Creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese

I'd encourage the posters who want more "interesting" cheese, or an 18th-century French version of the dish, to actually read the story accompanying the recipe--there's a place for all of that but that's not what this recipe is intended to provide.

I wanted to make this recipe, as I have always loved Stouffer's version. After looking through the entire list of notes for helpful hints, it appears that only one person actually made the recipe before commenting (thank you, Steve). I made the recipe as written, and although the proportions of butter to flour in the roux seemed like it would be thin, it worked perfectly. It is a perfectly-balanced macaroni and cheese. I broiled the finished top for a minute to get extra color.

Great recipe. Re Velveeta -- my mom was the sort of mother who, in the 60's, insisted we eat Pepperidge Farm instead of Wonder Bread, and made all her cakes from scratch. She didn't allow much processed food in the house. But for my favorite birthday treat of "frankfurter noodle casserole" (mac 'n cheese with Hebrew National hot dogs mixed in), she reluctantly used Velveeta in the sauce. Nothing else would do.

Seriously, the texture you get from a processed cheese like Velveeta is half the point. There are plenty of great homemade mac and cheese recipes that don't use Velveeta. Go make one of those instead of defeating the entire purpose of this recipe.

Easy Velveeta replacement. For those who aren't fans of Velveeta's taste there is a simple replacement. You can get a bag of food grade Sodium Citrate from Amazon for a few dollars. Just add a pinch to the cheese sauce you make and it will serve the same purpose as the Velveeta without the downsides of Velveeta. This trick works wonders in Cheese Fondue as well. It will keep most any melted cheese mixture from separating.

That's how my mom made it - with eggs. I love the creamy/Stouffers style, too, but hers was the best. It's a totally different texture and dish. And, while I'm here, all you Velveeta haters and shamers, just please get over yourselves. If you don't want it, don't use it! No one's forcing you.

Read the text of the article. The reason for the Velveeta is both chemical and culinary. There is no substitute.

Made it tonight, wouldn’t change a thing. Was inspired by the vid on NYT on the weekend. Always make the recipe the way it is written the first time. The second time make your modifications. If you modify them before doing the original, you might never cook the recipe the way the author had intended. People always assume they know more than the person who actually wrote the recipe.

This is the way we made mac and cheese when I was a child. We had a family cow so any way of using extra milk was welcome! I still follow this method and always make sure to use the Velveeta. Depending on the audience I will add various seasonings, meats, and vegetables. This dish freezes well.

Strange to see the rush of comments when a recipe first posts. Did you actually make it within 5 hours of publishing? Made this last night and it was pretty good! Definitely was Stouffer's reminiscent. Easy to follow but equal parts butter/flour doesn't give me something like gravy, but I added in the milk slowly and avoided any lumps. It's nice that Velveeta comes in smaller wrapped "fresh packs' now for those worried about leftover processed cheese. Added some reserved cheese on top.

Instead of all the cheddar, take away four to six ounces and replace it with Stilton. Gives it a nice bit.

I've used cream cheese in lieu of Velveeta. It provides the needed creaminess and is less salty than Velveeta. I've also put uncooked pasta - yep, raw pasta - in the sauce and baked it in the oven. You need to have lots of sauce for the pasta to absorb but I swear it comes out with a better texture and doesn't risk overcooked pasta like boiling does.

Just made this last night. Followed the recipe to a T, except for the onion powder that I didn't have. It was perfect! I think next time I will sprinkle bread crumbs on top before baking.

Add frenchs fried onions on top. Bake longer to get the best cheese bits. Yum.

Back in the mid-1970’s, in The American Way seat-back magazine on American Airlines, was a monthly recipe. James Beard wrote the column; one month he gave his recipe for Mac and Cheese. It started with a roux to which was added dried mustard, thyme, and hot pepper sauce (just a little), adding lots of milk and a cup of heavy cream, and good cheddar cheese, a little grated parmesan (good quality cheese was key). I still make it. Begone with Velveeta.