Creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese is the cheesiest, creamiest casserole recipe idea to make any weeknight dinner special!

Creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese is exactly what you need to make tonight for dinner!

It’s special, but still weeknight-friendly.

Elbow macaroni is coated with a luxurious, herby cheese sauce, hugging the macaroni right inside the casserole dish!

How Do You Make Creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese?

Make a roux, that then becomes a creamy bechamel.
Add in Garlic & Herb Boursin cheese + hand-grated White Cheddar.
Drizzle this cheese sauce over cooked elbow macaroni.
Top with buttery crackers and chopped cheese.
Bake at 350˚ for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown and deliciously bubbly on top!

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Questions You May Have:

What is a Roux?

A roux is flour mixed with melted fat. It’s how Louisiana gumbo starts with, and it’s how cheese sauce begins!

What is a Bechamel?

Bechamel is when you take your roux (flour + butter (or some kind of fat!)) and slowly whisk in cream. It’s what Italians use in their lasagna, it’s the middle stage of cheese sauce, and it’s the vessel of Chipped Beef on Toast! ?

What is the secret to creamy macaroni and cheese?

There are a lot of factors for this question… For starters, don’t skimp on products. Use full-fat cheese, butter, milk, etc. Have more cheese sauce to noodle ratio… You’d rather end up with extra cheese sauce than too many noodles!

Why is my cheese sauce gritty?

If your cheese sauce is gritty, did you shred the cheese yourself? If not, the preservatives added can lend a gritty mouth feel. Otherwise, you may have added your cheese into your bechamel over too high of heat. When I add cheese to the bechamel, I’ll either turn my stovetop off completely or as low as it can go. And then SLOWLY add in the cheese, stirring to melt each handful before adding the next.

This recipe is super versatile.

You can add any variety of cheese to mix it up! Here are some combos I love!

Pepper Jack + Cheddar for a spicy version.
Fontina + Mozzarella for an Italian version.
Gruyere + Swiss for a French version.

What goes well with this meal?

This creamy macaroni and cheese could be a meal by itself… but, if you need some other “parts” to the show, here are some ideas!

You might be wondering if you can make this ahead of time? I don’t recommend it. This is a special meal that deserves the time and attention of the “here and now” — this macaroni and cheese recipe isn’t the best when made ahead of time, or even reheated.

If you do need to reheat it, add a sprinkle of extra cheese on top, and heat slowly in the oven.

Creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese

5 from 5 reviews

Author: Sweetpea
Prep Time: 20
Cook Time: 30
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 8 1x
Category: side dish
Method: stove to oven
Cuisine: american

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Description

Creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese is the cheesiest, creamiest casserole recipe idea to make any weeknight dinner special!

Ingredients

Scale

1 pound pasta, cooked & drained
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole milk
5 ounces Boursin Garlic & Herb cheese
2 cups grated White Cheddar
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 cup smashed Butter Crackers
2 ounces White Cheddar Cheese, chopped into bits
2 TBS melted butter

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Instructions

Boil pasta according to package directions.
Preheat oven to 350˚
In a skillet, melt butter and being making your roux.
When the butter is melted, sprinkle in the flour and whisk until all lumps disappear.
Allow the flour and butter to cook for a couple of minutes to remove any raw flour taste—be careful not to burn the roux!
Slowly pour in 1.25 cups of whole milk, whisking constantly until thick.
Plop in the Boursin cheese, and stir to melt and combine.
In stages, sprinkle in 2 cups of shredded white cheddar cheese, while your skillet is over the lowest heat.
Stir in each handful until the cheese has completely melted, then pick up another handful.
Grind in some black pepper, and check to see if you need to add any other seasonings.
Once the sauce is creamy and dreamy, pour this over the cooked and drained noodles in a separate bowl. (Make sure the bowl is large enough to toss everything around really well!)
Dump the macaroni and cheese into a buttered casserole dish.
In a small bowl, toss the smashed crackers with the chopped cheese and drizzle in 2 TBS of melted butter. Mix all this up, and spread over the top of the macaroni and cheese casserole.
Bake at 350˚ for 15 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly on top!