Baked White Cheddar Mac and Cheese
Baked white mac and cheese is a delicious dish of tender macaroni elbows, cheesy bechamel sauce, and garlic herb Panko breadcrumbs. Homemade creamy bechamel sauce with lots of cheese pull compliments the crunchy, flavorful Panko topping. This homemade macaroni pasta recipe only takes 30 minutes to make.
Mac and cheese is the ultimate comfort food. The best homemade mac and cheese has a great cheese sauce. I prefer making mac and cheese with cheese béchamel sauce rather than using heavy cream.
Wondering what else you can do with bechamel sauce? You can make stovetop truffle mac and cheese recipe, Italian lasagna with bechamel, and chicken pot pie with biscuits.
Ingredient Notes
My favorite cheese combinations are shredded sharp white cheddar cheese and shredded mozzarella cheese. Other types of cheeses you can use are provolone, gruyere cheese (another one of my favorites!), and Monterrey Jack.
Freshly crushed garlic adds some flavor to the panko butter topping. If you don't have any fresh garlic cloves on hand, substitute a pinch of dried garlic powder.
How To Make Baked Mac and Cheese
Heat the oven to 425 ℉ (220 ℃). Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water per the package instructions (about 6 to 7 minutes for elbow pasta) or until al dente. Drain and drizzle the cooked pasta with olive oil.
Mix the panko breadcrumbs, salt, dried Italian herbs, melted butter, and crushed (or mashed) garlic in a small bowl.
Melt butter in a large saucepan on medium-high to high heat. Add the flour, whisking for about 30 seconds.
Add the milk and whisk until the sauce thickens (about 2 to 5 minutes). Remove the bechamel sauce from the stovetop once it can coat the back of a spoon.
Add the shredded mozzarella, shredded white cheddar, and salt to taste.
Look at that cheese pull!
Mix the bechamel cheese sauce and cooked macaroni elbows.
Pour the macaroni and cheese into a baking dish. Top it with the panko breadcrumbs.
Put the mac and cheese on the top rack of a 425 ℉ (220 ℃) oven for 5 to 10 minutes until the panko crust is golden brown. Don't cook too long, or the mac and cheese will dry out!
Recipe Notes
- Don't over-bake! The delicious gooey cheese sauce dries up in the oven if you keep it in there too long. For the best results, toast the garlic herb Panko breadcrumb topping for just a few minutes.
- Crush the fresh garlic. The garlic herb bread crumb topping is best with fresh garlic that's pressed or mashed into a paste. Use a garlic press or mortar and pestle to mash the peeled garlic cloves.
Variations and Substitutions
Skip the Panko topping, and don't bake! Turn this meal into stovetop mac and cheese by skipping the breadcrumb topping and baking steps.
Reheating Tips
Mac and cheese does not reheat well because the pasta absorbs the liquid from the bechamel sauce in the fridge. You end up with dry mac and cheese! There are a few ways to get around this issue:
- Only prepare what will be eaten that day.
- Make extra cheesy bechamel sauce. When you reheat the mac and cheese, add some extra cheese sauce.
- Reduce the pasta.
📋 Recipe
Baked White Cheddar Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 lb macaroni elbows
- 5 cups milk reduced fat
- 1¼ cups white cheddar shredded
- 1¼ cups mozzarella shredded
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- salt to taste
Panko Topping
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- 2 garlic cloves mashed
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 425 ℉ (220 ℃).
- Boil the macaroni elbows in a large pot of boiling water. Cook as per the package instructions (about 6 to 7 minutes) or until the macaroni noodles are tender. Drain the pasta. Drizzle a tad bit of olive oil to coat the cooked macaroni. Set it aside.
- Mix the panko breadcrumbs, salt, dried Italian herbs, melted butter, and crushed (or mashed) garlic in a separate bowl. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan on medium-high to high heat. Add the flour, whisking for about 30 seconds. Add the milk and whisk until the sauce thickens (about 2 to 3 minutes). Remove the bechamel sauce from the stovetop once it can coat the back of a wooden spoon. Add the shredded mozzarella, shredded white cheddar, and salt to taste.
- Mix the bechamel cheese sauce with the macaroni elbows. Pour the macaroni and cheese into a baking dish. Top it with the panko breadcrumbs. Put the mac and cheese on the top rack of a 425 ℉ (220 ℃) oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Don't cook too long, or the mac and cheese will dry out!
Notes
- Use any type of shredded cheese for the cheese sauce. I recommend pairing a salty cheese (cheddar or parmesan) with a cheese that melts well (Monterrey jack, gruyere, provolone, or mozzarella).
- Store this recipe in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Use garlic powder instead of mashed garlic.
Hello, in the original description it says “…panko Parmesan cheese crust”. But there is no Parmesan listed in the actual bread crumb recipe. In Notes it says you can substitute Parm for another cheese for the sauce. Can you clarify if the bread crumb crust should have parm? It’s the reason I chose to look at the recipe.
Thank you, Daneille Cummins
(Another great mac and cheese recipe is this baked white mac and cheese with a panko parmesan cheese crust.
This is an easy recipe to serve as a
side dish for whole lobster.
Check out this baked white mac
and cheese.)
Hi Danielle,
Sorry the recipe doesn’t list parmesan in the crust. You can add it to the panko crust- that would be a lovely addition!
I could eat the creamy bechamel sauce by itself, it’s so fantastic. This was 10/10 same day but it dried out in the fridge. I recommend making only what you think you will eat. Or make some more creamy bechamel the next day to add in for the same effect
Thanks for the comment Kerry! I really like the creamy bechamel sauce too... it's the base sauce for stovetop truffle mac and cheese which is sooooo good. Great idea about making more bechamel sauce... that will solve things. The pasta absorbs the liquid in the fridge, so it dries out a little.