Easy Baked Macaroni and Cheese

A bowl of baked macaroni and cheese with a spoon in it

5 from 2 votes

Easy Baked Macaroni and Cheese

This easy baked macaroni and cheese combines cheese, butter, and a creamy bechamel sauce all baked together in one delicious side dish!

Cook Time1 hr

Total Time1 hr

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 358kcal

Author: Britni Vigil

Ingredients

1/2 lb uncooked macaroni noodles about 3 cups cooked
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3 TBS butter 1 TBS cut into small cubes
2 TBS flour
2 cups milk
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

Cook macaroni according to package directions.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
While macaroni cooks, melt butter in a large pan over medium heat.
Reduce heat to low, add 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper to pan. Use a whisk to stir until the mixture is bubbly.
Add milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly, then remove bechamel sauce from heat.
Place half the cooked macaroni (about 1 1/2 cups) on the bottom of a square 9x9 baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/8 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp garlic salt. Top with 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese. Repeat the layers one more time.
Pour white becamel sauce over the top of the final cheese layer.
Add cubed butter on top of sauce and cover with foil.
Bake for 30 minutes covered with foil. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until top is beginning to brown.
Serve warm

Notes

Stir the bechamel sauce constantly while you’re cooking it. You don’t want any part of it to burn or brown or it’ll change the flavor of the sauce.

Cook the macaroni to al dente since they’ll get cooked a bit more in the oven and you don’t want them to end up totally mushy.

Double the recipe by simply doubling the ingredients and baking it in a 9×13 casserole dish instead. This is a great meal for a crowd, a party, or a holiday feast!

Up the salt in the recipe by 1/2 tsp if you like your macaroni and cheese a bit salty. We like to salt to taste since my husband and I have different salt preferences – if you like a bit more salty, go for 1 1/4 tsp salt instead.

Nutrition