Oven Baked Macaroni and Cheese is my go-to recipe because the oven does all the work. No boiling the macaroni pasta before hand.
(Originally published 3/22/19 and updated for content 6/19/24)
If you like this recipe, check out my Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese next!
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I have a confession to make. Until now my homemade macaroni and cheese of choice came in a box from the store. Shocking right? It wasn’t that I loved the taste of the boxed kind (though my kids enjoy shells and cheese). It’s just getting out two pots to boil some macaroni and then make a cheese sauce and then stir it together and then bake it seems like a lot of extra steps for a side dish. But then I found this recipe and after doing some testing and revisions I think I have come up with a seriously easy and great recipe for oven baked macaroni and cheese recipe.
The reason my recipe is so easy is because you don’t boil the pasta in water! The cheese sauce is made with simple ingredients in a blender. Then stirred together with the macaroni. It’s baked in the oven covered first so the pasta cooks right in the cheese sauce. Then you remove the foil, top it with more shredded cheese and continue to bake until it’s bubbly and starting to brown. It might become one of your new favorite dishes.
More classic comfort food recipes
Ingredients for oven baked macaroni and cheese
- Cottage Cheese – Full fat cottage cheese helps to make the cheesy sauce extra creamy
- Half and Half – The half and half makes the creamy sauce liquidy enough so that the macaroni pasta can cook in the oven, substitute with whole milk if you prefer
- Gouda Cheese – I used smoked gouda when testing this recipe because I like the extra smokey flavor it adds
- Cheddar Cheese – Use your favorite variety of cheddar – white cheddar, medium, sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese
- Yellow Mustard – I use yellow mustard because that is what I have on-hand most often, but you could use Dijon mustard instead
- Hot Sauce – I like the extra sharp flavor the hot sauce adds but you could omit it if you prefer
- Macaroni Noodles – My recipe is meant to be a side dish so it uses one half of a box of macaroni pasta
- Butter – 2 tbsp butter is used to grease the baking dish
- Salt – Enhances the flavor of the creamy cheese sauce
Instructions
For complete instructions, keep scrolling for both my printable recipe card with full list of ingredients. Plus a how-to video.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a casserole dish and set aside. Combine the cottage cheese, half and half, both cheeses, mustard, hot sauce and salt in a blend. Blend the ingredients on high until smooth. Pour the dry macaroni pasta into the dish. Add the cheese sauce and give it a good stir. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 50 – 60 minutes, or until the pasta is tender (al dente).
Remove the foil and stir the macaroni. Top with the remaining cheese. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F. Bake the macaroni for an additional 20 minutes until bubbly and golden brown.
Pro tips
- This recipe can easily be doubled to serve a crowd or turned into a main dish.
- Feel free to mix and match – the combination of cheese is up to you. I like a mix of smoked Gouda and cheddar cheese. Monterey Jack, pepper jack, munster or even Gruyere cheeses would also be good choices.
- If you like a crunchy topping, add some crushed Ritz crackers or buttered bread crumbs to the top along with the additional shredded cheese.
- Definitely shred you own cheese for this recipe. Pre-shredded cheese has an anti-clumping agent on it which prevents it from melting as well.
- If you don’t have macaroni, any short pasta will work in this recipe.
Serving suggestions
I grew up eating mac and cheese with my Mom’s salmon patty recipe. Usually with my kids I serve macaroni and cheese with fish sticks or chicken nuggets. But I also like to take along my oven baked macaroni and cheese to potlucks and parties. Here’s a few of my favorite recipes that are great for family and friend gatherings –
Storage directions
Store the macaroni and cheese in an airtight container or covered tightly with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to three days. Or store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to one month.
Kitchen tools
- Use a blender like this one to blend your cheese sauce
- This is a casserole dish similar to the one I used to test this recipe
Oven Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup 4% fat cottage cheese
- 2 cups half and half
- 8 oz smoked Gouda cheese grated
- 8 oz medium cheddar cheese grated
- 2 tsp yellow mustard
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 8 oz (half box) macaroni pasta
- 2 tbsp butter softened
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease a baking dish (at least 8 cup capacity) with the two tablespoons of butter and set aside.
- Combine the shredded Gouda and Cheddar cheeses and set aside about 1 cup of cheese. Cover it with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- In a blender, combine the cottage cheese, half and half, remaining shredded Gouda and Cheddar cheeses (about 3 cups), salt, mustard and hot sauce. Blend until smooth.
- Stir the half and half and cheese mixture into the uncooked pasta and pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake at 350 for 50 - 60 minutes (or until the macaroni is cooked through - I taste it to make sure). Remove the dish from the oven. Remove the foil and stir well. Top the cooked macaroni with the remaining cup of shredded cheese.
- Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F. Return the macaroni and cheese to the oven and bake an additional 10 - 20 minutes, or until the cheese on top is bubbling and starting to lightly brown.
Video
Nutrition
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Christina Griffin says
This is a new addition to my Thanksgiving menu that will now make appearances for many years to come! Best Mac And Cheese !!!! Megan says, “Yummo!”
foodtasticmom says
So happy to hear this! I hope you and your family are doing well. Megan messaged me about it too. Great to hear from you both. 🙂