Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese

This creamy baked mac and cheese is mind-blowingly good. Between the fun corkscrew cavatappi noodles and all of the melty cheesy goodness that gets caught up in them, I think this might just be my favorite mac and cheese recipe to date. Bring it to a cookout, serve it as a side or enjoy it as a main course on its own (I won’t judge)!

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cavatappi pasta, Cheesy Pasta, Creamy, Mac and Cheese

Servings: people

Calories: 530kcal

Equipment

(1) 9-10 inch cast iron/non-stick skillet or 9x11 baking dish

Ingredients

1 box cavatappi boiled and drained
6 tbsp butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
4 cups whole milk
1 tbsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
4 cups shredded cheese of choice I used cheddar and monterey jack

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil with lots of salt. Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than what's on the package instructions and strain out the excess water. Set aside for later.
Shred whatever cheese you are using if it is not already shredded for you. Set aside for later.
In a non-stick or cast iron skillet, melt the butter and whisk in the flour. ***This is called making a roux and it's REALLY important to incorporate the flour well and allow it to cook for a minute or two here or else you could end up with a lumpy cheese sauce that has a floury aftertaste and no one wants that!!!
Once the roux looks smooth and homogeneous, whisk in the milk.
Once combined, add in the seasonings and continue whisking.
Sprinkle in 3 cups of the shredded cheese (leave 1 cup for sprinkling on top)
Reduce the stove to medium-low heat. The cheese will immediately start to melt and the mixture will thicken. Once the sauce is smooth and thickened, add in the cooked pasta and stir to combine.
Top with the cheese you reserved from earlier (if you want crispy edges, make sure to get some of that cheese on the all the sides of the pan).
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Then uncover and broil the top for a few minutes until it's nice and bubbly (be sure to watch closely so it doesn't burn)!

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