Best Ultimate Make-Ahead Creamy Macaroni and Cheese is elegant enough to serve for special occasions but easy enough to serve during the week. Its creamy, ooey gooey cheesy goodness makes it the ultimate comfort food for any time, especially as a holiday side dish for Thanksgiving and Christmas! It can even be served as a main dish.
Because this recipe can be made ahead of time, it’s perfect for that busy holiday season 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 unnerving, especially if served at a holiday feast. Not to worry – it really is an easy mac and cheese recipe to make involving the basic steps described below.
Jump to:
Ingredients: Here’s What You’ll Need
- The Macaroni: There’s nothing special here – I used regular dried elbow macaroni.
- The White Sauce: The sauce for the macaroni and cheese starts with a regular bèchamel sauce or white sauce made with unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, Kosher salt, black pepper, nutmeg, and whole milk.
- The Cheeses: I use two kinds of cheese in this recipe – Gruyère cheese and extra sharp Cheddar cheese. However, you could any good melting cheese like Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese. You could also use Parmesan cheese.
- The Topping: For the breadcrumb topping, I use Panko breadcrumbs.
First: Cooking the Macaroni
- The first thing I did was cook the macaroni in a large pot of 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: Making the Creamy 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 to eliminate the raw flour taste.
- 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: Finishing the Make-Ahead Mac 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 bread crumbs. 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 a classic Mac and cheese taken to the next level. It was creamy, cheesy, full of extra richness, and certain to become a family favorite recipe. Yum!
Frequently Asked Questions
I like to shred my cheese, but you can definitely use pre-shredded cheese in this recipe.
You can use regular bread crumbs in place of the Panko breadcrumbs. You can also use crushed ritz crackers or regular breadcrumbs.
I like to use sharp Cheddar cheese and Gruyère in this recipe. But any good melty cheese can be used. Feel free to experiment.
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
ÂĽ cup all-purpose flour
1 ¼ cups (5 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
2 ½ cups (10 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
ÂĽ teaspoon black pepper
â…› 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
- ÂĽ 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.
Notes
- I used whole milk in this recipe, but you could also use low-fat milk.Â
- 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!
I need to make this for a group larger than 12. (Hot meal for needy.) Can this recipe be doubled? Or can you recommend how to adjust for 50 or 100?
LaRose,
This recipe can be easily doubled – to feed 24. For 50, you could quadruple the recipe, but would definitely need something large enough to hold that quantity of ingredients when putting the macaroni and cheese together and something large enough to hold the final product.
Hope this helps!
Chula
Do you think this would work with pasta alternatives such a as chickpea pasta or red lentil pasta? Would you make any adjustments?
Melissa,
I’m sorry, but I don’t have any experience with pasta alternatives so don’t know whether an alternative would work in this recipe or not.
I wish I could be more helpful.
Chula
I made this as a sample meal for my partners in a hot meal for needy program. This was our selection to make. I originally thought I would be making for 50 as our program is just starting BUT after only one day of collecting numbers of possible attendees I am already up to 68 people. So…will be making in batches of 50. You last told me I would have to quadruple the recipe for 50. My question concerns the extra milk added because of making and refrigerating the Mac and cheese overnight. Do I also quadruple the extra milk? Also, can you help me by giving me a quick lesson OR where to get a “SIMPLE” explanation on how to scale recipes in the future. I am new at cooking for such large groups. I know that doesn’t apply to this recipe and I only ask just in case you can direct me where to learn how to best do it. I don’t want to screw up any of the recipes we selected to make.
LaRose,
I’m so sorry for the delay in responding to this.
You should quadruple the extra milk.
In terms of this recipe, the only thing that I probably would not quadruple would be the salt added to the water used to cook the macaroni if you are cooking multiple quantities of macaroni at a time. For example, if you’re cooking two boxes of macaroni at a time, then I would use 1 Tablespoon of salt for both of the boxes. For all of the other ingredients, I would multiply the amounts listed in the recipe by four like this:
In terms of scaling the recipe, it depends on whether you have pots large enough to just make one batch or quadruple the recipe, or need to make two batches with double the recipe for both.
For example, if you have pots large enough for making only one batch, the scaling would be as follows:
1 1/2 Tablespoons Kosher salt divided: 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt per pot of boiling water used to cook the macaroni, plus 2 Tablespoons of salt in the actual sauce.
16 ounces of elbow macaroni x 4 = 64 ounces of elbow macaroni
4 cups (32-ounces) milk x 4 = 16 cups (128 ounces) milk
8 Tablespoons (1 stick, 4-ounces) unsalted butter, divided x 4 = 32 tablespoons (4 sticks, 16 ounces) unsalted butter divided
½ cup (2.5-ounces) all-purpose flour x 4 = 2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
2 ½ cups (10-ounces) Gruyère cheese, shredded x 4 = 10 cups (40-ounces) Gruyère cheese shredded
4 ½ cups (18-ounces) sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded and divided x 4 = 18 cups (72 ounces) sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded and divided
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper x 4 = 2 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper
ÂĽ teaspoon ground nutmeg x 4 = 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 ½ cups Panko breadcrumbs x 4 = 6 cups Panko breadcrumbs
If for example, you have to make two batches, then the scaling for each of the two batches would be as follows:
1 1/2 Tablespoons Kosher salt divided: 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt per pot of boiling water used to cook the macaroni, plus 1 Tablespoon of salt in the actual sauce.
16 ounces of elbow macaroni x 2 = 32 ounces of elbow macaroni
4 cups (32-ounces) milk x 2 = 8 cups (64 ounces) milk
8 Tablespoons (1 stick, 4-ounces) unsalted butter, divided x 2 = 16 tablespoons (2 sticks, 8 ounces) unsalted butter divided
½ cup (2.5-ounces) all-purpose flour x 2 = 1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour
2 ½ cups (10-ounces) Gruyère cheese, shredded x 2 = 5 cups (20-ounces) Gruyère cheese shredded
4 ½ cups (18-ounces) sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded and divided x 2 = 9 cups (36 ounces) sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded and divided
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper x 2 = 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
ÂĽ teaspoon ground nutmeg x 2 = 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 ½ cups Panko breadcrumbs x 2 = 3 cups Panko breadcrumbs
I hope I didn’t confuse things by laying out the recipe like this.
Again, I’m sorry for the delay in responding to you.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Chula
Can I use pepper hack instead of Gruyère cheese
Roseann,
I haven’t used Pepper Jack cheese in this recipe. Conceptually, it would work, but the taste would be different.
Chula
Making this for Easter. Can I cook a day ahead and warm the next day for dinner or should I bake it the same day I serve. Any suggestions if I cook the day before?
Vicki,
You can make this a day ahead and warm for the next day. I would, however, suggest adding more milk, about 1/2 cup if you do it this way. The macaroni tends to absorb some of the liquid. My real preference if you want to make this ahead of time would be to put everything together, cover the casserole and refrigerate it unbaked casserole. Then bake it the day you plan on serving it.
Oh my gosh……this was SO delicious! I made it for our card club group and everyone had seconds! I would highly recommend this recipe!
Thanks so much Becky! I’m glad the recipe was a success.
Chula
Do I need to buy block cheese and shred it myself or will packaged shredded cheese work?
Suzanne,
You can use packaged shredded cheese in this recipe/
Chula
Have you doubled this recipe? Is it just an exact conversion of each ingredient?
You can certainly double this recipe. Just double each of the ingredients.
Chula
Going to make this as a side dish for Easter. As a side will it serve more than
If used as a side will it serve more than 12?
Lou,
If the servings are really small, it could possible serve more than 12. However, this is so good that the servings will likely be on the larger size.
Chula
This was such a huge hit! Our picky eaters ate tons of this. I will be making this again & again.
I’m so pleased that the recipe worked for you!
Chula