It doesn’t get much better than this Pioneer Woman’s Mac & Cheese Recipe!! This is the best ever Mac & Cheese! You have to try it at least once!
I would love to take credit for this recipe! It has been made in my house nothing short of gazillion times! I have walked many miles on the treadmill so that I could enjoy a big creamy bowl of THE BEST EVER Mac & Cheese. This is simply the best you will ever make; Pioneer Woman’s Mac & Cheese.
Now while I try to share 30 minute or fewer recipes, this one comes in at around 35 if you choose to put it in the oven. We may just have to let it slide.
I have tried many Mac & Cheese Recipes to find the absolute best! I will save you all the effort and the ingredients. Just print this one, duct tape it to the fridge, and you are good to go. You are not going to find a better recipe! PROMISE!
Need a dish to take to a potluck? DONE
Need a side dish for dinner? DONE
Are kids hungry? DONE
Need to leave something in the fridge for the hubby to reheat? DONE
Plus the leftovers are perfect to use to make these for an appetizer. I am not saying you will have leftovers though. You may have to make a second batch!
Can I Make this Ahead?
Yes, you can! This is a great dish to make ahead of time and keep in the fridge until ready to bake. You can keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days before baking or just enjoying it.
If you are going from the fridge to the oven you are going to want to add to the baking time to heat the dish. I would say around 35 – 40 minutes.
Can I use Other Cheeses?
Please do! I recommend you play around with recipes and make them suit your family’s tastes. Change up the cheeses. Create your own special blend. In our house, we love the Monterey Jack Mix or Mexican Blend. Make this more than once and try it with different cheeses and do a taste test. It’s a hard job but someone has to do it.
What size baking dish?
This is a great question because there really isn’t a right answer. I like to put this in a 13×9 baking dish because I can fit more toppings across the top. This means extra cheese and breadcrumbs (if I am using them). However, any casserole dish 3 qt or larger should do the trick.
Vegan Mac & Cheese
Because Mac & Cheese should be enjoyed by everyone! Try this delicious that is just as yummy!
Gluten-Free Mac & Cheese
While I am sure Ree Drummond didn’t intend this recipe to be made gluten-free there are only a couple of quick substitutions that need to be made. Simply use a gluten-free macaroni and a gluten-free flour for the roux.
Pioneer Woman’s Mac & Cheese
It doesn’t get much better than this Pioneer Woman’s Mac & Cheese Recipe!! This is the best ever Mac & Cheese! You have to try it at least once!
1poundcheddar cheeseshredded (Monterey jack mix is good too)
1/2teaspoonSaltMore To Taste
1/2teaspoonSeasoned SaltMore To Taste
1/2teaspoonBlack Pepper
SpicesCayenne Pepper, paprika, thyme / optional
Instructions
Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain.
In a small bowl, beat egg.
In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.
Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.
Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth.
Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.
Add in cheese and stir to melt.
Add salt and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.
Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.
Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees F or until bubbly and golden on top.
Gluten Free
Use gluten freemacaroni and replace the flour with a gluten freeflour mix.
Video
Notes
You can leave out the mustard or reduce it. I like to add a little garlic salt. Delish!
Evaporated milk is a highly concentrated source of milk protein micelles—bundles of proteins that can act as powerful emulsifying agents—which help to keep the sauce creamy and smooth.
What Is the Best Cheese for Mac and Cheese? Sharp cheddar is the overwhelming popular choice, but for extra-creamy results, we think medium cheddar is even better. Other delicious options include Gruyère, smoked Gouda, and Monterey Jack.
It will be richer and creamier. It's actually a very good substitute for regular milk. I've often used evaporated milk in mac&cheese which makes it better than milk. Both heavy cream and evaporated milk are much better in mashed potatoes, too!
It is better to use heavy cream for Mac and Cheese instead of milk, or better yet, use evaporated milk which has the thickness of heavy cream without all of the fat! Furthermore, it is more stable than heavy cream so your Macaroni and Cheese is less likely to curdle or separate.
The remaining ingredients are simple: butter and flour (which makes the sauce thicken), milk, spices, salt, and pepper. For the milk, I prefer whole milk since it makes a creamier sauce, but I've used reduced fat milk plenty of times without complaint.
Since 2002, Velveeta has been labeled as a "pasteurized prepared cheese product." What does that even mean? Because of the ingredients and the way it is prepared, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not consider it real cheese.
Gordon Ramsay's mac and cheese is a simplified recipe. Just boil pasta in milk and then, add butter, cheese, salt, and pepper to it. Merge all the elements and Gordon Ramsay's mac and cheese will be ready in no time.
Gordon Ramsay's mac and cheese is a simplified recipe. Just boil pasta in milk and then, add butter, cheese, salt, and pepper to it. Merge all the elements and Gordon Ramsay's mac and cheese will be ready in no time.
1. It takes two cheeses to tango with mac. For really great macaroni and cheese, you need a cheese that melts well and a cheese that packs a punch. A few cheeses do both (that's a shout out to you, cheddar, emmentaler, and your other alpine-style, fondue favorites).
Cheesy, salty, buttery and, best of all, nostalgic — there is a reason why Kraft's blue box has become the gold standard of store-bought macaroni and cheese.
The remaining ingredients are simple: butter and flour (which makes the sauce thicken), milk, spices, salt, and pepper. For the milk, I prefer whole milk since it makes a creamier sauce, but I've used reduced fat milk plenty of times without complaint.
Why Evaporated Milk Makes Better Mac. That higher concentration of milk proteins means evaporated milk is more stable, so it's less likely to “break” or curdle. Evaporated milk also usually contains stabilizers, such as carrageenan, which help keep your mac's sauce super smooth and silky.
Those starch molecules thicken the sauce, while the concentrated milk proteins from the evaporated milk add that signature dairy flavor, without all the water you'd get from cream or regular milk. Translation? Smooth, shiny, perfectly emulsified cheese that doesn't clump, taste floury, or break into greasy pools.
In terms of nutritional value, evaporated milk has a higher nutrient concentration than fresh cow's milk and, therefore, more calories. It has over twice as many grams of carbohydrates, protein, and fat – except for the reduced fat and fat-free varieties – and higher mineral content.
Introduction: My name is Melvina Ondricka, I am a helpful, fancy, friendly, innocent, outstanding, courageous, thoughtful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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