Cheesy Baked Mac & Cheese – A Crowd Favorite from My Cookbook!

Happy day! This is one of my all-time favorite recipes. It is perfect for Christmas or Thanksgiving. It is a casserole that everybody loves and will make the kids so happy if you make it for the holidays. It is also one of my all-time favorite recipes in our cookbook, a baked mac and cheese. You guys are gonna love it. It is so good. If you haven't already gotten your hands on it, I'll leave a link to this in the notes. I'm totally craving some creamy cheesy baked mac and cheese, so let's get started. Start by generously buttering the bottom and sides of a 9x13 casserole dish. This, by the way, is my go-to casserole dish. I use it for everything and I will link to it in the recipe notes. You'll need one pound of elbow macaroni, which is classic for macaroni and cheese. Salt a pot of boiling water, then add the pasta. Cook that until it's al dente, according to the package instructions. And the key to keep the pasta from sticking together is to stir, especially at the beginning of cooking. Before you drain the pasta, make sure to reserve half a cup of pasta cooking water. You'll need that for the sauce. Drain the pasta, then drizzle the top with a tablespoon of olive oil and stir that in. This will keep the pasta from sticking together. Now we're gonna make the sauce in that same pot. You'll need six cups of medium cheddar cheese and two cups of shredded mozzarella. Stir those cheeses together. Set your pot over medium heat, then melt in six tablespoons of butter. Once the butter is foaming, add a third cup of flour and whisk until that flour turns lightly golden. It takes just two minutes. While whisking constantly, slowly stream in the milk. I'm using three cups of whole milk, but a two percent milk will also work. Next, add one cup of heavy whipping cream. And last but not least, add in your half a cup of reserved pasta water. Continue whisking until the mixture is creamy, smooth, and just starting to boil. Now we're gonna season the sauce. Add paprika, mustard powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and freshly cracked black pepper. And in case you need a new pepper grinder, I will link to this one in the notes. Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue whisking for two to three minutes until the sauce has thickened to a light gravy consistency. You should have a total of eight cups of cheese. Start by adding three cups to the sauce. Stir until that's melted, then add another three cups of cheese. Continue stirring until the cheese is blended into the sauce. You should have two cups of cheese left, but we'll save that for the topping. Now add the pasta and stir until it's coated in sauce. It's so cheesy. You can see how saucy and gooey this mixture is. Make sure you don't add too much pasta because the pasta will continue to absorb some of that sauce as it bakes. Also, taste test and add more salt and pepper if needed. Thank you. Pour the mac and cheese into your buttered casserole dish. Spread it evenly into the pan, then top it with the remaining two cups of shredded cheese. The cheese creates a crust that seals in that cheesy bubbly goodness underneath. Transfer that to your preheated oven and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. For a more golden brown topping, you can broil for the last two to three minutes of baking. Just keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn. Oh, this is such a temptation for me. I'm telling you. Oh, I love when it turns out just like it does in the picture. I have to show you guys this cheese pull while it's like hot and gooey and cheesy. Let me show you. It's like irresistible. Okay. But I do have to say this reheats amazingly well. You'll be happy there's leftovers because it does make a big dish. Right. Okay. Okay. I'm so excited. Can you tell? I'm doing this. I'm doing this. Why am I scared? I want you guys to experience this cheese pull with me. Let's do this together. Oh, a cheese pull is a beautiful thing. Let's plate this right away. So saucy and cheesy. Still steaming. Look, look. It couldn't get any saucier and cheesier. Oh, okay. Here we go. But that's what makes it reheat so well. My mouth is watering so badly. Oh, mama. Okay. You guys. Wow. I'm so happy right now. All of my cheese cravings, all of my pasta cravings coming together in one incredible baked mac and cheese. Sometimes there's no words to describe, just sound effects like that one. It's like perfectly seasoned. It has tons of flavor. This is the best kind of casserole for a kid's birthday party. I don't remember a kid ever complaining about this, like in my quest to develop the perfect mac and cheese recipe. This is it, you guys. Make it once, you'll make it over and over. It is a total keeper. Easy enough for like a weeknight dinner or a birthday party, but also so special to make it holiday worthy. You guys are going to love this baked mac and cheese. And if you haven't already gotten your hands on my new cookbook, Where This Recipe Is From, I will leave a link to it. There are so many great like family-friendly easy dinners in this book. Just all of my personal favorites, and I hope you love everything you try. Also, let me know where you guys spotted sharky in the video, the first person to say it. Exactly where they saw it in the comments will get $100 prize. Also, let me know if you have any recipe requests, and we'll see you on the next episode of Natasha's Kitchen. Okay, I need to go eat this. It reminds me of like a really good restaurant mac and cheese. Not like the junky stuff you'd get out of a box, but like steakhouse mac and cheese, you know. But it's not as mushy or mealy as restaurant ones tend to be. The pasta still has texture, but it's like so saucy. It's so good. Seriously, you guys, you will love this.