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    Home » Recipes » Main Dish

    Baked White Mac and Cheese

    By Lily・Published:Aug 18, 2022・Updated: Jan 10, 2023・Post may have affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Baked White Mac and Cheese Pinterest Pin.

    Baked white mac and cheese is a delicious dish made 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.

    baked white mac and cheese in a casserole dish

    More recipes with bechamel sauce are stovetop truffle mac and cheese recipe and Italian lasagna with bechamel.

    What I Love About This Recipe

    This creamy mac and cheese can be a side dish or main dish. Mac and cheese is a pretty heavy meal, and I like that this one has just enough of the cheese sauce without going overboard. Oh, the gooey cheese sauce is phenomenal! Half of the sauce almost didn't make it into the casserole dish because I kept licking the spoon. Sorry, not sorry!

    Ingredient Notes

    ingredients to make baked mac and cheese with panko breadcrumbs
    • Macaroni noodles: Use classic elbow macaroni.
    • Sharp white cheddar cheese: Use salty cheese like cheddar or Parmesan cheese. My favorite is sharp white cheddar cheese. You can shred a block of cheese or buy the pre-shredded cheese. It will melt into the bechamel sauce just fine.
    • Mozzarella cheese: Use a cheese that melts well to get that cheese pull for the sauce. Also, I like to use a little lighter cheese to compliment the salty cheese. Other types of cheeses you can use are provolone, gruyere cheese (another one of my favorites!), and Monterrey Jack.
    • Milk: I prefer reduced fat milk, but you can also use whole milk.
    • Panko breadcrumbs: The best breadcrumbs for mac and cheese.
    • Crushed garlic: Mashed garlic and crushed garlic (using a garlic press) are like a paste that disperses evenly into food. This ingredient is perfect for the herb and butter Panko topping. If you don't have any fresh garlic cloves on hand, substitute a pinch of dried garlic powder.

    See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for quantities.

    How To Make Baked Mac and Cheese

    Heat the oven to 425 ℉ (220 ℃).

    boiled macaroni elbows

    Boil the macaroni elbows in a large pot of boiling water per the package instructions (about 6 to 7 minutes) or until al dente. Drain and drizzle the cooked pasta with olive oil.

    panko, crushed garlic, dried Italian herbs, and melted butter in a bowl

    Mix the panko breadcrumbs, salt, dried Italian herbs, melted butter, and crushed (or mashed) garlic in a small bowl.

    making a butter and flour roux

    Melt butter in a large saucepan on medium-high to high heat. Add the flour, whisking for about 30 seconds.

    bechamel sauce coating the back of a wooden spoon

    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 spoon.

    add shredded cheese to the bechamel sauce

    Add the shredded mozzarella, shredded white cheddar, and salt to taste.

    melted cheese sauce on a wooden spoon

    Look at that cheese pull!

    add macaroni elbows to the cheese sauce

    Add the cooked macaroni elbows.

    the cheese sauce and macaroni elbows in a pot

    Mix the bechamel cheese sauce and macaroni.

    macaroni and cheese with a panko topping in a baking dish before going in the oven

    Pour the macaroni and cheese into a baking dish. Top it with the panko breadcrumbs.

    baked white mac and cheese in a baking dish

    Put the mac and cheese on the top rack of a 425 ℉ (220 ℃) oven for 5 to 10 minutes for the panko crust to brown slightly. Don't cook too long, or the mac and cheese will dry out!

    Tips and Tricks

    • 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.
    baked white cheese sauce and macaroni

    Variations and Substitutions

    • Skip the Panko topping and don't bake! Make this meal easier and quicker by skipping the breadcrumb topping and baking step.
    • Use garlic powder instead of mashed garlic.
    • Substitute different cheeses for the homemade cheese sauce.

    Equipment

    • Large stovetop pot to boil the macaroni pasta
    • Strainer to strain the pasta
    • A 9" x 13" casserole dish to bake the mac n cheese
    • A second stovetop pot to prepare the creamy cheese sauce
    • A small bowl to mix the panko
    • A garlic press or mortar and pestle to mash the garlic

    Storage

    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:

    1. Only prepare what will be eaten that day.
    2. Make extra cheesy bechamel sauce. When you reheat the mac and cheese, add some extra cheese sauce.
    3. Reduce the pasta.

    Store this recipe in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

    close up of the mac and cheese

    FAQs

    How do you make mac and cheese sauce?

    The base of mac and cheese sauce is a homemade bechamel sauce. Then add shredded cheese for the ultimate creamy sauce.

    What types of cheese do you use for mac and cheese?

    Traditionally, mac and cheese sauce has some type of cheddar. However, the cheese sauce is versatile, and any type of shredded cheese can be used. Try gruyere cheese, provolone, mozzarella, parmesan, or Monterey jack.

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    close up view of baked mac and cheese.

    Baked White Mac and Cheese

    Author: Lily
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Prep: 20 mins
    Cook: 10 mins
    Total: 30 mins
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate Email
    Servings 12
    Baked white mac and cheese is a comforting pasta dish with delicate macaroni elbows, homemade bechamel cheese sauce, and a garlic herb panko breadcrumb topping.

    Ingredients
     
    US Customary - Metric

    • 1 lb macaroni elbows
    • 5 cups milk reduced fat
    • 1 and ¼ cups white cheddar shredded
    • 1 and ¼ cups mozzarella shredded
    • 4 tablespoons 58 grams of butter
    • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
    • 5 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
    • salt to taste

    Panko Topping

    • 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
    • 1 tablespoon of melted butter
    • 2 garlic cloves mashed
    • 1 teaspoon of dried Italian herbs
    • pinch of 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

    1. 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).

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1/12 dish | Calories: 354kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 201mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g

    More Ultimate Main Dishes For Lunch and Dinner

    • Grilled Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
    • Grilled Lamb Chops
    • Rotisserie Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuits
    • Crustless Chicken Pot Pie

    About Lily

    Howdy! My name Lilian, but my friends call me Lily. I'm the founder and one of the recipe authors here at The Matbakh. I enjoy sunsets, long walks on the beach, meaningful relationships, and anything related to food. I'm so happy you are here!

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Kerry S.

      September 29, 2022 at 3:20 pm

      5 stars
      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

      Reply
      • Lily

        September 29, 2022 at 3:22 pm

        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.

        Reply

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