This Baked Macaroni and Cheese recipe is family favourite! The most perfect macaroni and cheese topped with a buttery breadcrumbs and baked to perfection.
Creamy, cheesy macaroni topped with buttery breadcrumbs? The ultimate comfort food and family favourite meal right here! I mean, who doesn’t like a bowl of mac and cheese? Whether you’re a kid or adult, its hard to resist!
We do our best to eat healthy around here but every now and then, its time to indulge! And what better way to do this than with a cheesy pasta dish?!
Its easy to make and dangerously enjoyable to eat. It’s hard to eat this in moderation. Rarely does this serve as a side dish around here. Its the star of the show. Everything else takes a back seat to Baked Macaroni and Cheese!
How to make Baked Macaroni and Cheese
This dish is quite easy to make and although it isn’t healthy, it is definitely healthier than many versions out there. There is no processed cheese or heavy cream here. Just simple ingredients that you likely already have on hand.
To make the mac and cheese base, you’ll need:
- macaroni
- butter
- flour
- milk
- cheddar cheese (can substitute your favourite melty cheese)
- seasoning (salt, pepper, turmeric, mustard powder, paprika)
First, you need to get your macaroni cooking in a large pot of salted water. While they’re cooking, you set to work on the cheese sauce.
I start by melting butter and then adding the flour to create a roux. Then I add the milk and seasonings. Finally, once it is nice and creamy, I stir in the cheese. Lots of cheese, because this is mac and cheese, afterall!
Into a greased baking dish it goes, sprinkle some more cheese on top (because there is no such thing as too much when it comes to cheese) and then its time to get the topping ready!
What you’ll need for the breadcrumb topping:
- panko breadcrumbs
- dried parsley
- oregano
- grated parmesan cheese
- melted butter
To form the topping, I simply mix everthing together in a bowl and then sprinkle it on top of the mac and cheese!
Then into the oven it goes to bake for 20 minutes at 350F.
Simple right?
That is literally all it takes to make the most satisfying meal to please the whole family!
Hope you enjoy this dish!
Bon appetit!
-Cathy
You may also like:
Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese
Veggie Mac and Cheese
Healthy Mac and Cheese with Asparagus
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup butter + 1 tablespoon (to grease baking dish)
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/8 teaspoon mustard powder
- 3 1/2 cups milk
- 3 cups cheddar cheese grated
- 4 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (or pasta of choice)
Breadcrumb Topping
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 cup cheddar cheese grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease a baking dish with 1 tablespoon butter.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook elbow macaroni according to package directions. Drain.
- In a saucepan over medium-high heat, melt remaining butter and add flour, salt, pepper, paprika, mustard powder and turmeric powder. Whisk to create a roux. Whisk in milk and continue to whisk until it begins to bubble. Remove from heat and stir in grated cheese.
- Toss drained pasta and cheese sauce together and transfer to the baking dish. Top with 1 cup of grated cheddar cheese.
- In a bowl, mix panko breadcrumbs, dried parsley, oregano, Parmesan cheese and melted butter. Sprinkle on top of the macaroni and cheese. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Note: Metric ingredient measurements are provided as a courtesy using a third-party calculator and are rounded to the nearest unit. The recipes provided on this site have not been tested with metric measurements and their accuracy cannot be verified.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is based on third-party calculations and is an estimate only. Accurate nutritional facts will vary based on the particular brands used, portion sizes, measurement accuracy and more.
