Ultimate Make-Ahead Macaroni and Cheese is elegant enough to serve at a dinner party but easy enough to serve during the week. Its creamy, ooey gooey cheesy goodness makes it the ultimate comfort food for any time, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas!
Because this recipe can be made ahead of time, it’s perfect for that busy holiday occasion when you want to save time to be with friends and family.
If you’ve never made homemade macaroni and cheese before, it might seem a bit unnerving, especially if served at a holiday feast. Not to worry – it really is a simple dish to make involving basic steps described below.
Jump to:
Ingredients: Here’s What You’ll Need
- The Macaroni: There’s nothing special here – the macaroni that I used is regular dried macaroni.
- The White Sauce: The sauce for the macaroni and cheese starts with a regular bechamel or white sauce made with unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, Kosher salt, black pepper, nutmeg, and milk.
- The Cheeses: I use two different kinds of cheese in this recipe – Gruyère cheese and extra sharp Cheddar cheese
- The Topping: For the crispy topping, I use Panko breadcrumbs.
First: Cook the Macaroni
The first thing that I did was to cook the macaroni in salted water according to the package directions.
Once the macaroni was al dente, I drained it in a wire mesh strainer and rinsed it well with cold water. Then I set the cooked macaroni aside while I made the cheese sauce.
Second: Make the Cheese Sauce
- Once the macaroni was cooked, I melted part of the butter in the same saucepan as I had used for the macaroni.
Then, I whisked in the flour. I let the roux cook over medium heat for several minutes.
- Next, I added the milk. I whisked the sauce over medium heat until it was thickened and bubbly.
- I removed the pan from the heat and added part of the Cheddar cheese, all of the Gruyère cheese, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
I whisked the mixture until the cheeses had melted and the sauce was creamy smooth.
Finally: Finish the Ultimate Make-Ahead Macaroni and Cheese
- Once the cheese sauce was ready, I added the cooked macaroni. I stirred the mixture until the macaroni was nicely coated.
- Then, I poured the macaroni into a greased casserole dish.
- I topped the macaroni and cheese with additional Cheddar cheese and sprinkled on the Panko breadcrumbs. Finally, I dotted the top with some butter.
- At this point, I covered the macaroni and cheese and refrigerated it for the next day. I could have gone ahead and baked it at this point as well.
- The next day, I baked the macaroni and cheese in a 375° F oven for about 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, it was hot and bubbly, and the top was golden brown.
The Ultimate Make-Ahead Macaroni and Cheese was out of this world. It was creamy, cheesy and full of flavor. Yum!
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use regular breadcrumbs in place of the Panko breadcrumbs. You can also use crushed Ritz crackers.
This can absolutely be cut down. Here are the measures that I use when I make half the recipe:
1 Tablespoon Kosher salt, divided
8 ounces of dried elbow macaroni
2 cups milk
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 ¼ cups (5 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
2 ½ cups (10 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
¼ teaspoon black pepper
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
This recipe makes delicious leftovers. I generally reheat the leftovers in the microwave for several minutes until fully heated. You could also reheat them in a 350° F oven for about 15 minutes if you wanted to preserve the crunchiness of the Panko breadcrumbs.
The macaroni and cheese freezes beautifully. If you bake it frozen, I would add 10 to 15 minutes to the baking time.
If you’d prefer a quicker Mac & Cheese, check out Susan’s Easy Stove-Top Mac & Cheese. It’s amazing.
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Recipe
Ultimate Make Ahead Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Kosher salt divided
- 16 ounces dried elbow macaroni
- 4 cups (32-ounces) milk (See Tip 1)
- 8 Tablespoons (1 stick, 4-ounces) unsalted butter, divided
- ½ cup (2.5-ounces) all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ cups (10-ounces) Gruyère cheese, shredded
- 4 ½ cups (18-ounces) sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded and divided (See Tip 2)
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 ½ cups Panko breadcrumbs (See Tip 3)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° F. Spray a 3-quart baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water with 1 Tablespoon of Kosher salt to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, for 9 to 10 minutes. Drain and rinse well with cold water; drain completely. Set aside.
- Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large (4-quart) pot; whisk in the flour. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. Whisk in the milk and cook for several more minutes, until bubbly and thickened.
- Remove pan from heat; add 3 cups of the Cheddar cheese, all of the Gruyère cheese, ½ tablespoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir until all of the cheese is melted and the sauce is creamy and smooth.
- Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.
- Top macaroni and cheese with remaining 1-½ cups Cheddar Cheese and Panko breadcrumbs mixed. Dot with remaining butter.
- May be prepared in advance up to this point, covered, and refrigerated. (See Tip 4)
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the top is golden brown. (See Tip 5)
- Yield: 10 to 12 Servings.
Chula’s Expert Tips
- I used whole milk in this recipe, but you could also use low-fat milk.
- I’ve made this with regular cheddar cheese, sharp cheddar cheese, and extra-sharp cheddar cheese. All are delicious.
- Rather than Panko breadcrumbs, you can use regular plain breadcrumbs or crushed Ritz crackers.
- If prepared ahead of time, the macaroni will absorb some of the liquid as it sits. Therefore, increase the amount of milk to 4 ½ cups.
- If you’re baking this after it’s been in the refrigerator, you will need to add 5 to 10 minutes to the baking times.
Nutrition
I originally posted the Ultimate Make-Ahead Macaroni and Cheese on December 25, 2017. Since then, it has been my go-to recipe for an amazing macaroni and cheese.
In this re-post, I added new pictures and updated text. I also included the measurements that I use when I cut the recipe in half. In fact, the pictures that I used are for a half recipe.
This is so delicious!!!
I know it is a make ahead recipe, is it ok to make ahead and freeze?
Absolutely! It freezes beautifully. Just add some additional time in the oven for it to be thoroughly heated.
Chula
This sounds so good! Question though; Do the noodles get mushy when it’s reheated? The mouth-feel of mushy foods makes most of my family gag (I swear we’re not pretentious, it just seems to be a thing for us) so I usually struggle to find noodle dishes I can cook in advance.
Thanks!
Jess,
I’ve not had a problem with the macaroni getting mushy. If you’re concerned, I would suggest cooking the macaroni just to the al dente stage.
Chula
Do you thaw the Mac and cheese before baking if you freeze it?
Nancy,
You don’t need to thaw the Mac and Cheese before baking it. However, you should probably add about 10 minutes to the baking time.
Chula
How many days in advance can I prep before having to bake for thanksgiving day?
Cindy,
I generally make this one day in advance before baking it.
Chula
Took to a potluck at work and everyone loved it
This mac and cheese was the hit of this year’s Thanksgiving meal. I made it exactly as directed, the day before, and it was soooo good! Thanks for helping me impress the family 🙂
Anne,
I’m so pleased that recipe worked for you and that you impressed your family!
Chula
Excellent Courtney!
The mac and cheese is baked uncovered, right?
Yes – I bake it uncovered.
How many people does this feed?
It should feed 10 to 12 people.
When making day before how do I keep it from becoming too dry?Should I add little milk when I bake?
Bonnie,
I’ve not had a problem with the macaroni and cheese becoming too dry. However, if you’re concerned, you can certainly add more milk.
Chula
Made today to bake tomorrow. Used sharp cheddar and pepper jack cheeses! Done 1/2 recipe and it made a dish for dinner and also an 8×8 for the freezer! Only feeding 3 people. Excited to see if they like it!
Fingers crossed Jo. The use of pepper jack cheese sounds yummy!
Chula
Do you bake before freezing?
If not should you put breadcrumbs on
Right before cooking?
I freeze the macaroni and cheese before baking. I would put the breadcrumbs on right before cooking.
I made it and it came out delicious! Thank you for the recipe.
So pleased that the recipe worked out for you!