Old fashioned baked macaroni and cheese is the recipe I am most known for by my family and friends. It is the number 1 most requested dish to bring to any potluck or gathering. When baked in the oven, it gets that slightly crisped top layer that elevates it from stove-top mac & cheese to a “grown-up-but-still-comforting” casserole.
MELISSA'S MACARONI & CHEESE
There’s comfort food — and then there’s this comfort food. When I think of a dish that says “home, family gathering, holiday hero,” this macaroni and cheese is it! It’s that old-fashioned, creamy, baked macaroni and cheese recipe that your friends ask you to bring — and expect you to bring again (or will not let you come unless you do). I have been making this recipe for many years for my family. A few have even replicated it and made it their own by throwing a sprinkle of their own love into it.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can I use a different type of pasta?
You sure can! While elbow macaroni is the classic go-to, shells, cavatappi, or rotini work beautifully because they hold onto the cheese sauce even better. Just avoid very tiny pastas that can get mushy.
What cheese works best?
Sharp cheddar gives the richest flavor, but feel free to mix it up! Cheddar + Monterey Jack, cheddar + Colby, or even a little smoked cheddar add amazing depth.
Can I double the recipe?
Yes! This recipe doubles perfectly. Use a 9×13 baking dish and add a few extra minutes of bake time.
Can I make this macaroni and cheese ahead of time?
Yes, you can! Assemble the entire dish, cover it, and refrigerate up to 24 hours before baking. Add a splash of milk if it looks a little dry before placing in the oven.
Can I make this recipe without baking it?
You sure can! If you prefer stovetop mac and cheese, simply skip the baking step and serve it straight from the pot—still creamy and delicious.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE IN RECIPE CARD BELOW)
1 cup elbow macaroni
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1¼ cups milk
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese (plus extra for topping)
HOW TO MAKE MELISSA'S MACARONI AND CHEESE
Cook the macaroni according to package directions. Melt the butter, stir in flour to form a roux, then gradually add milk while stirring constantly until the mixture thickens (be careful not to let it scald or burn). Stir in the cheese until melted and smooth.
Butter or oil a 1-quart casserole dish, mix the cooked noodles with the cheese sauce, pour into the dish, add extra cheese on top. Bake at 350 °F for ~20 minutes. Serve warm and watch it disappear.
A family favorite, old fashioned cheesy baked macaroni and cheese recipe.
prep time: 10 minscook time: 20 minstotal time: 30 mins
ingredients
1 cup elbow macaroni
1 tablespoon margarine or butter
I tablespoon all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups milk
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, extra for topping
instructions
Cook macaroni according to package directions. Melt butter and stir in flour to make a roux. Stir in milk, stir constantly until the mixture thickens. Careful not to let it scald or burn. Continue stirring and add cheese and let it melt. Butter or oil a 1 quart casserole dish and mix noodles with cheese sauce. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Enjoy!
NOTES:
This recipe is to make in a 1 quart casserole dish. If making for a larger crowd, double or triple the recipe and cook in a 9 x 13 casserole dish.
Cheesy Bacon Hashbrown Casserole is the perfect side dish to serve with just about anything. Smoky bits of bacon, potatoes, and ooey gooey cheese. What is not to love?
Whenever our family gets together, it is usually centered around food. I imagine most families are like that to some degree. There is nothing better than enjoying a great meal with the ones you love. We all bring something to put into the mix so it is not too much on any one person. It makes it so much easier this way and we all get to enjoy each others company just a little bit more.
During the holidays my sister and I switch off on who is bringing the cheesy dish. She brings the hashbrown casserole and I bring the macaroni and cheese. I love when she brings her hashbrown casserole because I can never get enough of it. I mean, you can't go wrong when cheese and potatoes are involved. So I decided to take her recipe just a step further and add some smoky bacon. Now I really can't get enough of it.
Yield: 8-10Author: Served Up With Love
Cheesy Bacon Hashbrown Casserole
Creamy, cheesy, and filled with bacon. Its perfect as a side dish or as a breakfast casserole.
prep time: 5 minscook time: 45 minstotal time: 50 mins
ingredients:
1 bag of hash brown potatoes
2 cups shredded Colby and Monterey Jack Cheese
1 8 oz sour cream
1 can of cream of chicken soup
6-8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
Optional: 1 cups shredded cheddar cheese for top
instructions
Partially thaw the hashbrowns so they are easy to stir. Combine the soup, sour cream, salt and pepper. Mix in the cheese and bacon. Stir all together and add into a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Cook for 40-45 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
I'm hanging out with some great bloggers to bring you a bacon recipe each week for Bacon Month. Check out ALL these GREAT recipes this week.
Almost every week our family eats pizza in one form or another. In fact, if I ask my husband what he wants for supper, almost every single time he utters "pizza".
So to keep it fresh and fun I try to change up our normal pizza into something a little bit different. Sometimes I get a little hesitation from the peanut gallery but I still keep moving forward.
My crock pot is by far my favorite appliance in the kitchen. So naturally I was super excited for my friend Judith from The Midnight Baker when she announced she was writing a crock pot cookbook. I couldn't wait to get my hands on it and try it out.
There are so many wonderful recipes, I had a hard time picking one to make first! So, I opened it up and just decided I would work my way through, starting with an appetizer.
Whenever we host a party, the fun is always centered around the food, especially the hot dips. This Hot Jalapeno & Chile Popper Dip is by far my most favorite hot dip to date. It's creamy, cheesy, and packed with a bunch of flavor.
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Ooey, gooey, and cheesy Broccoli Casserole recipe that will make you and your family fall in love with broccoli again. Made with a bag of frozen broccoli, sour cream, cheese, cream of chicken soup, and seasonings.
Broccoli Cassserole
There is some over the top, ooey gooey cheesiness in this Broccoli Casserole. Broccoli and cheese are matches made in heaven.
Sometimes getting the family to eat something green can be quite the challenge. So in order to get them to eat some "green stuff" I have to sometimes disguise it with some cheese. That gets them eating it almost all the time. My son loves broccoli, who knew?
Mr. Picky Pants usually is the one who gives me a lot of flack when it comes to this kind of stuff. When he was younger, I kid you not, he only ate like 5 things for years. I worried so much that this child would never eat "real" food and thrive. Then all of a sudden, he became a teenager. I have never seen someone eat so much stuff in one sitting in my life. If it wasn't nailed to the floor he was eating it. That is when his picky phase kind of went away. Slowly he began to eat more foods and now as an adult he eats a wide variety of foods and has become quite the foodie.
When I made this casserole, I still felt like I had to really talk it up to get everyone to try it. Yeah, I have to do that a lot to get them to try stuff. It doesn't always work, but I gotta try. Everyone loved it! Who needs a fork when you can just dig right in!
WHAT YOU'LL NEED
frozen broccoli, spears or florets cream of chicken soup sour cream sharp cheddar cheese egg mayonnaise onion powder salt and pepper Optional cracker crumbs for crunchy topping
EASY INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE BROCCOLI CASSEROLE
Cook broccoli until tender in salted water, drain.
In a large bowl, combine broccoli, one cup of the cheese, and all the other ingredients; except cracker crumbs.
Place in a greased 1 ½ -2 quart casserole dish.
Top with the remaining cheese on top. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.
If you would like more recipes including broccoli, make sure you check out this easy potluck favorite Broccoli Salad and this delicious and easy take-out, fake-out Beef and Broccoli.
Broccoli Casserole
Broccoli Casserolehttps://youtu.be/DzEGn770f7oOoey, gooey, and cheesy Broccoli Casserole recipe that will make you and your family fall in love with broccoli again. Made with a bag of frozen broccoli, sour cream, cheese, cream of chicken soup, and seasonings.https://i9.ytimg.com/vi/DzEGn770f7o/mq1.jpg?sqp=CPHTnPEF&rs=AOn4CLCOTvZP2Zx5YmEdlm2ItU1wDd7TpA01/21/2020
Yield: 4 - 6
Author: Served Up With Love
prep time: 10 Mcook time: 30 Mtotal time: 40 M
Ooey, gooey, and cheesy Broccoli Casserole recipe that will make you and your family fall in love with broccoli again. Made with a bag of frozen broccoli, sour cream, cheese, cream of chicken soup, and seasonings.
ingredients:
1 (22 oz) bag of frozen broccoli (spears or florets)
1 (10 ¾ oz) can of cream of chicken soup
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1 egg, well beaten
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup of sour cream
1 teaspoon of onion powder (or 1 tablespoon of grated onion)
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional-crushed crackers for topping
instructions:
How to cook Broccoli Casserole
Cook broccoli until tender in salted water, drain. In a large bowl, combine broccoli, one cup of the cheese, and all the other ingredients; except cracker crumbs. Place in a greased 1 ½ -2 quart casserole dish. Top with the remaining cheese on top. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.
Sometimes the easiest of meals can seem a little daunting. A frittata just sounds too complicated by the name but I can assure you, this one is easy. Basically a frittata is a large omelet cooked in one pan. Who doesn't love just messing up on pan? You can really just throw anything in here and it would turn out good. You will want to cook this just a bit on the stove top and then place in the oven. Make sure you use a pan that is oven friendly. I like to use my most favorite pan, my cast iron skillet. With a simple change up of ingredients this recipe can be transformed into something different. The possibilities are endless. Perfect for breakfast, brunch or even dinner. I think eating breakfast food for dinner tastes much better than it does first thing in the morning.
Would be a great addition to your Easter brunch menu
Smoked Sausage Frittata
1 package of smoked sausage
1 small green pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
12 eggs
1 ½ cups of sharp
cheese, grated
Salt and pepper to taste. (Sausage can be salty, add
sparingly)
1 tablespoon of olive oil/vegetable oil
Chop the smoked sausage link (I chopped into a small
dice). Chop the green pepper and onion
and add into an oven safe skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil along with the
smoked sausage. Cook in the skillet until lightly brown. In a separate bowl add the eggs, cheese, and
salt and pepper. Add the egg mixture into the skillet and move the sides of the
eggs to the middle to allow more eggs to cook. Do not scramble the eggs. Cook for 3-4 minutes and then place in a 375
degree oven for 5-10 minutes. Ovens vary and some may take longer. Make sure
the eggs are cooked. The middle takes the longest to cook. Insert a knife to
check for doneness. You can invert this
onto a serving platter or serve directly out of the pan.
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I love using my crock pot to make my life easier. Let's face it, it is a busy moms best friend after all. My son has been raving about a crock pot macaroni and cheese recipe that a friends mom made. I had tried to make one in the crock pot not too long ago and it did not turn out well at all. My crock pot tends to run a little hot and I did not take in consideration of that when making it. Please keep in mind, you will need to be around while making this so that is does not burn. Mine was done in about an hour and half. This is not the recipe to place in your crock pot and leave for the day. I always spray my crock very well before using and it always cleans up nicely. Even when I forget to wash it and it sits on the counter for a day. Sometimes I use it so much, it stays on the counter and I forget to check it and wash it. It is just like the coffee pot, it is always there and I over look it. Just keeping it real. I was a little apprehensive to try another recipe since the first one did not turn out well. I saw this recipe from a good friend of mine, Cris over at Recipes That Crock and I knew I had to give it another whirl. It does not disappoint on the cheesiness. If you like a good cheesy macaroni and cheese, this is the one for you. Please go and check out her page, you will be so thankful you did. Here is the link, Recipes That Crock
In a bowl, combine cheeses and set aside. In a different
bowl whisk together remaining ingredients except pasta. Add pasta and 3 c. of
cheese and stir well. Pour mixture into a lightly greased slow cooker. Sprinkle
with 3/4 of the cheese. Refrigerate
remaining cheese.
Cover and cook on low for 1-4 hours (depending on your
crock pot) until cheese is melted and creamy and pasta is tender.
Optional: Sprinkle servings evenly with remaining
cheese. Or place cheese on top of the mac
and cheese and allow to melt before serving.
Cook times vary depending on your slow cooker. Please watch
closely until you learn how fast your crock pot cooks up this recipe. Mine took
about 1 ½ - 2 hours to cook.
This recipe was shared in a recipe issue of Chesapeake Style Magazine in my Served Up With Love in Style column.
A favorite meal in our house is Pizza. So anytime I can make something that is similar I know it will disappear fast. Who doesn't love pizza?
We had an issue with my daughter eating pepperonis for a while but slowly we are introducing those back to her without any issues. Thank goodness because she really loves them. We really think it is an intolerance so we limit how much she eats.
I made this for an afternoon snack one Saturday and placed it in front of us and we just devoured it. Any of your favorite pizza toppings would work great in this. Or if you just like cheese, that would be just fine too! It is fun to eat too. Besides, what kid does not like to dip things?
This recipe is found in one of my favorite Gooseberry Patch Cookbooks, Garfield... Recipes with Cattitude. I have made more recipes out of this cookbook than any other I have I believe. Such a great cookbook to add to your collection.
Author: Served Up With Love
Pull-Apart Pizza Bread
prep time: 5 MINScook time: 15 MINStotal time: 20 mins
A fun party appetizer the entire family will love digging into.
ingredients:
12 oz. tube refrigerated flaky biscuits
1 tablespoons olive oil
12 slices pepperoni, quartered
1 onion, chopped ( I omitted this as my family would not like it)
1/4 cup shredded pizza-blend cheese (I used mozzarella)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic salt
instructions:
Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces: place in a bowl. Toss biscuit pieces with oil and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients; mix well. Add biscuits; toss well to coat. Arrange in a Bundt pan lined with well-greased aluminum foil. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, or until golden. Turn bread out of pan onto a serving plate while still warm. Serve with pizza sauce.
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