Home-Style Macaroni and Cheese

Ok, I didn't follow the recipe but it was delicious and I'm sure it would have been even if I did. The changes I made: I doubled the recipe and used an entire box of elbow macaroni (whole grain). I used light cream cheese instead of regular and skim milk, and a combo of Swiss and Monterey Jack cheeses (4c total) instead of all cheddar. I also used white pepper (¾ tsp) and a generous swirl of siracha instead of black pepper and hot sauce (the cheese I used was white). The topping could be reduced to 1.5c bread crumbs (I used Panko) with 3 tbsp butter and fresh parsley. I omitted the jalapeno (for kids, although I'll use for adults in the future) also used a bit more Dijon (2tbsp for the double recipe). Even with my "healthier" changes, this recipe was delicious and raved about. Oh, and I made the cheese/macaron mixture a day ahead and run added the tipping and baked for 1h at 325 degrees before serving in a 9x13in disposable aluminum pan. Will definitely make again soon. Thanks!!

I made this dish tonight for the first time and loved it. I made a few changes after reading through all the review. Since the jalapeños were too spicy for my wife I left them out and substituted in one cup of pepper jack cheese with one cup of cheddar; reduced the cream cheese down to 4 ounces (half the amount). I crushed up a cup of stuffing mix to sub for the bread crumbs requested. This last step was done on a few other previous recipes and not only adds great flavor but a little crunch to it. This was awesome and will definately make it again.

Very easy. Followed the recipe with no changes. My family loved it!!

Winner! I replaced the jalapenos with peas. Even my pickiest scarfed this. Oh, and we didn't make it to the crumb topping and baking bit, either. One day when they aren't starving TO DEATH I will make this properly, because I imagine it will be even better.

Very good! I only used 4oz. of cream cheese b/c I didn't want it to get too thick, and I did have to omit the jalapenos, but only because my girls were eating it and it would've been too spicy for them (I do plan on trying it w/ the jalapenos next time). This came out nice and creamy, not too thick and VERY tasty...I will def be making this again~YUM! Thanks for sharing. :)

After reading the reviews I decided not to make any changes in the recipe's ingredients. I did double the entire recipe as I was taking it to a full-moon snowshoe party pot luck. Everyone LOVED it. Many people mentioned that they don't like spicy food in other reviews. I felt it was cheesy enough that the jalapeños gave a little kick, but didn't overwhelm it or taste too hot. I did make changes in the cooking of the recipe in this way . . . after assembling the recipe I put it in a crock pot to keep it warm and transport it to the party. That worked out very well. I didn't feel there was too much sauce, as many other people did, as once it's heated through and mixed well, it absorbs the sauce. My husband said I can make this recipe once a week as far as he's concerned:) If you have young children, add broccoli, spinach, peas, carrots, cauliflower, any vegetable you want them to eat and I'm sure they'll eat it!!!

I thought this had a fantastic flavor. The only reason I am not giving it 5 stars is that I felt it had way too much sauce for the amount of pasta. Some of the older reviews mentioned that, but I only read the ones on the first page, so I missed it. When I was making it, it seemed like a lot of sauce, so I used about 3/4 of the amount on all the sauce ingredients, and half the recommended cream cheese. Even with that adjustment, it was too much cheese sauce. Next time I would use half the sauce ingredients (or double the pasta if I have more people), and maybe 1/4 the cream cheese. Full disclosure: I did throw some sautéed onions, garlic, and hot Italian sausage in, which I usually do for macaroni, and used a little Asiago cheese with the cheddar.

I love mac and cheese. It is one of my favorite foods and I have been making many self made recipes for years... I have added broccoli, cauluflower, mushrooms, tomatoes, corn, (all at different times, some together). While my home made dishes were delicious this recipe was perfect. For those that say there was way too much sauce I completely agree... but if the directions in the recipe are followed you will find after cooking it is perfect. When pasta is cooked a little shy of tender it will absorb the sauces and continue to soften if baked. I used a can of green chillies and omitted the jalapeno as I do not like spicy food. This recipe is definately worth a go!

Fantastic white sauce although I can't imagine this with so little pasta! upped it to 2.5 cups and followed the recipe otherwise. Delicious!

This is the best macaroni and cheese recipe I've tried. I doubled the recipe to fill a 9x13 pan and omitted the jalapenos and halved the mustard. Next time I'll reduce the amount of cream cheese ever so slightly.

This is a creamy and tasty mac and cheese that is easy to make and oh so good to the tummy! I added a little more mustard and hot sauce the second time I made it, great both ways. Thank you for sharing! It's my new go to mac and cheese ??

This was so much sauce for the 7oz of pasta.

I used the whole 8 oz box of elbow mac & then added a small handful more cheese to cover the extra oz of pasta. Skipped the topping-not a fan on mac & cheese recipes. We all love this recipe!!

Giving it 5 stars to be fair since I did change some things...... As others suggested, I increased the macaroni to about 12 oz instead of 7. This completely ruined the dish! It was so creamy when first mixed up to go into the oven but after baking for the short time it indicates, it turned out dry. I did cut the cream cheese by half and I think that would be fine but should definitely keep the noodles as stated- 7 oz. This was such a disappointment on Christmas. Should have stuck to the original recipe, cutting cream cheese by half. The flavor was really good, just dry. I used Cabot seriously sharp cheddar cheese I will use it again when I follow this recipe as stated (minus half the cream cheese).

I have to say, this is going to be my new base for cheesy casserole goodness...didn't have the spicy additions (jalapeno's or hot sauce) and I doubled the recipe, and used one block of cream cheese, and a package of laughing cow cheese. Needless to say, the results were great, I split the results in two and had one plain mac and cheese and the other a tuna noodle casserole. Both were big hits! Can't wait to try with a different kinds of cheese...really awesome!!

I really liked this macaroni and cheese. I did make a few alterations like using 2 cups of uncooked pasta, only 4 oz of cream cheese, added a little bit of garlic powder and I omitted the jalapenos and hot sauce (kids). Very creamy and at first I thought there was too much sauce, but when the macaroni cooled down the sauce thickened and I think the left overs will not be dried out like others I have tried.

It was ok, just not to our liking. I will keep looking for the perfect one.

Awesome recipe. Very creamy & the jalapeño adds the perfect amount of spice to cut the creaminess.

This is my favorite mac and cheese recipe so far. I doubled the noodles and used 3 cups of milk and 1.5 blocks of cream cheese. Everything else was pretty much the same. I used cheddar, shredded parmasan and some of another bag of cheese for the sauce. Everyone loved it.

Fantastic. Added a 1/2 teaspoon of crushed Cheyenne Pepper powder for an extra kick. Yum yum in my tum tum.

This was just ok. I was expecting it to be creamier, but it turned out a little dry. Instead of a half box of pasta, I used probably about 3/4 of a box. Spicy is not my thing, so I left out the jalapeno and hot sauce. Instead, I increased the cheese to 1 cup mild cheddar and 2 cups of sharp cheddar. The topping of the bread crumbs was too much. Itt definitely ovewhelmed the pasta. Next time I would probably double the rest of the recipe, but still cut the topping in half. I lowered the temperature to 350 and baked for an hour. This is a good starting recipe. The next time I make it, I probably won't bake it, just add the sauce to the cooked pasta and serve for a creamier mac and cheese. Oh, and I will probably add in some American cheese as well.

I've made this recipe about a million times since I found it, LOVE IT! I used half the amount of bread crumbs for the topping and it's amazing.

Holy cheese sauce! While I was personally salivating over this dish, I'm not sure everyone would...especially if they have high cholesterol haha. Twice as much cheese sauce as you need but I love that. Very good.

I really like this recipe and so does my family. Basic recipe works well, however, I did make some changes. My husband didn't care for the "mustard flavor" so now I leave it out. Not a fan of hot sauce or jalapenos, so left that out too. And also use a full box of macaroni (12 oz.) because recipe does make a ton of sauce. The cream cheese really makes it creamy and I vary the other cheeses depending on what I have on hand. I make it ahead and do the final heating in a crock pot which gives it a nice bottom crust. Obviously doesn't have the nice crust on top this way, but that can be remedied by baking the crumbs on a cookie sheet and then adding before serving. So I guess I'm basically saying this recipe is very adaptable to individual tastes and equipment.

This turned out beautifully!! Followed the recipe exactly, except I omitted the hot sauce and jalapeños. The cheese sauce is soo smooth and delicious. Definitely my new Mac and Cheese go to!

Absolutely sinfully delicious! It was a home run for the family! Only addition I gave it was I added some parmesan cheese to the bread crumbs.

Loved it! My son didn't like the breadcrumb topping, but what does he know? I took it to work for lunch and it was still delicious.

Without a doubt this was the worst mac & cheese I have ever eaten. Made it exactly like the recipe and now throwing the entire mess away. Over powered by the taste of cream cheese, there is something about cooking cream cheese (which I love on bagels and in icing) that just is revolting. It shocks me that it has gotten these rating. Next time instead of cream cheese, I will use something different.

This stuff is addictive! I followed it exactly, right down to just barely cooking the noodles so they'd absorb some of the sauce. Also put in the 4 chopped jalapeno slices... if you're worried about it being too spicy, don't be. It adds a nice background flavor, but no heat.

This is my go to recipe for Mac and Cheese. I've been using it for a few years now because it does not use processed cheese. I now add onions and garlic to the butter and saute until translucent. Sometimes we add ground beef, chopped ham, smoked sausage, andouille sausage... whatever we have handy. Peas and tuna are good too! I also double the recipe because my husband and son take it for lunch the next day or we have the grandsons in town and they can power through some Mac and cheese.

Best Mac and Cheese! I used regular shredded cheddar and about 10 oz of elbow mac and had lots of leftovers with Chloe gone. (almost enough for another meal without her). Added leftover ham. Used Panko with the 2 T. of butter mixed in to sprinkle on top. Delicious!!

This is DeeeeeLISH! I did double the recipe, but this is so rich, we'll be eating it for days--might try fried mac n chez bites with the leftovers. Only a couple of changes--mustard powder for Dijon, smashed crackers instead of bread crumbs, covered with foil for 20 minutes, then broiled, uncovered, for 3 or 4. And used a bigger pan than 9x13, of course. You've made my family SO Happy!!!

I give it 4 stars only because I didn't add the jalapeño (just a preference). We loved it and will continue to use this recipe. I love the little bit of heat you get as a result of the hot sauce. The first time, it was a little weak on flavor, so I used extra sharp cheddar this time. Delicious!

This is a great way to spice up plain old mac and cheese. My family loves spicy so this was a hit! I used a lot more hot sauce (Franks) than it called for but that's our taste, and I didn't have milk so I used Almond milk and it still turned out crazy good!

I did make this dish. I did follow the recipe for the most part. I would have liked it much better if I would have left off the bread crumbs and cut back a little on the cream cheese. The dish was very good though.

was rilly good

Everyone in my family loved it, even my husband who does not like cheese, and my picky 4 and 5 year olds. Thanks!

It's delicious!!!

Everyone loved it! We didn't do the jalapeno peppers and we added a bit more hot sauce. It was amazing! It does have a strong dijion mustard and cream cheese taste, though, so we might do less of those in the future.

I made the recipe, as written, except for jalapenos because I worried about the family not eating it. The only thing I would change is using sharp cheddar next time instead of mild. Great taste and extremely simple recipe. Thanks!

The flavor of the sauce is good, however as other reviewers said, there is WAY too much sauce. I had to double the pasta (luckily I had extra) otherwise it was like cheese soup. Aside from the extra pasta I had to add, since I doubled the recipe overall, I made extra breadcrumb mixture too. There was too much of that as well. I'll be using a different recipe next time.

It sounded a lot better than it turned out. The dijon was a little overpowering to me, I'd recommend cutting it in half. And I would also also go light on the bread crumbs. I'll probably omit them entirely next time.

Absolutely delicious! I thought I was going to butcher it but it turned out great, I added banana peppers instead of jalapeno and forgot to add hot sauce but I'm sure it didn't make a big difference

I followed the recipe exactly and thought it was great! If I could find a way to get it a little more creamy I would give this five stars. Of course my four year old still claims this doesn't beat kraft mac n'cheese but this is a kid that views hot dogs as high cuisine. Thanks for recipe!

I made it just like the recipe and it was delicious.

Easy and delicious

Definitely making this from now on! Only changes I made was I used about half the recommended amount of jalapenos, and I substituted mild chicken wing sauce for hot sauce. I introduced it as Buffalo Mac-N-Cheese at our memorial day meal with neighbors. Everybody raved and needed recipes and my own family couldn't stop telling me how good it was. I felt it was a big risk since I made 4 3X19" pans and don't like anything spicy or jalapanos- but as it turned out, even I can't stay away from it- it's SO good. The texture and flavor are better than any mac and cheese ever- I can't believe I love this so much- as I am a huge fan of regular mac and cheese- of every kind, I was fairly sure sauce and peppers would ruin it...but wow....I will never make it any other way. Thanks for a fabulous recipe! I should mention, it was too spicy for my little girl- 7yrs old...super sensitive to spice- but not to me nor my teenage daughter who generally avoid spice at all costs. All the spice lovers were crazy over it...so hitting the hot but not too hot mark was pretty miraculous. Maybe I should add that I did throw a lot of prayer into the recipe since I made 42 servings on my first effort. Turned out to be a great gamble! Thank God!

This is probably one of the better mac and cheese recipes on here. I really enjoyed it and it was easy to make. I didn't care for the jalepenos, so I omitted them. There's so many mac and cheese recipes to try until you find the perfect one for you and this one is worth trying out.

This was great! It was very tasty. It was creamy and flavorful. It was also quite easy!

I love, love, love this! Can't wait to see if my mac-and-cheese-loving granddaughter will like it too!

The only reason I gave this 4 stars is because I would make a few changes but it is a kick- recipe! I used a 16 oz. package of large elbow macaroni. 14oz. would have been just right with all that sauce. Everyone who said to cut the cream cheese to 2/3 to 1/2 were right. It needed more cheddar-probably one more cup. I used Cabot's white sharp cheddar and would have prefered Cabot's Seriously Sharp Cheddar instead. I cooked at 400 for 20 min.- It didn't bubble around the edges but the topping was brown & crispy. I only had some buttery crackers so I used them (ground up) with the 2Tbsp. butter and parsley. It was not too much because I used more than double the amount of pasta.

Excellent recipe. Very tasty. I substituted stuffing mix for the bread crumbs.

Yes for the jalapino peppers I used green bell peppers and I added beef and also used crutouns instead of bread crumbs

Didn't really care for this recipe. I made it exactly as written. Still trying to find one I like. The taste wasn't right for me and I didn't like the texture. It certainly wasn't dry.

Great recipe! Added extra jalapeños for added spice. Easy to make and delicious!

So good no jalapeños or hot sauces though family doesn’t do spicy. However added more Dijon.

I have made this twice and everyone loved it! I added some cooked, chopped ham to the second dish I made. It was amazing!

Love this, very similar to mine. I make a large batch with 1lb mac, 1 full jar sliced rinsed and drained jalapenos, 8 thick slices cooked and chopped bacon and a small bottle of mesquite smoked flavoring. After all is mixed add shredded colby and Monterey cheese then bread crumbs on top (chese mixture is the same except I use evaporated milk instead of regular).

This was a biggie, with my kids asking for THIS recipe, on Thanksgiving Day. I followed the directions to a T...and it turned out Great!! As I was making it, I thought about the different ways I could tweek it, but I left it alone yesterday!! Thanks for another favorite!!

Love baked mac&cheese and this recipe hits it! Didn't have jalapeño or hot sauce so I sprinkled in some red crushed peppers. Used 1/2 C. Italian bread crumbs & 1/2 C. Panko. Used about 14 oz. elbow noodles (cooked a 16 oz. box but I could see it was too much when I was adding the noodles to the sauce mixture) and a 1/2 stick of butter to mix with bread crumbs. I kept all the other ingredients as called for. Baked @ 350• for 35 minutes. Everyone was quite happy! FYI, the dark areas on top (in my pics) is from my sprinkling some paprika on top.... won't do that again!

I doubled this (plus a little extra noodles) and used extra large elbow macaroni. Also improvised a bit with the bread crumb topping with some other seasonings, but I kept the sauce recipe pretty close to what was listed. This was a huge hit with friends and family! So good I'll be making it again!

I added a bit more hot sauce. Was very good

Very rich and yummy. Super addicting.

I know that the recipe should be judged as it was written but I had to deviate only slightly. I like spicy food so I used a little more jalapeños, and I fried up some bacon to crumble in. Because, you know...bacon. It was great :-) Thanks for the recipe.

Very cheesy but good. Also needs more milk to dry.

I tried this recipe last night. It turned out great. At first I thought a cup of bread crumbs was a bit much, but they settled in nicely as I let the dish stand awhile.

I changed a few ingredients (I used mozzarella instead of cheddar cheese, coconut flour instead of wheat flour and rice bread instead of wheat bread as the bread crumbs) to make it safe for my food allergy son but it was still wonderful! I also added cooked bacon just before putting it in the oven. It was a hit with everyone!

Finally a Mac and cheese that isn't bland! Mine was a little dry, but I had a partial box of pasta and my ratios were likely off. I will make again and keep an eye on that. The flavor is spot on!

The only changes I made were omitting the jalapeños and reduced the hot sauce (I don't care for spicy foods) and it came out pretty well. I didn't think there was too much sauce, but I made it a day ahead and knew the sauce would thicken. The only thing I would do differently next time is half the crumb topping, there was too much for the dish.

High fives from the whole family! This dish has already been requested for Thanksgiving dinner. Followed the

Delicious!!!!

This is an excellent recipe for Macaroni amd Cheese. Great to take and share too. Really love recipe!

Very delicious! My husband loved it.

I found this kind of dry and bland, but the overall flavor was pretty good. I think it needs some more creamy cheese. I'm not sure if I'll make it again.

Even my pickiest eater loved it. I did make changes - we like heat so I upped the amount of jalapeños . I also upped the cheddar cheese about a cup and added about 1/4 cup sour cream. I didn't have breadcrumbs so I crushed up Ritz crackers.finally found a recipe the whole family loved. Thanks!

SO good!! Will definitely make again!

Too much cream cheese for me, but kids enjoyed it. Used whole grain pasta and more than listed. Didn't have time to bake and still turned out fine.

The cheese sauce ended up being like 5x too much compared to the pasta... It was tasty but I prefer another recipe.

It turned out great. My granddaughter and her vegetarian Mom loved it.

made just like directions said Mac &cheese part delicious. Did not like the bread crumbs. Not too much sauce at all like others said. Cream cheese was not overwhelming like some said

I made this for a pot luck and everyone loves it. It's rich and creamy. I did not put jalapeños in it though. Still really good.

Best that I ever ever had or mzcd

I thought the mac and cheese was very good and I did not think there was too much sauce. The problem I had is with the bread crumbs. I think 1 cup of bread crumbs was way too much. I will definitely make this again, as we really liked it...just will cut way down on bread crumbs, or just leave them off.

We had dinner planned and I came across this and it sounded so good I made it anyway. I have a very good recipe already but this was so easy and the jalapenos enticed me. DELICIOUS!! Based on other reviews I doubled the pasta and was glad I did. Easy and very tasty!!

I doubled the batch. I used Romano, Cheddar and Gruyere, as well as 8oz. cream cheese. I believe more cream cheese could be used to create a dreamy consistency. I've been trying to duplicate a mac n cheese recipe that I had in Denver. Truly the best to date. I will continue to play with this recipe until I achieve "wow ".

It was very good would make it again

Yummy!!!!!! I didn't have Dijon mustard so honey mustard was used. Also instead of hot sauce I used smoked paprika for a smokey flavor instead. Turned out great, that cheese sauce is pretty amazing! Happy cooking ??

I didn't like it very much because I thought it tasted rather sour. I'm pregnant at the moment so I'm not sure whether it's because of my tastebuds - milk is tasting sour after awhile atm. I'm going to redo it later again. My hubby really enjoyed it though, he did say it was different but he was looking for more the next day. Sadly or not really :) I accidentally left it out that night so it went bad next morning. The recipe was great. I used Italian bread crumb mix because that's all I had but it still worked out well. Other than that, give it a try. If you like it or not, you won't know until you do.

Tasted "pasty"

Made this for a graduation party to serve with pulled pork. Cooked four pounds of dried elbow noodles and they were gone!!! Great recipe. Made the night before and refrigerated. The next morning this was still very creamy and delicious!

Way too many bread crumbs, it would be much better if the bread crumbs were cut in half

This turned out awesome. Huge hit at BBQs and super simple. DO NOT make only 7oz of noodles. Way to much sauce for that. I did 16oz and kept the rest the same and it came out perfect. good recipe

Made it without jalapeno and hot stuff. Everyone gobbled it up!

I made this according to the recipe but we didn't care for it. Texture was unexpected. Color was more white than orange. It tasted more fettuccini alfredo than macncheese. And we were wanting...macncheese.

My family loves this mac & cheese. It's very creamy!

I particularly LOVE the jalapenos because they added a nice zing/zest to the dish. I will try it with cream cheese next time because I substituted that for shredded cheese. Overall, I still liked it and so did my family. Thanks for sharing this recipe.

Ruthie I made this for my grand daughter who loves mac & cheese, everyone liked it even my daughter who is hard to please, because she is an excellent cook. I have to say I didn't use Jalapeño peppers, or the hot sauce but I did use the full amount of cream cheese, which I think was to much. I would make it again using only 1/2 the amount of cream cheese, and only 1 tsp. of Dijon mustard.. Everyone thought it was just the right of amount of sauce and not dry....

Phenomenal as written, i didn't make any changes and would recommend making it just as the recipe says

Very very good. I left out the jalapeño and used half Velveeta , half cheddar. One percent milk. It makes a lot!