder
1 teaspoon mustard
1 1/2 cup whole milk
2 cups cream
2 cups shredded cheese
1/2 lb cooked mini macaroni

Instructions

Warm the butter and cook the flour for 1 minute.
Stir in the bacon and cook for another 1 - 2 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper to taste paprika powder and mustard.
Mix until combined, and stir the whole milk, cream, and shredded cheese.
Mix and stir in the cooked mini macaroni.
Stir until everything is combined, transfer to a greased casserole pan, and bake in an already heated oven at 350 F or 180 C degrees for about 40 minutes.
Serve with a sprinkle of freshly chopped parsley.
Enjoy

Author: Scrappy Geek

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

https://youtu.be/8z7RlGygACM

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