Yummiest Ever Baked Mac and Cheese

"A friend brought a big pan of this to a potluck and I HAD to have the recipe to make for my family. It is so yummy and creamy that it's hard to stop eating. We like it as a main dish with a salad, but you could serve it as a scrumptious side dish. These are directions for the full batch which will serve a crowd. It halves easily."
 
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photo by Ashley Cuoco photo by Ashley Cuoco
photo by Patricia B. photo by Patricia B.
photo by mbrooks2m photo by mbrooks2m
photo by EmilyDoggyMama photo by EmilyDoggyMama
photo by Ashley Cuoco photo by Ashley Cuoco
Ready In:
1hr
Ingredients:
8
Serves:
10
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ingredients

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directions

  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • Cook pasta according to pasta directions just until done - you don't want it mushy, because it will absorb a little of the cheesy liquid in the oven.
  • Combine soup, evaporated milk, butter, salt, and pepper in a large microwaveable bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, leaving a small vent, and cook for 6-7 minutes until the butter is melted and the mixture is warm-to-hot throughout. (If making a half batch, 4 minutes in the microwave should do it).
  • In a large baking dish (minimum 9x13, smaller if halving the recipe), spread 1/3 of the cooked noodles. Top with 1/3 of the sauce. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheddar.
  • Repeat layers twice, ending with the cheese.
  • Bake for 40-45 minutes.
  • When it comes out of the oven, sprinkle with a little dried parsley if desired. This gives it visual interest, and you can also pretend it's healthier.
  • Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Questions & Replies

  1. I don’t own a microwave. Can I just use my stove top instead for the ingredients that need to be microwaved?
     
  2. If I double the recipe in a larger pan, how long should it be cooked?
     
  3. Do I measure the pasta before or after I cook it. I will be halfling the recipe? Thank you.
     
  4. Does this have to be baked? This is my go to recipe and everyone loves when I make it. Now they want it for a campout but it won't travel well pre-made. Can I do everything out at the campsite minus the bake?
     
  5. Can this be frozen before baking? Also wondering if this could be made in the crock pot?
     
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Reviews

  1. This is best mac & cheese recipe I had ever made. I don't like the ones that are all cheddar cheese, and am usually stuck making a velveeta recipe, but never really loved that either. This is now the only mac & cheese I will make! It cooked up very casserole like, but still very gooey & cheesy - it was just great! I made half a recipe, and cut the butter and shredded cheese back a bit (maybe 3 T butter & 2 cups shredded cheese).
     
  2. Just made this for dinner tonight- Yummo! The only thing that I did differently was: I didn't have two cans of cheddar cheese soup so instead I used 1 can of cheddar cheese soup and 1 can of nacho cheese flavored soup. It gave the mac and cheese and really good kick. Thanks for the great recipe!
     
  3. Yummiest Ever! Best Mac and Cheese recipe I have tried, made it for a crowd and everyone wanted more. I made one small adjustment, mixed the cheese mixture with the cooked noodles and then topped with cheese. Made it a little easier, and was delicious!
     
  4. I will never use another mac & cheese recipe. I made this for my daughter's grad party. It went so quickly, she didn't even get any. The pan was scraped clean. I used Cavatappi instead of elbows. They hold the sauce better. Never thought I'd use cheese soup in mac & cheese. This was rich, creamy & gooey.
     
  5. I was skeptical about making this because I have a pretty tried and true mac & cheese recipe myself. However, I gave it shot because it seemed much easier than my own. I used 16 oz of elbow macaroni, 2 cans of soup, 1 can of evaporated milk, 2 cups of cheese, 1/2 a stick of butter, and I increased the spices just a bit. Wow! It came out so delicious! I only baked it for 20 minutes and it was bubbly, golden-brown, and awesome. I think I'll increase the spices a little bit more next time, but otherwise, it was great. One note: I'm not sure how on Earth this would be if it was made with the full amount of sauce and cheese. Mine was plenty cheesy/creamy and would have been insane if I'd used the full 6 cups of cheese.
     
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Tweaks

  1. Garlic flavored bread crumbs and a few dashes of Franks Hot Sauce
     
  2. I used macaroni shells instead of elbow macaroni, it worked quite well. This mac and cheese has amazing flavor! It has also sparked full-on debates among my friends between the professional cooks and well, everybody else. My boyfriend (professional cook at a restaurant) calls it a "broken" mac and cheese, and that it is not "proper" because it is not made with a roux. I'm still not entirely sure what he means by it being broken, but making a roux is a pain in the you know what...I think he's just mad that everybody likes my mac and cheese (well, THIS mac and cheese) better than his. Several of my friends have said this is the best mac and cheese they have EVER had. One even wrote a poem about it. I highly reccomend this recipe.
     
  3. I added a panko topping before baking. 4 tbsp butter 2 cups panko 1 tsp garlic powder 1/2 cup grated parmesan 1/2 tsp salt Melt butter over medium heat. Add panel and garlic powder and cook until golden brown. Transfer to a bowl and stir in parmesan cheese and salt. Layer on top of mac and cheese and bake as directed
     
  4. This was a great recipe, but since I don't eat canned food, I replaced the 2 cans of cream of cheddar with 1 cup of heavy whipping cream. I also added 1 tsp of dry mustard to the sauce and 2 eggs to help it set since I ommited the canned chedar.<br/>I used freshly grated Dubliner cheddar as my cheese of choice and it was the best mac & cheese I ever made. I shared it with friends who unexpectedly stopped by and they all loved it too. Yummy!
     

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