Baked Macaroni & Cheese

The first time I had this mac & cheese, was right after my son was born when my friend Kim L. , her husband and daughter came to visit and see our new baby. She brought this dish ready to be baked and once I tasted it, I was hooked. It was delicious! And could be made in advance (which you know I love)!

I don’t make it much anymore, however, and here’s why: my daughter doesn’t like “homemade” mac & cheese, she only likes the blue box stuff with the powdered cheese mix; and my husband has recently become severely lactose intolerant, so a bunch of cheese and milk isn’t really going to help him have a good night’s sleep. My son, on the other hand, LOVES this, and asks for it all the time. So, I thought tonight would be a good night to make it since my daughter would be at a friend’s house and my husband had non-cheesy leftovers from last night he could eat. My son, his friend, and I had all the mac & cheese to ourselves.

Because this is such a heavy dish, I like to serve it with raw veggies or salad. Tonight I just served a bunch of fresh carrot and celery sticks with Ranch dressing. There is something about eating something cold and crunchy, with something hot and squishy. It just works. You know what I mean.


Baked Macaroni & Cheese – courtesy of Kim L.

2 quarts water
8 ounces elbow macaroni
4 Tbsp. Butter, divided
3 - 4 slices bread, cubed
1 small onion, minced (I use even less…maybe ½ of a small onion)
1 Tbsp. All-purpose flour
1 tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Dry mustard
1/8 tsp. Pepper
1-1/2 cups milk
8 ounces shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese
4 ounces shredded swiss cheese
(these are the cheeses I like to use, you can use any combination of cheeses that you like!)

1. Cook macaroni. Drain and set aside. Grease 2 qt baking dish (or use cooking spray). Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. While cooking macaroni….In 2-qt saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 Tbsp butter, add onion and cook until tender. (5-10 minutes).
3. Blend in flour, mustard, pepper and salt. Stir in milk. Cook, stirring until thickened. Add a little extra flour if needed. Remove from heat and stir in cheese
4. Place macaroni in baking dish. Pour cheese mixture over macaroni and mix well.
5. Using pan you cooked macaroni in, melt 2 tbsp butter over medium heat. Add bread cubes and toss to coat.
6. Place bread cubes on top of macaroni & cheese mixture.
7. Bake in oven 20 minutes or until bread cubes are lightly browned.

I think this is a great recipe to make for a family you may be making a meal for. It is easy to double, and can be baked in a heavy duty disposable foil pan, so that you don’t even have to worry about getting your pan back. If you prepare it ahead and refrigerate it for yourself or someone else, be sure to add 10-15 minutes to the baking time!

Definitely experiment with different types of cheeses. I haven’t done this because we have been happy with it the way it is. But if you do, please let me know! I would love to know which cheeses you try!

One last thing, don't be ashamed if you are a "box" Mac & Cheese kind of family. I still buy the 12 pack of it at Sam's all the time. There are some nights when I grab a box of that to make for the kids because there was no plan in place for dinner. Plus, that is still my daughter's favorite...for now. Hopefully one day, she'll realize that mom's is the best! ;)