You cannot be unhappy with a huge bowl of creamy comforting homemade Baked Mac-N-Cheese. The dynamic duo of sharp cheddar and Gruyere’ is a match made in heaven. Feel free to use any cheese you like but always grate it off the block. Packaged cheese will not do!
Grab a blanket and spoon and dig in.
Tip:
To Make-Ahead, make as directed but do not bake. Transfer to a baking dish and cool completely. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate 1-3 days ahead. Bring to room temp before baking (30 minutes to an hour on the counter). Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes until hot and bubbly.
Holiday Side--- Best Baked Mac-N-Cheese
Author: Tonja Engen
Ingredients
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tsp. Kosher salt
- 2½ cups sharp cheddar, shredded
- 2 cups Gruyere', shredded
- 4 oz. cream cheese
- 1 lb. elbow macaroni
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add pasta. Cook 2 minutes less than the package instructions so pasta is al dente.
- Drain noodles and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil to prevent sticking.
- Next, Bring evaporated milk and whole milk to simmer in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, pepper, and salt. Working in batches, whisk in 2 cups of cheddar and 2 cups of Gruyere' and the cream cheese. Stir until completely smooth.
- Combine cheese mixture into bowl with noodles and mix thoroughly. Pour mixture into baking dish, sprinkle with ½ cup of remaining cheddar cheese, and bake covered for 20 minutes. Remove cover and cook an additional 10 minutes until lighlty brown and bubbly.
Alesia says
Nice change from my usual Mac and cheese recipe. Didn’t have smoked paprika but still tasted great.
Tonja says
So glad you enjoyed!!