This Home Made Mac and Cheese is creamy, ridiculously cheesy and exactly the kind of comfort food you want when only a bowl of pasta and melted cheese will do.
And one of my favourite things about it?
It is all made in the same ovenproof pot.
Cook the macaroni, drain it, make the creamy cheese sauce, fold the pasta back through, cover everything with more cheese and transfer the whole thing straight into the oven.
No separate saucepan for the cheese sauce and no casserole dish to wash afterwards.
Less washing up is always a win in my kitchen. 😂
The sauce is made with butter, flour, chicken stock, milk and cream, with plenty of cheddar and mozzarella melted through it. The remaining cheese goes over the top before the mac and cheese is baked until golden, bubbling and beautifully cheesy.
A lot of baked mac and cheese recipes have you boiling pasta in one pot, making cheese sauce in another saucepan and then transferring everything into a third dish for baking.
Not this one.
Use a large ovenproof Dutch oven or deep ovenproof pan and you can do almost everything in the same pot.
First cook the macaroni in it, drain the pasta and set it aside briefly.
Then use the same pot to make your cheese sauce.
The macaroni goes straight back in, the remaining cheese goes over the top and the entire pot goes into the oven.
One cooking pot from start to finish.
That means you still get proper homemade baked mac and cheese without creating a kitchen full of dirty dishes.
Because the macaroni is going into the oven, do not cook it until very soft.
Cook it just shy of al dente, then drain it.
The pasta continues cooking once it is mixed with the hot cheese sauce and baked, so slightly undercooking it at the beginning helps prevent soft, mushy macaroni later.
The creamy sauce starts with butter and flour.
The flour cooks briefly in the melted butter before chicken stock is gradually whisked in, followed by milk and cream.
This creates a thick, smooth base for all that cheese.
I also add garlic and herb seasoning and paprika. They are subtle additions, but they stop the sauce from tasting flat without overpowering the cheese.
I use both cheddar and mozzarella because they do different jobs.
Cheddar gives the mac and cheese plenty of savoury cheese flavour.
Mozzarella gives you that creamy, stretchy melted texture.
Half of the cheese goes into the sauce and the rest is scattered generously over the top before baking.
And this is not really the recipe for being stingy with cheese. 😂
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Bring salted water to the boil in a large ovenproof Dutch oven or deep ovenproof pot.
Add the macaroni and cook until just shy of al dente.
Drain the macaroni and set it aside briefly.
Return the same pot to the stove.
Place the pot over medium heat and add the butter.
Once melted, add the garlic and herb seasoning and paprika.
Stir briefly.
Add the flour and mix well until completely incorporated into the butter.
Cook for approximately 1 to 2 minutes, stirring continuously.
This cooks out the raw flour taste.
Gradually pour in the chicken stock while whisking continuously.
Adding it slowly makes it easier to keep the sauce smooth.
Gradually add the milk while continuing to whisk.
Cook until the sauce is smooth and beginning to thicken.
Pour in the cream and stir well.
Reduce the heat to low.
Add half of the grated cheddar and mozzarella.
Stir gently until the cheese has melted and the sauce is creamy and smooth.
Do not allow the sauce to boil aggressively once the cheese has been added.
Taste and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed.
Add the drained macaroni straight back into the cheese sauce.
Fold gently until every piece of pasta is generously coated.
Spread the macaroni evenly in the pot.
Scatter the remaining cheddar and mozzarella generously over the top.
Transfer the same ovenproof pot directly into the preheated oven.
Bake for approximately 20 to 25 minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbling and golden on top.
Allow the mac and cheese to stand for about 5 minutes before serving.
This is probably one of my favourite things about the recipe.
Once dinner is finished, you are not staring at a pasta pot, a saucepan covered in cheese sauce and a baking dish.
The same ovenproof pot does almost everything.
Yes, you will need a colander to drain the macaroni, but when it comes to the actual cooking, sauce-making and baking, it all happens in one pot.
For a dinner this cheesy, that feels like a very fair deal.
The first rule is not to overcook the pasta before it goes into the oven.
The second is to make sure you have enough sauce.
The macaroni will absorb some of the liquid while it bakes, so the mixture should look creamy and generously sauced before it goes into the oven.
Finally, melt the cheese over low heat.
Once the cheese goes into the sauce, there is no need for aggressive boiling.
Gentle heat gives you a smoother cheese sauce.
Yes.
Simply replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock.
Everything else in the recipe can remain the same.
Yes.
Macaroni is the obvious classic, but other short pasta shapes that hold creamy sauce well are also good.
Try:
Whatever pasta you use, remember to slightly undercook it before baking.
Absolutely.
Cheddar and mozzarella are my combination for this recipe, but you can play around with other good melting cheeses.
Mature cheddar gives you a stronger flavour, while Gouda, Gruyère or Monterey Jack could replace some of the cheese.
I would still keep a good portion of cheddar because it gives mac and cheese that familiar savoury flavour.
This recipe is delicious exactly as it is, but it is also easy to change.
Add chilli flakes, jalapeños or finely chopped fresh chilli for a little heat.
Fold shredded leftover chicken through before baking for an even more substantial dinner.
Crispy bacon works beautifully with the creamy cheese sauce.
Small cooked broccoli florets are an easy way to add some vegetables.
Scatter seasoned breadcrumbs over the final layer of cheese if you want an extra crunchy topping.
This can absolutely be dinner all by itself.
But if you want something alongside it, try:
Or simply put a big spoonful into a bowl and enjoy it exactly as it is.
Yes.
Prepare the macaroni and cheese sauce in your ovenproof pot, combine everything and add the cheese topping.
Allow it to cool, cover and refrigerate until needed.
When baking from chilled, allow a little additional oven time.
I also like keeping the sauce slightly looser if I know the dish will be sitting before baking, because the macaroni continues absorbing moisture.
Mac and cheese naturally thickens as it cools.
When reheating leftovers, add a small splash of milk or cream to bring some moisture back into the sauce.
Reheat gently until piping hot.
This is exactly the kind of recipe I want when I am craving proper comfort food but do not want to spend half the evening cleaning the kitchen afterwards.
Boil the pasta, make the creamy cheese sauce, mix everything together and bake it all in the same pot.
The result is creamy underneath, golden and bubbling on top and loaded with cheddar and mozzarella.
One pot, loads of cheese and fewer dishes to wash. I will happily take that.
You might also like. Click on the image to get the recipe.
Rich and creamy one pot baked mac and cheese made with cheddar, mozzarella, milk and cream in a homemade cheese sauce, then baked until golden and bubbling.
PASTA:
Cook the macaroni just shy of al dente because it will continue cooking in the oven.
CHEESE:
Freshly grated cheese melts more smoothly than many pre-grated cheeses.
SAUCE:
The sauce should look quite generous before baking. The pasta will absorb some of it in the oven.
HEAT:
Keep the heat low once the cheese is added to help prevent the sauce from becoming grainy.
STOCK:
Use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock if you want to keep the mac and cheese vegetarian.
MAKE AHEAD:
Assemble ahead and refrigerate before baking. Add a little extra baking time if cooking directly from chilled.
LEFTOVERS:
Add a splash of milk or cream when reheating to loosen the sauce.
