This simple baked mac and cheese recipe features a dreamy combination gouda and Havarti cheese for a silky homemade cheese sauce that tastes SO MUCH BETTER than the boxed kind. Plus, it boasts a buttery, crunchy panko breadcrumb topping that makes it next-level.
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“Made this last night. Came out perfect. Best oven baked macaroni and cheese I have made so far. Thanks for the recipe!” -Sherie, FoodieCrush reader
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This Is the Creamiest Baked Mac and Cheese EVER
Mac and cheese is classic dish that everyone should know how to make.
Over the years, I’ve made many versions for my blog, including this Instant Pot mac and cheese, this one with lobster, and mac and cheese with chicken and broccoli, and I’ve deemed each of them a wonder in their own right.
But I was missing that basic, homey, comfort food classic of a good old-fashioned baked mac and cheese. Not anymore.
This easy baked mac and cheese recipe comes from a friend. And that friend would be Arla Dofino, the Wisconsin cheese company that makes the best gouda and Havarti I’ve had. Both are super creamy and thus, perfect for mac and cheese.
Enjoy!
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
When cooking your pasta, be sure to cook it just until al denté. When it’s baked in the oven, the macaroni will continue to cook and you don’t want to end up with mush.
Choose the right cheese for a creamy, velvety sauce. I’ve used sharp cheddar, gruyere, Parmesan, and other hard cheeses in my mac and cheese recipes, but this one, with soft and flavorful gouda, delivers just the right mild cheese flavor and the ultra-creamy havarti makes for an incredibly silky sauce.
For an extra bit of flavor, add a dash of nutmeg to the cheese sauce before mixing it in with the pasta. You won’t taste the nutmeg, but it’ll add a little something to the sauce.
Lastly, for the best flavor, you should buy a block of cheese and shred it yourself. The pre-shredded cheese that comes in bags is often coated in cornstarch to prevent the cheese from sticking to itself. That added cornstarch can make the cheese sauce grainy, which you don’t want.
What’s in This Recipe?
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Butter—for making a roux which will thicken the mac and cheese, and for the toasty golden brown breadcrumb topping.
- Dry mustard powder—this delivers just the right amount of heat to this sauce (you could also use Dijon mustard though).
- Flour—gets mixed with butter to make our roux.
- Whole milk—If you don’t have whole milk on hand, you can get away with using 2% instead. I wouldn’t choose milk with less fat than that though since the milk fat adds lots of flavor and moisture to the homemade mac and cheese. I don’t recommend using cream here.
- Cheese—I love the Havarti and Gouda mixed together, but you could use a sharp cheddar cheese instead.
- Elbow pasta— My favorite is from another partner of mine, DeLallo Foods. Their premium elbow noodles are made in Italy with semolina flour so they have a perfectly toothsome bite. Perfect for cheese sauce to drape and snuggle in each pasta crevice. Avoid using long, thin pasta like spaghetti since they can’t hold up to the creamy cheese sauce.
- Kosher salt—always, for flavor.
- White pepper—I prefer ground white pepper instead of traditional black pepper in this dish to avoid the dark flakes but still get that peppery flavor.
- Breadcrumbs—for a crunchy topping (I use Panko and love the texture these add).
How to Make the BEST Baked Mac and Cheese
- Make your roux. This will be the base of your cheesy sauce. Cook the butter and flour together whisking constantly until it begins to smell nutty. This is my favorite whisk for making anything with a roux because it really gets into the edges of the pan and doesn’t scratch it while whisking.
Heidi’s Tip: As long as your milk is cold, you can dump it all in at once and you won’t have any clumping. Cook, whisking often until it thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.
- Boil your pasta in a large pot just until just al dente. Drain the water and pour the cooked pasta into the pot with the cheese sauce.
- Transfer to a baking dish or casserole dish. It may feel like you have a lot of extra sauce, but trust (you’ll want all of it). The sauce bakes into the noodles, and again, the best part of this dish is the creamy sauce, even after it’s been baked.
- Top the mac and cheese with breadcrumbs. Then cover your dish with aluminum foil and it in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes. Take off the foil and return to the oven so the top can get toasty and golden brown.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
The BEST Baked Mac and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons dry mustard
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups whole milk
- 3 cups shredded havarti cheese , (approx. 10 ounces total)
- 3 cups shredded gouda cheese , (approx. 10 ounces total)
- 1 pound elbow macaroni or any short pasta noodle
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon white ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley , optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Make the roux. In a deep bottom saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add mustard and flour. Whisk briskly for about 2 minutes to cook the flour. Pour in milk, whisking continuously to prevent any lumps. Keep whisking until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Finish the cheese sauce. Stir in cheese until smooth and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Boil the pasta until just al dente. Drain the water and pour the pasta into the pot with the cheese sauce.
- Assemble. Transfer the mixture to a 9 X 13-inch casserole dish. Sprinkle evenly with breadcrumbs. Cover with foil.
- Bake. Place mac and cheese in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and return the mac and cheese to the oven to continue baking for 10-15 minutes, or until the top is bubbling and golden brown. Top with chopped parsley if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Storage, Freezing, and Reheating
To store: Leftovers of this creamy homemade baked mac and cheese will last for up to 5 days in the fridge.
To reheat: If you wind up with leftover baked mac and cheese, I recommend reheating it, covered, in the oven. You can also reheat mac and cheese on the stove with a little milk to prevent it from drying out. You’ll want to use a heavy-bottomed saucepan for this and should reheat the homemade mac and cheese over low heat.
To freeze: You can either freeze it after it’s baked and reheat it when it’s time to eat or prepare your mac and cheese and freeze it before baking which will come out creamier and less grainy after cooking since it hasn’t been heated twice.
How to cook frozen macaroni and cheese: Do not thaw the frozen macaroni and cheese before baking. Cover the frozen macaroni and cheese with aluminum foil and bake in a 375°F oven for 60-75 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for an additional 15 minutes or until bubbly.
FAQs
I doubled this homemade mac and cheese recipe because I was making it for a party. Some recipes caution against doubling recipes all at once, but this one worked just fine.
I’ve found mac and cheese tastes best when it is baked fresh rather than baked and reheated so the cheese doesn’t break and get greasy.
If you want to make this baked mac and cheese ahead of time, assemble it all but DO NOT BAKE, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
You can also freeze it (wrapped well!) for up to 1 month. Then, pull out of the refrigerator or freezer and bake. Allow extra baking time if it’s coming straight from the fridge or freezer.
I like to cover my mac and cheese with foil for the first 15 minutes of baking, and then remove it and continue baking uncovered for 10-15 minutes, or until the top is bubbling and golden brown. This combo of baking covered and then uncovered delivers the best texture.
What to Serve With Baked Mac and Cheese
- Roast Turkey Breast
- Instant Pot Pork Ribs
- The BEST Meatloaf
- Buttermilk Fried Chicken
- Portobello Mushroom Burgers
- Crispy Buffalo Chicken Breasts
More Mac and Cheese Recipes You’ll Love
- Stovetop Mac and Cheese (with evaporated milk)
- Mini Meatball Mac and Cheese
- The Best Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese
- Skillet Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
- Mac and Cheese with Chicken and Broccoli
- Fried Mac and Cheese Balls
- Truffled Gnocchi Macaroni and Cheese
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Nancy
I made this recipe for New Years Eve and my guests absolutely loved it!
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
That is great! Happy New Year!
Richard A Bemont
Hi Heidi,
Currently about 20 degrees and windy in CT so all I could think of for a comfort meal was your mac and cheese. Like one of your other responders, I could only find 8 oz. packages of gouda and Havarti so I add 4 oz. of Fontina. My daughter and son-in-law are Cheese Heads living in Hudson, WI. Son-in-law is a native but daughter is a dyed in the wool New Englander. I’ve made this for them when they visit to rave reviews, even though my son-in-law is a bit of a cheese snob. Can’t wait for dinner. Even my wife loves it and she’s one of the pickiest eaters on the planet. Thanks for the go-to recipe
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe Richard! And yes, any creamy cheese will totally work. Stay warm!
El
Linda – You can also add either smoked paprika or cayenne to give it a little punch. I find that many dishes with a lot of cheese can be a little bland. Generally, what the sauce tastes like is what you’ll end up with in the finished dish.
No Heather, that must have been a glitch in the recipe card :)
Thanks for your comment Linda, adding onion is a good way to add more flavor too. Thanks for your input!
Thanks for your tip Tony. The cold milk does actually help any roux avoid any clumping. :)
Chris Holt
I have this in the oven right now for a cookout I’m going to. I used a Boars Head Smoked Gouda with the Havarti so it has a nice smokey flavor. I expect it will be a big hit. Thanks for the recipe!
Trine Krueger
Hi! This looks amazing! We are looking forward to making this for a big family dinner after my sons baptism but I can’t find any where that says the serving size one recipe makes? I am counting on 24 adults, do you think I would need to double or triple this recipe? Thank you in advance!
MEGAN
Hi, wondering what you decided! I want to make it for about 25 too. Double or triple?
Samantha
Anyone have an answer to this yet?
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
Hello! This dish would serves 8-12 as is! I would 2-3x the recipe for your big group!
Thanks for sharing it Trine. If this is the only recipe you’ll be making for that many, you could triple it but you’ll likely have leftovers. If you’re serving it as a side, doubling it will be plenty!
Sherie
Made this last night. Came out perfect. Best oven baked macaroni and cheese I have made so far. Thanks for the recipe!
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
Thanks Sherie, Happy to hear that!
So glad you love it Sherie! Thank you for the rating!!!
Carrie
Where I can get the Arla Dofino – your links aren’t working, when I googled all I found were snack cheese and slices and their products. I have had their snack size so I know their cheese is AMAZING. How can I get a block??