Macaroni and Cheese

If you're looking for the classic mac and cheese recipe, this is it. It's creamy and delicious. I served it as a side to meatloaf. I used Velveeta and whole milk, and put a few small bits of butter on the breadcrumbs to brown them. But be warned, it makes a ton, more like 12 servings versus 6. Directions did not give pan size, and I used a 9 x 13 pan which was very full. This is perfect comfort food.

I made some minor changes, but the white sauce is the key to this recipe, and I left it unchanged. I used shells rather than elbows, and chose a blend of smoked fontina, white Vermont cheddar, mozzarella and parmigiano reggiano for the cheeses. Outstanding recipe!

Thanks so much for posting this JB! I followed the recipe exactly as posted, it was EXCELLENT! Just what I was looking for, nice and creamy and NOT greasy like the usual cheddar recipes. The Velveeta made a huge difference, and the white sauce too.

I made this the night before for a party the next afternoon. That was a mistake. It was really dried out when I went to bake it (I had not baked it the night before). It looked SO good right after I made it so I'm sure it's wonderful. Just FYI--don't make ahead of time. :) I will try it again and we'll eat it right away.

I've made this twice. The first time, I used shredded colby jack instead of Velveeta. I poured the cheese on TOP of the macaroni. It was just OK. The second time I made it, I used half Velveeta and half shredded cheddar. (Velveeta is OK, but I do like the twang of natural cheese.) The second time, I also mixed the macaroni with the cheese sauce before I put it in the baking pan. Holy Cow! What a difference! This is amazing mac and cheese! The Velveeta does make it creamy, but mixing it with the macaroni before baking ensures that the creamy goodness goes all through the dish.

I also make this as a gluten-free recipe. I used Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour in place of the regular flour.