The easiest and cheesiest baked mac and cheese you will ever make.
Ingredients Needed:
- Dry macaroni elbows
- Cheddar cheese
- Milk
- Butter
- Flour
- Dijon mustard
- Dried spices: garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper
Elbow Noodles: These can be replaced with another noodle. Just stick with something similar in size. Yes, whole wheat noodles can be used.
Cheese: We prefer sharp cheddar, but, go with your favorite or with a combination of your favorites!
What kind of dish can be used? I used my cast iron dutch oven ( see recipe card). But, you can use a 9 x 13 dish or a similar size casserole dish. For the majority of baking time, your dish will be covered. So, if you do use a dish with a lid, make sure it’s proper fitting. If not, cover it with foil.
Topping: Again, this is our preference. If a breaded topping is not your thing, it can be omitted. However, you will still have to bake it for the 10 minutes without a lid/cover.
Enjoy!
No Boil Baked Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 16 ounces dry elbow macaroni
- 4 cups milk
- ¼ cup flour
- ½ cup 1 stick butter
- 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- salt/pepper
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon dried paprika
FOR TOPPING:
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread dry pasta into the bottom of the pan or dutch oven.
- Sprinkle 1 cup of cheddar cheese on top of dry pasta.
- In a saucepan, melt butter. Add in flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add in onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper and mustard.
- Slowly stir in milk. Increase heat to light bubble. Reduce and cook for just 3-5 minutes or until mixture is slightly thicken. You don’t have to thicken it completely, it will thicken as it bakes in the oven.
- Add in cheese and cook until completely melted. Remove from heat and mix with dry pasta and shredded cheese.
- Cover and cook for 25 minutes. Remove cover.
- In a bowl, mix together ingredients for topping. Sprinkle on top of macaroni and bake another 10-15 minutes or until top is browned.
- Let it cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Notes
- adapted from Cabot Cheese