Nothing beats a mornay sauce-based creamy macaroni and cheese. Friends, if you’ve come here today looking for salads or even low fat desserts, I suggest you keep on moving. Today, I’m here to share with you pure comfort food. All the fats, all the carbs, all the creamy deliciousness you could ever want. I’m not advocating for eating this way every day or even every week, but as an occasional indulgence, you really can’t do better than this, the best creamy mac and cheese recipe ever. Post Sections.

1. Best Cheese Sauce Recipe For Macaroni
2. Creamy Cheese Sauce Recipe For Mac And Cheese
3. Easy Creamy Mac And Cheese Recipe

What Makes the Best Creamy Mac and Cheese? When I want mac and cheese, I want to taste the cheese. I want it to be deeply flavorful and gooey and creamy and perfect.

This recipe is an updated version of the macaroni and cheese recipe I made one Thanksgiving. The only difference is that I upped the cheese-to-noodle goo ratio so it wouldn’t dry out, and I left off the crushed Goldfish topping. I’ll give you the ingredients for the topping though, in case you’re feeling Goldfishy. Three types of “shredding cheese” plus cream cheese and sour cream all whisked into a luxurious white sauce equals one luscious, rich mornay sauce. (Mornay = bechamel (white sauce) + cheese). What Pasta Shape is Best for Macaroni and Cheese? For my mac and cheese, I like to choose pasta shapes that are short and sturdy and really hold onto the sauce.Photo by on I much prefer short shapes with plenty of texture to hold onto the rich sauce.

Some of my favorites (with links to purchase) are. Many of these shapes have choices between regular smooth pasta and rigate, meaning it has ridges.

Always choose a ridged pasta (unless you are completely married to using a shape that only comes in “regular” because the ridges will hold onto the sauce better. (my favorite and what I used here). What Kind of Cheese Is the Best for Macaroni and Cheese? You can use any cheese or combination of cheese that you like as long as they melt nicely. Yes, you can even use some Velveeta, because let’s face it. No other cheese has a melting game quite as smooth and creamy as Velveeta. But since we’re starting with a roux and then stirring in cheese, your sauce should stay nice and creamy with “regular grating cheese” as well.

Here are some contenders for excellent cheeses for macaroni and cheese: For my taste, the predominant cheese should be. Sharp or extra sharp cheddar: No two ways about it, mac and cheese is a very fatty dish, so sharpness will help to cut through some of that fattiness to keep it from feeling too heavy. After that, here are some other cheese choices that will work nicely and melt beautifully into your cheesy sauce:. Fontina. Parmesan. Soft goat cheese.

Jack cheese, or pepper jack or even a chipotle jack if you want to go the spicy/smoky route. Gruyere.

Gouda How Do I Make a Creamy Cheese Sauce for Mac and Cheese? Aside from ensuring you have a nice creamy bechamel to start, the best way I have found to make my mac and cheese super creamy is to add cream cheese and sour cream to the mix. Cream cheese doesn’t bring a ton of flavor, but it does bring a lovely, smooth decadence to your sauce. And sour cream also adds a touch of tang that can balance out the rich sauce. What Kind of Milk Should I Use to Make My Bechamel Sauce? I tend to make my bechamel sauce (that will become mornay with the addition of cheese) with whole milk since I’m going to be adding so much cheese, but you can make yours with half and half or even cream if you really want to gild the lily (and serve your super rich mac & cheese in tiny, tiny servings).

Best Cheese Sauce Recipe For Macaroni

You can even use 2% milk for your bechamel. Cooking it down some will help to thicken it up as will adding all the cheese.

I wouldn’t use skim milk, though. I am personally not a fan of using it for anything. How To Reheat Creamy Mac and Cheese. When you reheat your mac and cheese, just know that the pasta will be softer than it was when you first cooked it. That’s just what pasta does.

It will still be creamy and delicious. This mac and cheese is basically stovetop mac and cheese that I bake just for a few minutes to get the top a bit crunchy. You can serve it straight from the pot, though. Regardless, macaroni and cheese tends to get dry in the refrigerator and congeal into a solid mass of noodle and cheese. This makes it hard to reheat and retain (or regain) the creaminess of the hot-off-the-stove or out of the oven recipes.

Reheating Macaroni and Cheese in the Microwave To reheat it in the microwave, I put a portion in a microwave safe bowl, splash in a bit of half and half, and heat until hot. Then I stir it to incorporate the half and half.

This results in a nice, creamy reheated mac and cheese. Reheating Macaroni and Cheese on the Stove To reheat it on the stovetop, I put it in a pan with a splash of half and half and reheat on medium low heat, stirring frequently but gently so I don’t break up the pasta. I don’t recommend reheating in the oven, because it will just dry out even more than it has in the fridge. More Macaroni and Cheese Recipes This recipe is really creamy and decadent, but here are a few other macaroni and cheese recipes you might enjoy. (Pimento Cheese Pasta).

Reader Review! I have made this twice now at the NC Coast for beach gatherings with neighbors and NOW this is my requested dish when we are there. This is the PERFECT mac & cheese recipeThank you and also for this treasured recipe! –Reader Tami Best Creamy Mac and Cheese Recipe If you are digging the sound of this recipe, please rate and/or comment. I love hearing from you! And if you make this (and you really should), please tag me on Instagram using hashtag #pcorecipe or share it in the. I can’t wait to see your version!

Instructions. Put a large pot of water on the stove to boil.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Meanwhile, in a heavy bottomed 4-5 quart sauce pan or Dutch oven,melt the butter. When it starts to sizzle, add the salt, pepper, mustard powder, optional turmeric, paprika, onion powder and garlic powder. Let sizzle about 45 seconds, stirring. Dump in the flour and stir until all the butter is absorbed.

Cook for 2 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly. Add the milk and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes to thicken just slightly. By this time, your water should have come to a boil. Salt your water and dump in the pasta. Cook for 5-6 minutes until just shy of al dente.

The bite should be very firm. While the pasta is cooking, take the cheese sauce off the heat and whisk in the cream cheese and sour cream until melted. Whisk in the cheeses, a big handful at a time, until all melted and smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings. When the pasta is done, drain and add to the pot of cheese sauce. Stir well to evenly coat and then dump into a buttered 9'x13' casserole or into individual serving vessels of some sort.

If using individuals, place them all on a sheet pan or cookie sheet. Sprinkle on a bit of black pepper and paprika or ground chipotle, or add the Goldfish topping. Bake the finished pasta for 12 minutes.

Let set up for about 10 minutes for individuals and 15-20 for one whole casserole before serving. For the optional Goidfish topping. I am so SO happy you and your family love this mac & cheese! It’s also the perfect comfort food when you’ve been in the hospital, so I’m sure that family will be so appreciative. You can absolutely make it and hold it to bake, or bake and reheat.

Either way will work just fine. I would tell them to add a touch of milk or half and half and cover it to reheat it so it doesn’t dry out. We’re going to the OBX this Christmas, and now I feel like I should make this since you make it for beach gatherings! Thank you again for getting in touch–it means a lot when someone takes the time to let me know when they like something. Makes me feel like I’m sort of a part of your mealtimes.

I’m noticing something about the reviews it seems those who said they used half n half were not happy with the finished product and those who used an alternative loved it. For myself I followed the recipe exactly only I did use milk rather than half n half just because I didn’t have any. I also added a little sour cream to the cheese mixture. I thought it turned out FANTASTIC! My daughter said it’s the best Mac n cheese I ever made. I’m revising my “go to” Mac n cheese recipe to this one with those few minor changes I mentioned.

It really was creamy and cheesy while still being a bit mild and not making you feel sick if you eat a ton of it (not sure if that’s good or bad, lol). Made it according to directions, and it turned out just ok. I tweaked it just a bit and it comes out amazing everytime. Add butter first, and stir until melted thoroughly. Then add velveeta and do just the same. Add same amounts of shredded cheeses, THEN add cold ingredients (tweaked to 1/2 cup half and half, and 1 egg). If you follow the exact words of the recipe, the pasta will cool which doesn’t allow the velveeta to melt enough.

Golang ide mac. Then you’ve got cubes of velveeta melted in the dish but not evenly distributed! It’s a great recipe just needs a few changes in wording and some ingredients scaled back! I agreed with Karen’s September 2017 post; I always make a white sauce with butter and flour when making Mac n cheese. After the flour browns a bit, I add milk then whisk a whole egg into the tempered sauce so it won’t “cook in the sauce”.

Creamy Cheese Sauce Recipe For Mac And Cheese

Afterwards, I add a can of nacho cheese soup the my white sauce. My family is partial to fontina & Gouda or white & mild cheddar to my white sauce. I saute shrimp in butter and let cool while the cheese is melting in the white sauce.

After the cheese has melted in the white sauce, I pour it over my slightly cooked noodles. I fold in the shrimp and some bacon bits and bake til bubbly and brown on top. I just made this recipe and was a little dissapointed that it didn’t turn out creamy like the pictures.

Easy Creamy Mac And Cheese Recipe

I have been trying to find a good creamy mac n cheese recipe and thought this may be it but the video and directions were a little deceiving. Since the cheeses weren’t completely melted into the half and half the mac n cheese looks lumpy and not creamy at all. I am not sure if others had this issue but I have had this issue with a different recipe befor too. I would suggest making sure to melt the sauce before pouring into the dish. I was wondering if adding a little cream cheese to the recipe would work or not?

Or does the velveeta alone add enough creaminess to it? Also, I see other recipes use Dijon mustard for a spice.what does mustard do to the flavor of mac and cheese? I thought about trying a little fresh garlic and then adding a topping to your recipe.

I never made homemade mac and cheese before. I read a lot of different recipesyour recipe looks like something I would like. One more question.Can the recipe be halved? Serving size of 8 is way too much.

But I do know some recipes don’t turn out if you half them. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

I would imagine if folks have the anti Velveeta mindset like mewellexcept for chili cheese dip during football seasonc’mon 😉 a good substitute is a 8oz brick of Philadelphia cream cheesejust keep the salt, really enhances the creamyness and smooths out the grains like velveeta (never underestimate the power of cream cheese). It was amazingadded some Italian bread crumbs mix with melted butter for the last 10 minutes of baking and had a nice crisp top to break throughthank you for this. Wonderful recipe truly.