There is nothing more delicious, and well-liked by toddlers, than warm creamy homemade macaroni and cheese.
Homemade macaroni and cheese is a simple and favoured dish in most households with young kids. I never made macaroni and cheese until my firstborn became a toddler and now it’s a staple in the house. Now, I often make extra sauce and freeze it so that there is some always handy no matter who is in charge of dinner.
This recipe is a slight deviation from old-fashioned mac and cheese but only in the name of flavour. The traditional ingredients make up the base of the sauce with a few small additions to taste. I also don’t bake my mac and cheese too often although I have provided instructions on how to do so below.
Preparing Homemade Simple Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
Butter: Unsalted butter adds a delicious flavour base when slightly browned. It is also key in to making the roux that thickens the sauce.
Flour: All-purpose white flour is all you need for this recipe. It’s the key component to thickening the cheese sauce.
Milk: Milk is the foundation of the cheese sauce. I add partly skimmed or full fat milk to this recipe.
Paprika: I use sweet paprika for this recipe. It is not sweet in the sugary sense, but compared to its spicy and smoked siblings it is definitely the sweetest of them all.
Garlic Powder: garlic powder is dehydrated garlic ground to a powder. It’s sweeter than raw garlic so it just adds a hint of garlic flavour without the sharpness.
Dijon Mustard: Made from spicy brown and black mustard seed it is the perfect way to give any meal a little kick. It has a tangy sharp taste that some consider to be spicy.
Cheddar Cheese: I like to use old cheddar in this recipe to add a bold flavour. The longer the cheese is aged the sharper the flavour will be. Medium cheddar will work as well but you may need to play around with the spices a bit to make sure there is enough flavour.
Parmesan Cheese: Parmesan is an Italian granulated cheese that is aged for at least 12 months. It has a distinct flavour that is nutty and fruity and adds saltiness to the dish.
Macaroni: Also known as elbow pasta, it is the perfect vessel for getting that deliciously creamy sauce into your mouth. The macaroni is not only coated in the sauce but it also captures is inside the noodle.
How to Make Homemade Simple Macaroni and Cheese
Prepare the Ingredients
As always, I recommend getting all of your ingredients ready before you start. This is another easy stovetop dish that moves along quickly once we start cooking.
This will make the process much easier and cleaner. I have to admit that this is more of a case of ‘do as I say, not as I do’ since I always seem to forget a few things before getting started. But from experience, I can confirm that when you
do prep everything, the cooking process is so much more enjoyable.Grate the cheese, measure out the milk and get all the other ingredients out (flour, salt, paprika, Dijon mustard, parmesan and macaroni).
Fill one of the pots halfway with water and set to boil. This will be for the macaroni.
Make the Sauce
While you’re waiting for the water to boil, add the butter to the other pot and turn the heat to medium. Once the butter starts bubbling and begins to brown just slightly add the flour and whisk until well blended. You have now made a roux. Cook for about 3-4 minutes until the mixture turns a golden-brown colour, then pour in the milk. Continue whisking until everything is combined and smooth turning this into a béchamel sauce.
Continue to cook for about 5 minutes until the mixture thickens. You will need to keep whisking often to make sure it doesn’t burn or boil.
The water in the first pot should be boiling by now. Add the macaroni and stir occasionally to prevent it from sticking. Cook according to package instructions, usually 8-10 minutes.
Once the sauce thickens, add the cheddar cheese and stir until melted. This should take bout 1 minute. Then add the garlic powder, paprika and Dijon mustard and stir until well combined.
Finally, add the parmesan cheese and stir until fully melted and the sauce is completely smooth, roughly 1-2 minutes. Remove the pot from the burner.
Next, drain the pasta using a colander and shake out a bit to remove the excess water. You can reserve some pasta water if you would like to thin out the cheese sauce at all. Put the macaroni back in its pot and pour the sauce over it. I have a very picky eater so I mix some sauce in, serve her, then add the rest of the sauce for the rest of the family.
That’s it, you have made your own homemade simple macaroni and cheese! It’s really that simple.
How to Bake Homemade Macaroni and Cheese
If you’re going for the old-fashioned baked mac and cheese, you will definitely want to use all the sauce. And make sure that your macaroni is just al dente as it will continue to cook in the oven.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Put the macaroni and cheese in an oven-safe dish adding 1-2 tablespoons of milk. Stir to combine well. Grate an additional ¼ cup of cheese and sprinkle on top, then top with breadcrumbs and a pinch of salt. Bake in the oven uncovered for 20 minutes.
Substitutions
Cheddar Cheese: Two of the best types of cheeses to use in mac and cheese are cheddar and parmesan as we have used here. You can elevate this dish by adding gruyère, gouda, Havarti or even monetary jack. You don’t need them all but feel free to pick and choose. If you don’t like sharp cheddar use a milder version and add a gruyère or gouda for added flavour. Note that these are more expensive so stick to the cheddar if you want to make macaroni and cheese on a budget. The Dijon mustard and paprika add plenty of additional flavour.
Milk: Instead of milk, you can use half and half or whipping cream to make the sauce even more creamy. If you are baking your mac and cheese, you can try cooking the macaroni in milk instead of water. It adds more creaminess to the finished product.
Macaroni: You may be surprised to hear that even though it’s in the name it’s easily substitutable. Though the perfect vessel, there are some other types of noodles that will do the trick. You can really use any type of pasta but my favourites are penne, fusilli, gemelli, rotini, farfalle or conchiglie.
Serving Homemade Simple Macaroni and Cheese
Whether serving baked or stovetop macaroni and cheese, I always like to top it with a little bit of freshly grated parmesan. You can also add a sprinkle of chopped parsley and a pinch of paprika if you really want to create a pretty plate. We rarely have time for that on mac and cheese night because no matter how quick it is to make the kids are always waiting for it before I’m done cooking. My kids also love a side of ketchup to dip it in. I personally don’t understand this combination but it seems I’m actually the only one in my house who doesn’t.
This recipe yields four servings as a main dish however macaroni and cheese also makes a great side dish. Try adding the homemade macaroni and cheese on the side of beer can chicken and steamed broccoli for a complete meal.
There is also the infamous mac and cheese and hot dogs combo. This is something Kyle grew up eating. I have never actually tried it but I bet it’s a favourite among all kids. To prepare, make the homemade macaroni and cheese, and boil some hotdogs. Cut up the hot dogs into bite-size pieces and put them on top of your bowl of mac and cheese. Then finish it off with a drizzle of ketchup. I’d love to hear what you think of this combo! Please do let me know below if you try it.
Storing Macaroni and Cheese
Homemade macaroni and cheese is best eaten fresh. With that said, since this is a go-to dish for my picky eater I always have extra in the fridge. It will keep in the fridge for up to a week however there is a chance it can get a bit dry. Here are two ways to mitigate that:
- Store a bit of sauce in a separate container. When it’s time to reheat the mac and cheese add some of the sauce on top and stir it in as you heat it up.
- If you don’t have extra sauce, add some milk to the mac and cheese when reheating to reinject some moisture back into it. If you are reheating in the microwave, make sure to have it partially covered to create more steam and condensation. If you are reheating on the stovetop, keep an eye on the amount of liquid and keep adding a teaspoon at a time until the mac and cheese is fully heated through and the milk is incorporated.
Can I freeze this Simple Homemade Macaroni and Cheese?
Yes and no. You can freeze the sauce but do not freeze the macaroni (or elbow pasta). Pasta is always best served freshly cooked so do yourself a favour and plan to spend the 10 minutes cooking it. Put any extra sauce in a glass jar or other freezer-safe sealed container. It will keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat the homemade cheese sauce, defrost overnight in the refrigerator then add to hot drained noodles. Reserve some pasta water from the cooked noodles and add a little bit at a time if you feel that the sauce is too thick. Put the noodles back in their pot and put it back on the same burner that you used to cook the macaroni, just make sure that it’s turned off. You don’t need to cook it, you just want to leverage any residual heat to help melt the sauce. Pour in the sauce stirring continuously until it has fully melted and incorporated with the noodles.
Homemade Simple Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 ½ tbsp flour
- ¾ cup milk
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp Dijon mustard
- 225 g macaroni
- 1 cup old cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Grate the cheddar cheese before you start and get all of your other ingredients ready.1 cup old cheddar cheese
- Add water to one of the pots and bring it to a boil.
- While you wait for the water to boil, in the second pot add the butter and warm up on medium heat on the stovetop.2 tbsp butter
- Once the butter starts bubbling and turns a slightly brown colour add the flour and whisk well until smooth. Cook for 3-4 minutes to let the mixture turn a golden brown.1 ½ tbsp flour
- Add the milk and stirring constantly. You don’t want to bring it to a boil, you just want to maintain a high enough heat to melt everything. Keep stirring until the liquid begins to thicken, about 5 minutes or so.¾ cup milk
- In the meantime, the water should be boiling. Add the macaroni and stir occasionally to prevent the noodles from sticking. Cook according to package instructions. The macaroni I use takes about 8 minutes to cook.225 g macaroni
- Once the sauce begins to thicken add the cheddar cheese and stir until melted. About 1 minute.1 cup old cheddar cheese
- Add the salt, garlic powder, paprika and Dijon mustard. Stir to combine well. Keep stirring for another minute or so.¼ tsp paprika, ¼ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp Dijon mustard, ½ tsp salt
- Add the parmesan and stir until fully melted and the sauce is smooth. Another 1-2 minutes. Remove the sauce from the burner.¼ cup parmesan cheese
- Drain the macaroni and put it back in its pot. Add cheese sauce to the macaroni a bit at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
Video
Nutrition
Did you enjoy this homemade simple macaroni and cheese? Tell us about it in the comments below and don’t forget to leave a 5-star rating on our recipe card!
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This one was delicious, so easy to make, and was one meal for the whole family! Thanks G and K for another great one!
I’m so happy to hear that!!
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