This easy American Baked Mac and Cheese is gooey and cheesy with a fabulous buttery Ritz cracker topping. Enjoy it as a comforting main dish or as a lovable side.
1pound(16 ounces) short pasta or macaroni,such as cellentani, cavatappi or elbows
4tablespoons(2 ounces) unsalted butter
¼cupfinely chopped onion
¼cupall-purpose flour
4cupsmilk
1teaspoonkosher salt
½teaspoonblack pepper
1 ½pounds(24 ounces) white Land O’Lakes American cheese,shredded
Topping:
20Ritz crackers,crushed
2tablespoons(1 ounce) unsalted butter,melted
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 13-by-9-inch (3 quart) baking dish and set aside.
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the pasta until about 2 to 3 minutes shy of al dente (that's about 9 to 10 minutes total cooking time for cellentani). Do not overcook the pasta because it will get mushy once it bakes. Drain in a colander and set aside.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large pot and add the onions. Sauté until the onions are softened, about 1 to 2 minutes, and then add in the flour, stirring constantly.
When the flour mixture starts to bubble, slowly stir in the milk, salt, and pepper. Keep stirring over medium-high heat, and once the milk starts to simmer but not boil, add in the shredded American cheese.
Stir until creamy. You shouldn’t see any strings of cheese left in the mixture. Lower the heat and continue stirring constantly, or else it will stick to the bottom of the pot. It will be significantly thicker once all the cheese has melted.
Remove the cheese mixture from the heat and add the strained pasta. Combine until well mixed, then pour the pasta and cheese sauce into the prepared baking dish.
Combine the crushed crackers and melted butter in a mixing bowl and then sprinkle over the top of the macaroni and cheese.
Cover tightly with foil and bake for about 45 minutes. Uncover, then bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes until the crumb topping is golden brown and the edges are bubbly.
Let the macaroni and cheese cool for at least 15 minutes before serving to allow it to set.
Notes
The best way to make this is with white Land O'Lakes American cheese. It just isn't the same with any other cheese. Get it from the supermarket deli counter cut into larger chunks so you can easily shred it on a box grater.
This recipe serves 8 people as a main dish, and even more if you serve it as a side dish. You can also easily halve or double the recipe based on how many people you'd like to serve. Bake it for a bit less time if you're making less, about 30 minutes covered, and 15 minutes uncovered.
To freeze, assemble (but don't bake) the casserole. Tightly wrap with plastic wrap and then foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely in the refrigerator, remove the plastic wrap and rewrap with the foil before baking. I find that baking from a frozen state yields very uneven baking and takes forever.
If baking from a cold state right out of the fridge, you'll need to add some extra baking time. Use visual cues to determine when it's ready. It should be bubbly and golden.