Creamy, Cheesy Baked Mac and Cheese

Who doesn't love mac and cheese? I know I'm not raising my hand on that questions a dish I love to eat in restaurants, but until recently, didn't make it at home because I never could get the perfect cheese sauce and don't care for the box mix style, which has absolutely no personality.

But now, thanks to a recipe on Pinterest, I can make my own super version of mac and cheese at home, using any type of cheese I want.

I don't want to sound unpatriotic, but plain American cheese just wasn't cutting it for me when it came to this dish---although it did remind me of some fond childhood memories.

Check This: Chicken and Rice Casserole

I wanted to make a dish you could embellish with any type of cheese you choose, “grown-up” but also one that was creamy, delicious and just as memorable as it was when I was a child. That was a tall order.

This recipe has it all, primarily because you don't make a cheesy sauce first, but grate the cheese on top of the macaroni.

Then pour a creamy sauce over it, top it with Pounded Doritos (or Panko breadcrumbs browned with butter). But I like the taste of Doritos instead (it's only a matter of preference) but highly recommended.

That may not seem like a huge difference since you could always add any cheese to the sauce you wanted, but it is.

What's the reason? I can make as many as four different types of mac and cheese at once!

The key is that you top the pasta with the cheese. So if I want a combination of Gouda and white cheddar, I only put that shredded cheese on one quarter, one third or one half the pasta and then top the other sections based on my family's or guest's taste.

To finish off this delight, just pop it in a preheated 325° F oven for 12 - 15 minutes and you have the perfect grownup mac that will please everybody at the table. You can even use plain ole' American cheese if you're hankering for a blast from the past.

What to do with the leftover mac and cheese?

Well, you can transform the leftover Mac and Cheese into an amazing, yummilicious Mac and Cheese Balls. They are perfect finger foods for weekend family gatherings or your Super Bowl party!

Interesting Reads:

• 9 Substitutes for Milk in Mac and Cheese
• Mac and Cheese Breadsticks
• Trisha Yearwood Crockpot Mac and Cheese
• What Goes Well with Mac and Cheese

For soggy overcooked pasta:

Toss some butter over the freshly drained macaroni pasta. Doing this will slightly coat the noodles to help stop from absorbing more liquid as it bakes.

Remember, hot pasta absorbs more liquid easily. Therefore, it's better to cool them down before mixing the sauce.

Ingredients

• 8 oz. elbow macaroni
• ½ cup butter
• ½ cup flour
• 4 cups milk
• 3 cups sharp or white Cheddar (freshly shredded)
• 3 cups Parmesan cheese (grated)
• ½ cup Doritos (or Panko bread crumbs)

Seasonings

• garlic powder (1 tsp)
• onion powder (1 tsp)
• mustard powder (1 tsp)
• adobo seasoning (1 tsp)

Step by step instructions

for Pasta:

1 Prepare a large pot of salted water and bring it to a boil. Add the elbow macaroni and cook per package directions. Drain the water and add the 1 tablespoon of butter, toss until melted. Set aside to cool down.

for creamy Mac and Cheese sauce

1 Melt butter over low heat in a large saucepan. Add the flour and whisk constantly until smooth for about a minute.

2 Gradually pour 1 cup of milk, keep whisking to mix and dissolve the flour, then add the remaining milk and whisk until lump free.

3 Season with the seasonings above and adjust according to your taste.

4 Keep stirring constantly until the mixture thickens into a creamy consistency. Turn off the heat.

for the assembling:

5 Grease a baking dish and add the pasta. Sprinkle the 6 cups freshly shredded cheese over the top. Pour the creamy sauce over the cheese, wait a bit and stir everything together.

6 Now, pound 1 cup Doritos and sprinkle them on top of the Mac and Cheese.

7 If you are using Panko Crumbs - Melt 1 tablespoon butter and add ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs. Stir constantly until golden brown and sprinkle over the Mac and Cheese.

Bake in a pre-heated 325°F oven for 12 -15 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

Watch The Video Below

More Sauce, More Creamy Mac and Cheese

Who wants a dry Mac and Cheese? I don't like my Mac and Cheese where there's no sauce left after it came out from the oven, so I added more sauce.

The result is cheesy, creamy sauce for my Mac and Cheese and my family loves it.

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Full Recipe

Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese Recipe

3.95 from 54 votes

Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese - This is one of my family favorite recipes. It's so cheesy, creamy with tons of rich cheese sauce and topped with Doritos making it extra delicious!

Servings: 8

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients:

• ▢ 8 oz. elbow macaroni
• ▢ ½ cup butter
• ▢ ½ cup flour
• ▢ 4 cups milk
• ▢ 3 cups sharp or white Cheddar (freshly shredded)
• ▢ 3 cups Parmesan cheese (grated)
• ▢ ½ cup Doritos (or Panko bread crumbs)

Seasonings :

• ▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon adobo seasoning

Instructions:

PASTA:

• Prepare a large pot of salted water and bring it to a boil. Add the elbow macaroni and cook per package directions.
• Drain the water and add the 1 tablespoon of butter, toss until melted. Set aside to cool.

Creamy Mac and Cheese Sauce (You Can Watch the Video Above):

• Melt butter over low heat in a large saucepan. Add the flour and whisk constantly until smooth for about a minute.
• Gradually pour 1 cup of milk, keep whisking to mix and dissolve the flour, then add the remaining milk and whisk until lump free.
• Season with the seasonings above and adjust according to your taste.
• Keep stirring constantly until the mixture thickens into a creamy consistency. Turn off the heat.

Assembling:

• Grease a baking dish and add the pasta. Sprinkle the 6 cups freshly shredded cheese over the top. Pour the creamy sauce over the cheese, wait a bit and stir everything together.
• Now, pound 1 cup Doritos and sprinkle them on top of the Mac and Cheese.
• If you are using Panko Crumbs - Melt 1 tablespoon butter and add ½ cup panko breadcrumbs, stir constantly until golden brown and sprinkle over the Mac and Cheese.
• Bake in a pre-heated 325° F oven for 12 -15 minutes

Watch the Video:

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 676.72kcal | Carbohydrates: 40.71g | Protein: 34.63g | Fat: 41.52g | Saturated Fat: 24.82g | Sodium: 926.42mg | Fiber: 1.45g | Sugar: 7.67g

Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.

Did you make this?I would love seeing what you've made! Tag me on Instagram @theforkbitedotcom or leave me a comment or rating below.

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keywords: baked creamy mac and cheese, baked mac and cheese balls, cheesy baked mac and cheese, dorito mac and cheese bites, doritos mac and cheese, super creamy baked mac and cheese