This recipe was given to me by my friend Katie. It's a longtime favorite in her family.
This was really good! I added about a half teaspoon each of paprika and dry mustard, and mixed more grated cheese into the ritz crumbles. Yum!
Read MoreThis recipe was pretty good. I topped it with seasoned breadcrumbs instead of crackers, and grated parmesan cheese before baking. Everyone enjoyed it. For more flavor, I will incorporate different cheeses next time, and maybe a spot of garlic to warm the flavor. But nonetheless it was creamy and yummy.
Read MoreThis was really good! I added about a half teaspoon each of paprika and dry mustard, and mixed more grated cheese into the ritz crumbles. Yum!
ok me and my fiance loooove macaroni and cheese. we have tried tons of macaroni and cheese recipes.. but this by farrrrr was our favorite! DELICIOUS! well it also helps that extra sharp cheddar is our favorite cheese and we always have a brick of it in our fridge. EXCELLENT! nice and creamy and the topping was amazing! i used the other reviewers advice and added parmesian to the topping and i also used garlic croutons instead of ritz crackers. THE BEST!
I don't normally try a recipe off this site unless it gets at least 4 1/2 stars from 100 people or more, but I was looking for a recipe that called for simple ingredients that I already had, and this one fit the bill. So I gave it a try, and it was really very good. The only change I made was that I didn't add the cracker crumb topping. I sprinkled extra cheese on top before baking. Everyone in my family loved it, and it was even better the next day! * I will add that the butter/flour/milk/cheese mixture never did thicken on top of the stove, but it firmed up nicely while baking.
This recipe was pretty good. I topped it with seasoned breadcrumbs instead of crackers, and grated parmesan cheese before baking. Everyone enjoyed it. For more flavor, I will incorporate different cheeses next time, and maybe a spot of garlic to warm the flavor. But nonetheless it was creamy and yummy.
My family loved this. A few notes - use a pound of sharp cheddar. It makes a BIG difference. Other cheddars may leave you with a bland dish. Also, I had to use cavatelli (it's what I had) but measuring that by cup left me with too few noodles floating in a sea of sauce. I had to cook more pasta and add it to the pan. I ended up using 12 oz. of cavatelli. I added 3 cloves minced garlic and a few shakes of cayenne to my roux, cooking for a minute or two without letting it brown, then gradually poured in warm milk and whisked it. It comes together quickly and smoothly. Cold milk straight from the fridge will take longer to "sauce up". 2% milk is fine. Mine actually baked up and browned in less than 45 minutes so watch your oven. When the top is brown and it doesn't "jiggle" too much, pull it out. Thank you for sharing your recipe, Jody!
I used bread crumbs instead of crackers and poured the melted butter on top of it, it was great. The family enjoyed it
Yummmmmmy!! Thank you for sharing this recipe I don't think I will ever be able to go back to a box. lol
This was quite good, I did use 3 differnt types of cheese, cheddar, extra sharp and mozzerella, I also used pepper and did not do the cracker topping.
Phenominal!!!!! I can hardly believe I was able to cook something and have it turn out this yummy! It took a little while but was fun and totally worth the wait! I am 17 and wanted to treat myself to something nice as well as make something my parent's (who are vegetarians) could come home to after work. I can't wait to see their reactions! Throughout the process I added a few things such as : Sharp Chedder AND Extra Sharp white cheddar Garlic & Onion powders LOTS of pepper A lot of salt ha and the best part: I mixed in a splash of hot sauce and you would not believe how much it made the flavor really pop! Anyway, AWESOME RECIPE! 5 STARS.
Excellent recipe. It was so good, I shared it with the neighbors, they thought it was so good, they want me to copy the recipe for them
I made this for dinner tonight for myself, my boyfriend and my 7 year old. We're all big food lovers, and none of us can resist a good homemade mac n'cheese. Sadly, I misplaced my usual recipe and thought Id give this one a try. Won't be doing that again. First, as I was making it, I thought that 4 cups of milk seemed a bit much. But I continued on. I made the cheese sauce the way I do a gravy, starting with butter and flour, then slowly adding the milk. It didnt thicken much, due to the amount of milk. So I decided to add the cheese and see if it helped. This is when I first realized that it takes TWO whole bags of shredded cheese! I kept going, since id already used 4 cups of milk. It did thicken, obviously, but when I poured it on to the macaroni, there was sooo much sauce that the pasta was practically swimming! I added some ham and peas, then topped with breadcrumbs and put in the oven. After 45 minutes, I took it out, but it was still a bit runny and not at all browned. I left it in for another 15 minutes then decided it was as good as it was gonna get. It did thicken in the oven, but it was too saucy to brown. The general consenses was that it was edible, but not that great. The texture was... broken up? Almost grainy. I definitely will not be making this again.
Didn't like this at all and I love mac and cheese. Needs more flavor or something to give it a kick. Will keep looking for a better homemade mac and cheese recipe.
Great recipe! I overcooked the macaroni but it still turned out tasting great. I ended up using half cheddar cheese and half pepper jack, it added a nice kick! Will definitely be making this again.
The only thing I did differently was I added seasoned bread crumbs instead of the crackers, and it came out awesome!
Made this recipe exactly as it's written, with the exception of adding parsley and paprika on the top for color. It was delicious and flavorful! I used sharp cheddar, which I think is key to creating a flavorful mac & cheese. When making the cheese sauce, I did combine the butter and flour first to create a rue, then added the milk and cheese.
My wife made this recipe and we did NOT care for it. The sauce was broken or grainy. I'm not sure if it was the type of cheese or what, but it was NOT creamy and smooth like her normal Kraft cheese recipe is.
DELICIOUS! I add about 3-3 1/2 cups noodles as without it the macaroni and cheese is very very runny. I like mine a little more dense. Family favorite and a staple in our home!
my family loved this recipe! as another reviewer remarked, don't add the butter, flour, cheese and milk all at once. make a roux by melting the butter first, then whisking in the flour, keeping it moving for about a minute. then slowly add in the milk, whisking all the while. only then should you add the cheese (and more milk if needed) and then finally the noodles. i also added a bit of onion powder and paprika for a boost of flavor. a great comfort-food main dish!
We loved this! I made a half batch, just to be sure we'd like it. I added a dash of pepper, paprika, and dry mustard. I thought it looked a little too saucy, so I made a little more pasta to put in. I like macaroni that isn't too liquidy. I used parmesan breadcrumbs instead of crackers. It was so good! (4 cups of shredded cheese = 1 lb)
Easy to make and great! My husband thought it could use a little extra seasoning but other than that it was good!
I made this because I had all the ingredients on hand and it seemed like it would be fast. It was fast and the consistency was nice. However, it was like eating plain noodles. It had next to no flavor. My husband comes from a family that never liked spicy food & everything was kind of "blah" and even he found this "blah". I even added ground mustard because lots of mac and cheese recipes call for it to add flavor. Didn't help. Maybe next time I'll add a can of cheddar cheese soup, saute some onion and see what that does. This was disappointing. Won't use it as-is again, which is a shame because it was easy.
never made baked mac n cheese before and this recipe was a great. i didnt use the crackers though.
Good recipe. My mac n cheese never came out good until I used this recipe. I used 1/2 pound cheddar/jack mix and 1/2 pound Velveeta. Delish.
Not impressed with this recipe at all! Very bland, not the creamy texture I was looking for. I did not add the crumbs on top but I don't think it would have helped at all. I will keep looking for the perfect mac and cheese.
Made this as a last minute dinner (after watching The Chew that was all about different ways to make mac n cheese). It was so good! Even my husband who is not fond of things without meat in them really like it! It was nice and creamy and full of flavor. I only made a couple changes, used garlic salt because I put garlic salt on everything! Had to add a chunk of Velveeta because I didn't have enough cheddar. Only used half a sleeve of crackers because it seemed like too much, but next time I will do the whole thing....yummy!
Very good. I don't put the crackers on top. I also add just a pinch of dried mustard. Kid friendly for sure and freezes well.
WOW!!! this was the best mac n cheese i have ever had!!! i made it for christmas dinner. everyone loved it! the crackers and butter on top are a great addition. i also threw in some other cheeses that i had in the fridge like mozarella and colby. i used sharp cheddar instead of regular cheddar also. it took a while for the cheese sauce to blend, but patience and low heat were the way to go.
I thought this tasted pretty good; I used cheddar and jack so it came out light looking, especially with all the milk. I added a dash of garlic powder too. Instead of bread crumbs on top I shredded some string cheese. :)
I will give you 5 stars since my kids loved this recipe so much but they are cheese lovers! This was a very good recipe thank you very much. (:
I was so happy to find this simple recipe. I was looking for something to use ingredients I had in my house and use up all the extra cheese hanging around. I left the salt out, because I thought it would be salty enough with the salt in the cheese. However, I definitely will add it next time. I think I will use cheese on top next time either shredded cheddar or grated parmesan. A great easy recipe with simple ingredients.
Added pepper and paprika. I also sliced some cooked sausage and added it on top, in order to make it a main dish. My husband raved!!!
This recipe is easy and very good. I make it all the time for family events.
Was looking for this recipe, so excited when I found it. Awesome, traditional style recipe! I recommend using croutons as some other suggested, and try using "ditali" style pasta instead of elbows. Cheers
Delicious! I substitued Panko breadcrumbs as we didn't have ritz crackers and still was pleased and look forward to trying it again with cracker crumbs
This recipe was amazing! My family loved it. Once I drained the pasta, I did add two Tbls. butter and 1/2 tsp pepper to the noodles before mixing in the cheese mixture. The cheese mixture thickened beautifully. I melted the butter first, then added the flour, then the milk, then slowly added the cheese and whisked together. I also added 1/2 tsp paprika as I was whisking. It tasted awesome before I even baked it. I will definitely be making this again.
I followed the recipe exactly, except I added some keilbasa. My toddler gobbled it up, but my husband and I didn't really care for the flavor of the sauce. If I hadn't added the keilbasa, it would not have been edible, it would have been flavorless. It needs some spices: onion powder, garlic powder, ground mustard, and I think it needs more cheese in the sauce.
My kids were very disappointed with this recipe. Their comments were that it needs a cheesier flavor.
Very good! Was looking for a satisfying match to go with surf and turf. I made the recipe for 4 servings, but the 4 could easily serve 8. We will enjoy the leftovers!!! I also added a dash of chipotle pepper and dry mustard.
Yum! I subbed whole wheat pasta and couldn't tell the difference. Next time, I may add 1 cup less milk. Great recipe. Great leftovers too!
Mmmmmmmmmmmm! This was a SUPER terrific dinner! I also made a roux to make the cheese sauce as well, and it thickened nicely in the oven. BUT instead of all Ritz crackers, I used part crushed Stacy's garlic parmesan pita chips and it was really flavorful!
This recipe was very easy & it tasted great! I'm a huge macaroni & cheese fan and my husband and I loooooved this! :)
I did not care for this mac n cheese at all, and neither did my husband. I prefer a creamier macaroni and cheese; I like using meunster or gorgonzola, in my recipes to kick up the flavor and add more of a "creamy cheesy" aspect. The texture of my dish was grainy. The flavor was also a bland. I added a little more salt, pepper, and a pinch of cayenne just to kick it up a notch. Furthermore, I had to broil mine for about two minutes in order to get a nice crisp top.
This is really easy and really good. My only comment, I like to leave it in for 50-55 minutes.
The macaroni was very bland and tasteless. It didn't have much flavor or anything. I also tried to double the recipe and I was constantly critiquing every ingredient. I would not recommend this.
It was basically soup when I poured it into the baking dish. It did thicken up during the cooking, so I was pleased. It had kind of a mealy texture, and I think it would have been pretty flavorless if I hadn't added a shake each of garlic powder, onion powder and dried mustard. It tasted okay, so I am giving it three stars. I am going to keep looking for a recipe I really like, though, and I will not make it again.
This is DELICIOUS! I added 1/2 Ib of Pepper Jack cheese to the listed ingredients. Sooooo good!
I absoloutely LOVED this recipe. It seemed a bit soupy before the baking. However, when I pulled it out of the oven I found that it was nice and firm. I served this to my family and everyone agreed. This is delicious. It's the ideal comfort food and the butter cracker topping is yummy. I'll be making it again for sure!
This is good! I added 1/4 tsp mustard powder and 1/4 tsp paprika to give it a little more flavor and color. I will only add the topping to half of it next time since it gets soggy and undesireable on the leftovers. Great job!
Made this for superbowl and got amazing reviews! Only thing I changed was I blended cheddar with colby jack cheese. Delish!
A great basic recipie with things I pretty much always have on hand. Plain enough for my young kids to devour it down, but cheesy and butter enough to please me and my husband. I might make it again and add in Broccoli or Bacon....or BOTH
Followed the recipe all the way; cooked the cheese, milk, flour, etc for over an hour and it was still very "watery". The end product soupy mac and cheese!
I loved this! I used a mixture of cheddar and pepper jack which I feel gave it just the right amount of kick. Also I topped it with panko instead of the crackers mainly because I didnt have any, but also I prefer panko because it adds a nice crunch. My ONLY complaint about this was it had a grainy texture and I would have prefered a creamier texture. Not sure how to fix that, maybe next time I will bake this in a deeper yet smaller dish. The one I used was VERY large and that may have contributed to the grainy dry texture. I will be making this one again, maybe will experiment a little to find a better texture.
It was soggy. Kind of what you would expect from a cafeteria not moms kitchen
So tasty! I served this to guests as a side at a barbecue and was asked for my recipe/ I always follow a recipe the first time and then add my own fixin's after that. I found it a little dry for my taste, but all in all a wonderful base to build on. Definitely gets thumbs up.
I made this a while ago for a work party and it was amazing! I'm making it again for another party this weekend. Use real butter!
I added dry mustard as well and my husband added some hot sauce for a kick. The entire family enjoyed it very much! Keeper!
This macc & cheese is going, going, going fast. I knew it would so I made a generous 2nd (though smaller) casserole worth which got obliterated practically right out of the oven. I had mine with Italian Style Pork Chops... sooo good!
Delish! I didn't add the crumb topping since I don't like how it dries out the Mac and cheese. Everyone loved this. Next time I'll add a little mustard powder.
I normally don't do reviews on here, but I HAD to say something about this recipe... it just didn't do it for me. The overall texture was weird and dry, and it just tasted blah. I do not recommend.
This was so rich and cheesy, it was an immediate fave for my fuss-pot fiance (who had insisted that he didn't like homemade mac and cheese) and his parents. It was so easy to follow that it came out perfectly, even as a first-ever attempt at homemade mac and cheese. I added a bit of onion and garlic powders to it for a little bit of added flavour, and it was simply to die for!
I've made many different types of Mac & Cheese, this was not my favorite. I ended up adding in colby cheese and pepper jack for some flavor. Still ended up kinda of bland, will stick to my own Mac & Cheese next time!
This is delicious! It was very creamy and the Ritz crackers added a nice touch. When I was making it I realized I only had 8 ounces of cheddar cheese so I had to make a couple substitutions. I added 4 ounces of brick cheese and 4 ounces of sharp cheddar. It was yummy!
This was perfect. I added 1 jalepeno and garlic powder, dry mustard and paprika. I melted butter and added bread crumbs with some parmesean to make the crumb topping. Delicious!!!
I get so many compliments when I make this macaroni-it’s so easy to make. You can get creative and add difference types of cheeses. I also add a good amount of garlic powder, creole seasonings, and paprika. If you let the butter brown a bit you get a nice smoked flavor with it as well!
This is exactly how I've always made mac & cheese. I add a little mustard powder & some poultry seasoning to the cheese for a little more flavor & sprinkle stuffing mix (Bell's) on top for flavor & crunch. Mmmm...
loveee this recipe. i know this is wierd. lol. but this exact recipe is a old family recipe of mine also. is your friend katie related to any fairbrothers?
Great for a quick baked mac and cheese! We did make some changes: split the 1 lb of cheese between cheddar, colby, and monterrey jack. Also used parmesan on top instead of crackers.
Thanks for sharing a great recipe! I made this for a crowd and was worried about it drying out, even if I covered it, so I doubled the sauce and it came out great! It was a hit! I did add some garlic, onion powder and dry mustard for a little more flavor.
My family loves mac and cheese and i thought i would try a new recipe. We found the finished product to be very floury. I made the roux and cooked the flour and butter the same amount of time that i usally do but you could still taste the flour. Also i added some other spices to it. We have had better.
Very good! I have a very picky family and they ate it up! I will be making this again!
The kids ate it and that was a plus. i didnt like it. maybe I did something wrong but it seemed as if I could taste the the flour as a grain like taste. Not bad but not a keeper.
Wasn't that good. Not very flavorful and the texture wasnt the way I liked it
I love this recipe although I tweaked it a bit, I used Velveeta for half the cheese to make it more creamy, and I added a teaspoon of dry mustard. other than that it was great!
Mighty fine. be sure to use a sharp cheddar. milder cheeses leave this dish lacking flavor. I added onion, garlic, cumin, black pepper, a dash of hot sauce and chili powder. Also, I ended up with a lot of sauce, so I cooked up some more mac to throw in before baking...
This is a really great recipe, I have two fussy little boys and they loved it, as did everyone else in my family!
I just have to say,this was sooo good!! I love the cheese sauce, I have used it for several recipes,changing the type of cheese around,and its always good!!!
This is so easy & yummy. I used velveeta cheese. I didn't do the cracker topping & added shreeded chedder the last 15min of baking. Awsome!!
Loved this recipe and it was so easy to prepare. I did change some of the ingredients by using 1 onion chopped small and 3 small garlic cloves minced cooked in the 1/4 cup butter then added flour and other ingredients with 1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard added. Also substituted 1 cup of heavy cream for one cup of milk. Was very yummy. This will be in my recipe box.
I made this for Thanksgiving. However (somehow) I accidentily added pimentos( I was cooking multiple things at one time and slipped up :)). It ended up being the perfect finish to it, adding color and a little kick! I recommend the pimentos : )
I made this for Thanksgiving and loved it! I am by no means a cook AT ALL and I didn't mess it up... which to me means it is idiot proof! I will definately make this again... once finals are done! =)
It was the best I've had; my husband loved it! I did add a little dry mustard and cayenne pepper. I used crushed croutons for crumb topping and sprinkled just a little cheese with it which crisped up with the crumbs and was delicious!
Definitely a good start-out recipe. I added a couple of things based on others suggestions. And my one year old even liked it! Thank you :)
This was one of the best meal ever...My granddaughter who is 3 wanted seconds...I didnt think I would like it runny,but it was so good...I added cheese on top and then added french fried onions and omg so delicious...This is a keeper!!!
Will definitely make it again, and already have three times. I added fontina cheese with the cheddar cheese. It made it extra rich and gooey. Equal parts of both. Thanks again.
I'm 13 years old and made this for me and my friend for dinner. I took a pie dish (with crust already in it) and poured the mac and cheese n there. I then sprinkled extra shredded cheese on top. Then to resemble a top crust, I bacon weaved on the top. If you don't use bacon, I would have to say that crushed up garlic croutons (or any croutons) work amazing as a topping.
