Get the Recipe: Buffalo-Chicken Macaroni and Cheese The Barefoot Contessa's Lobster Mac & Cheese Turn mac 'n' cheese into a decadent meal with chunks of fresh lobster. And this Mac and Cheese is good! I’m just going to throw the statement out there that this is the BEST Instant Pot Mac and Cheese. Really, this is just the best macaroni and cheese in general, even trumping my prior favorite, this Creamy Macaroni and Cheese with a Potato Chip Crust. I’m using a familiar secret ingredient from that recipe.
I’ve got the answer right here in front of you The Ultimate Macaroni and Cheese for Grownups. But what makes this the ultimate? It’s low in fat and calories! Which means one thingyou can eat more! Ha–and it doesn’t chintz on taste!
It’s amazingly flavorful. Oh and I forgot to mention it takes less than 30 minutes to make! Like many of you, I grew up on Mac-and-Cheese. We’d come home from school and want a snack and mac-and-cheese seemed like the answer.
We’d doctor it up with all kinds of things: Sometimes we’d mix in cooked ground hamburger; other times we’d mix in sliced hot dogs; and there were a couple of times we were scientists and added Ranch dressing or hot sauce (it wasn’t too bad!). But most often we’d eat it alone. Now I’ve grown up and, well, I will admit I’ve outgrown the boxed version of Mac-and-Cheese and have been on the manhunt for a recipe that will make my taste buds sing. I’ve tried several different kinds of homemade mac-n-cheese recipes and none have lived up to what I would want to put on this blog. However, I came upon a Weight Watchers’ magazine and they had this recipe posted in it; but I embellished it!
I have a hard time leaving recipes alone. The recipe seemed a little too blase to me, so I doctored it up with some onion and garlic, which doesn’t add many calories at all, and made it into the ultimate mac-and-cheese for grownups. And guess what? My taste buds sang. If you’re aren’t a fan of onions or garlic, it’s just as comforting without!
This is the Best Mac and Cheese recipe ever! I’m not kidding guys.When I put this in my mouth the first time, I literally stopped to shout hallelujah. Okay not really, but I’m telling you it is SO CREAMY AND SO CHEESY and so worth it. Originally published August 24, 2016 Homemade mac and cheese contest! I take my food photographs on the porch for the best light. Is always coming over to see what I’ve made (and hoping for a taste of course). He came over when I was taking pictures of this Mac and Cheese and said, “Oh, I make the BEST mac and cheese.” I said “No, Tyrone.
This Mac and Cheese is better than yours.” And that’s how this happened: Here we are at our block party last weekend. I was like, Tyrone, if you seriously think your mac and cheese is better than mine, then we need to put this to a vote. So we each brought a pan to the block party and made people pick which one they liked better. Despite an entire week of trash-talking me, I DESTROYED HIM. See those 2 X’s for his mac and cheese? One was a pity vote from me. The recipe is from my awesome friend Hannah. One night I stayed home sick (first trimester blues) on a night that the Young Women at church were having an activity (Hannah and I are their counselors).
They made this homemade mac and cheese and doorbell ditched me a big bowl of it. Eric brought it to me and when I smelled it I almost lost my lunch. But then the next day I was in the mood for it (being pregnant is SO WEIRD). I tried it and could not believe how amazing it was. I had never had baked mac and cheese like this! How to make the best mac and cheese recipe ever!
Want to know the secret? The recipe calls for a half pound of cheese to be layered in between the saucy noodles. See this cheese stretch? HALF A POUND GUYS: I went to a while back and had the mac and cheese. Here’s how they described it on their menu: Mac & Cheese $8 bacon / hella cheese / bread crumbs I’m a mac and cheese purist, so you won’t find any bacon in this recipe, but when Hannah told me that there was a half pound of cheese layered in the center, I definitely thought of this menu description. It’s perfectly appropriate.
ALL THE CHEESE. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8x8 pan (or any 2 quart casserole dish) with butter or nonstick spray. In a 3 quart pot, boil the macaroni according to package instructions. Omit any salt or fat called for.
(Trust me there's enough in this recipe) Should take 6-8 minutes or so. Drain and return to the pot. (If your cheese sauce is not close to being ready, add 1-2 teaspoons oil so your pasta doesn't stick.). Meanwhile in another smallish pot, melt 1/4 cup butter. Once it is hot, whisk in the flour. Cook 1 minute whisking, until it is bubbly.
Slowly stir in the cream and milk. Stir the whole time until it is thick. Add salt and pepper and stir 1 more minute.
Remove from heat and gradually stir in the shredded mozzarella and cheddar. If it is not melting, put it back on the burner over very low heat, stirring until the cheese is incorporated.
Stir the cheese sauce into the cooked macaroni. It's pretty thick. Pour half of the mac and cheese into the prepared casserole dish. Add the 1/2 pound layer of cheese slices. YES DO ALL OF IT. Pour the other half of the mac and cheese on top and spread. In a small bowl, melt 1/4 cup butter.
Stir in the bread crumbs. Spread the mixture on top of the mac and cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350. The top should be turning golden brown and the mac and cheese should be bubbly. By The Food Charlatan.
My husband & I made this for Thanksgiving dinner & our family flipped. Pretty much everyone said it was the best macaroni & cheese they had ever had & requested it to be made for Christmas Eve AND Christmas Day dinners.
We followed the recipe to the T except that we added some chopped & sweated jalapeno, serrano, and habanero peppers & used spicy cheeses for the slices. It was delicious! I’d recommend you make some to share with a bunch of people because this recipe doesn’t hold back on the cals! I made this for the first time in September when we were feeding the youth group at church. The entire (doubled) batch was GONE, and I’m pretty sure they scraped some layers off of the pan trying to make sure they got it all! Featured it on my blog under “feeding a crowd” and linked back to you, of course.
I’m making it again tonight, to take to the fire department Christmas party. I tripled the recipe this time, but my kids demanded that I leave one pan here — so that they would have some for later:D This really is the BEST Mac and Cheese, ever, thanks so much for the winning recipe! Ok So I read the reviews, can’t imagine a Mac n cheese recipe with this much positive results, so I made it.
The rioux (is that the right word, we say gravy if it’s flour and liquid) was easy peasy! I did use the whole cream, splashing a bit more in there. I used the packages of shredded Walmart cheese, I had a variety of several partial packs, just dumped them in.
Had to put it back on heat really low. Used sandwich slices of English cheddar, and Well it worked! Lol, it was great!
Of yeah, I used homemade buttermilk biscuits left over crumbled for panko crumbs. Thanks, it is stellar!
This is pure hedonism, right here! I just made up a batch following your directions to a T, and it came out perfectly.
There’s a problem, though. The recipe says it serves 6. My two teen boys ate early so they could get to their rehearsal, and there’s not enough leftover for me and my mom!!
So I cooked the rest of the box of elbows, added it to the remainder of the mac & cheese along with a bit of cream and a handful of shredded mozzarella and mixed that up good. Put it back in the casserole, layering with a few more slices of cheddar and Monterey Jack, and popped it back in the oven for another 10 minutes. Still perfect!!! Next time I will cook the entire pound of macaroni and adjust the remaining ingredients accordingly. But I wouldn’t swap out any of the cheeses for anything, especially processed cheese. This is a winner!!!
Great question! I’ve never had issues with this, and I think it all comes down to quality of ingredients. Make sure you are using name brand sharp cheddar (I love Tillamook) and a good quality mozzarella. Use whole milk.
Form your roux by SLOWLY whisking in the liquid, take at least 2 minutes to get it all incorporated. Turn off the heat before adding the cheese. Make sure all the cheese is prepped and ready to go before you start making the roux. I hope this helps!! You got this! What the heck is “hella” cheese? Also, how did I not hear about the mac & cheese contest?!?
After eating my mom’s amazing mac & cheese recipe (which you know of course, is legendary in our family) I had serious doubts about your title “Literally, the best mac & cheese”. Blah, blah, blah. Yeah, sure Karen. Then I saw the layering of all that cheese and I concede you might be right. I’m willing to give it a try. I’m pretty sure Chip will fall in love with it being the cheese guy that he is. I will give it a try!