Creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese

4.97 from 27 votes

This five cheese creamy baked macaroni and cheese is the BEST macaroni cheese you'll ever have. It's easy to make and comes together in under an hour. If you love a cheesy, easy, and incredibly flavorful macaroni and cheese, this recipe is for you!

Prep Time20

Cook Time35

Course: Comfort Food, Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 623kcal

Author: Britney

Equipment

9x13 baking dish

Ingredients

16 oz Macaroni/Elbow Pasta
4 oz Asiago Cheese or Parmesan Cheese (shredded)
8 oz Mozzarella (shredded)
16 oz Sharp Cheddar Cheese (shredded)
8 oz Colby Jack (shredded)
1 cup Heavy Cream
1 cup Whole Milk
1 tbsp Fresh Thyme (stems removed)
2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Ground Mustard
½ tsp Cayenne Pepper
¼ tsp Nutmeg
¼ cup Sour Cream
8 oz Cream cheese (room temperature)
Salt and Pepper, as desired

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Boil pasta until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain pasta and set aside.
In a separate bowl, combine shredded cheeses and pour in heavy cream and milk. Add thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, ground mustard, cayenne, black pepper, and nutmeg and stir together.
Add macaroni to a 9x13 baking dish and pour cheese/milk mixture on top. Add sour cream and cream cheese to the baking dish and mix together until evenly distributed throughout. Season with salt and pepper as desired.
Bake for 35 minutes. For a browned top, broil for 2-3 minutes.

Video

Notes

Tips for Making the Best Macaroni and Cheese

Grate your own cheese! Use block cheese and shred the cheese with a grater. Pre-shredded cheese is drier and tend to have additives to prevent the cheese from clumping. This may seem like a minuscule step but it makes the world of a difference!
Don't overcook your pasta! Only cook pasta until it's al dente. If you cook the pasta as per normal, it'll be too soggy when you bake it in the oven!
If you want a crispy top, broil the macaroni and cheese for about 2-3 minutes once it's done baking in the oven. The crispy top give it a really nice crust!
When boiling pasta, add salt to your water. This enhances the flavor of the pasta! Also, do not rinse your pasta while draining. You want to keep all of the flavor in!
Adjust the amount of salt as per your preference. Taste as your go and add salt as needed. Cheese is naturally salty so be mindful of this!

Nutrition