Pioneer Woman’s Mac & Cheese Recipe
It doesn’t get much better than this Pioneer Woman’s Mac & Cheese Recipe!! This is the best ever Mac & Cheese! You have to try it at least once!
I would love to take credit for this recipe! It has been made in my house nothing short of gazillion times! I have walked many miles on the treadmill so that I could enjoy a big creamy bowl of THE BEST EVER Mac & Cheese. This is simply the best you will ever make; Pioneer Woman’s Mac & Cheese.
Now while I try to share 30 minute or fewer recipes, this one comes in at around 35 if you choose to put it in the oven. We may just have to let it slide.
I have tried many Mac & Cheese Recipes to find the absolute best! I will save you all the effort and the ingredients. Just print this one, duct tape it to the fridge, and you are good to go. You are not going to find a better recipe! PROMISE!
Need a dish to take to a potluck? DONE
Need a side dish for dinner? DONE
Are kids hungry? DONE
Need to leave something in the fridge for the hubby to reheat? DONE
Just having a HUGE cheese craving? DONE
Plus the leftovers are perfect to use to make these Mac & Cheese Muffins for an appetizer. I am not saying you will have leftovers though. You may have to make a second batch!
Can I Make this Ahead?
Yes, you can! This is a great dish to make ahead of time and keep in the fridge until ready to bake. You can keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days before baking or just enjoying it.
If you are going from the fridge to the oven you are going to want to add to the baking time to heat the dish. I would say around 35 – 40 minutes.
Can I use Other Cheeses?
Please do! I recommend you play around with recipes and make them suit your family’s tastes. Change up the cheeses. Create your own special blend. In our house, we love the Monterey Jack Mix or Mexican Blend. Make this more than once and try it with different cheeses and do a taste test. It’s a hard job but someone has to do it.
What size baking dish?
This is a great question because there really isn’t a right answer. I like to put this in a 13×9 baking dish because I can fit more toppings across the top. This means extra cheese and breadcrumbs (if I am using them). However, any casserole dish 3 qt or larger should do the trick.
Vegan Mac & Cheese
Because Mac & Cheese should be enjoyed by everyone! Try this delicious Vegan Homemade Baked Mac & Cheese that is just as yummy!
Gluten-Free Mac & Cheese
While I am sure Ree Drummond didn’t intend this recipe to be made gluten-free there are only a couple of quick substitutions that need to be made. Simply use a gluten-free macaroni and a gluten-free flour for the roux.
Pioneer Woman’s Mac & Cheese
Ingredients
- 4 cups Macaroni uncooked
- 1 Egg Beaten
- 1/4 cup Butter
- 1/4 cup All-purpose Flour
- 2-1/2 cups Whole Milk
- 2 teaspoons Dry Mustard heaping
- 1 pound cheddar cheese shredded (Monterey jack mix is good too)
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt More To Taste
- 1/2 teaspoon Seasoned Salt More To Taste
- 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
- Spices Cayenne Pepper, paprika, thyme / optional
Instructions
- Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain.
- In a small bowl, beat egg.
- In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.
- Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.
- Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth.
- Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.
- Add in cheese and stir to melt.
- Add salt and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.
- Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.
- Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees F or until bubbly and golden on top.
Gluten Free
- Use gluten free macaroni and replace the flour with a gluten free flour mix.
Am I reading this correctly, that the eggs are left completely uncooked?
There is 1 egg, and you temper and whisk it into the milk base while it is still on the burner. So, nope. It cooks in the cheese sauce.
yes, it will cook in the cheese sauce and again in the oven
So do you eat it right away or bake it? I assume you leave the macaroni very firm so it softens up when it bakes.
I will have to try this and thank you for sharing this recipe with us.
I love mac and cheese looks very delicious i lovemac and cheese
Yum! I love homemade mac n cheese, so I’ll have to try this.
I fixed this for my daughter who LOVES Mac & Cheese. . It was a HUGE hit !! She even compared it to a restaurants recipe that we frequent. I felt so proud! I HIGHLY recommend baking in the oven and using the 3 blend cheese crumble and the jumbo macaroni noodles. YUM YUM !!
So I’m using this as my thanksgiving recipe and it says it feeds 8 I doubled the recipe as we are expecting 12 people but looking at the dry ingredients I’m really worried it won’t be enough? What do you think? Should I triple the recipe?
Hey Sunny, I am guessing you are making this for a side dish? I would think that doubled it would be more than enough. When I make a single batch it fills a 2-quart casserole dish. Hope that helps!
Is Colby/jack a good flavor to introduce along with the cheddar?
YES!!! It is amazing!
This was so good, the family polished it off and I did not get a picture. I would cook the noodles just a bit longer. (Suggestion from hubby). Daughter took the receipt with her. Yum Yum Yum.
My daughter made this for my granddaughters birthday dinner. I have to admit, it’s the best Mac and cheese I’ve ever had. I’m making it today for a cookout with the family. Everyone loves it. Thanks so much for the great recipes.
Can this be made a day ahead & baked the next day?
Yes it can! 🙂
By far the best Mac and cheese we’ve made. I did tweak it a little, I used a Mexican blend of cheese as well as a 1/2 block of velveta . I also added additional milk. I had extra macaroni noodles (about a cup) so I just cooked them all.
Thank you so much for this recipe!