Just let it cool down, put some plastic wrap right against the surface of the mac and cheese (to keep it from forming a skin) and stick it in the fridge. Can I make this macaroni and cheese ahead and bake it when IвЂ™m ready? So yes, even you can make this on a week night. One for boiling the pasta and (affiliate link) a good enameled cast iron pan for the sauce and the baking cuts down on dishes. So if youвЂ™re looking for the real deal, the old school baked macaroni and cheese the way your grandma might have made itвЂ“this is it.ДЄnd just so you know, aside from the baking, this easy macaroni and cheese took 15 minutes and only two pans to make. That works too, but that stuff doesnвЂ™t even need to be refrigerated. Sure, you can get a box of Velveeta and melt that over some noodles. But I can also guess you donвЂ™t know many other alternatives. I hate feeding it to my kids and I dare say that you hate it too. Your kids like it, but it glows like the kryptonite they used in the old Christoper Reeve Superman movies.ДЄnd I hate to break it to you, but thereвЂ™s nothing real in that box either. It makes grinding up hamburger a who lot easier.Sometimes you buy that glowing yellow macaroni in the box. One of my fave tools to chop up ground beef is the Ground Beef Masher. Sprinkle the remaining cup of cheese over top of the macaroni and cheese, followed by the breadcrumbs, then return to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes, until the breadcrumbs and cheese started getting browned on top. Stir in the cream cheese, heavy cream, three to four cups of shredded cheese, ground beef and the black pepper. I didnвЂ™t use the pre-shredded cheese I used blocks of cheese and grated the cheese with a microplane.Д«readcrumbs вЂ“ to add a little bit of texture and substance to the mac and cheese, youвЂ™ll need a ВЅ cup of breadcrumbs to sprinkle over the top!ДЄdd the pasta, milk, and salt to a 3-quart baking dish and stir to combine.ДЄdd two to four tablespoons of butter and place over top of the macaroni + milk mixture.Д¬over the dish with a fitted lid or aluminum foil as tightly as possible (this is importantвЂ¦the tighter the better!), then bake for 30 minutes.Д¬ombine the other 2 tablespoons of butter (this time melted), ВЅ cup of breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon dried parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder.ДЄfter 30 minutes, remove the macaroni from the oven and take off the lid or foil covering. I used half sharp cheddar for flavor and half gouda for creaminess. Shredded Cheese вЂ“ YouвЂ™ll need 4-5 cups of shredded cheese (add more if youвЂ™d like). DonвЂ™t skip the cream cheese, I did once before, and it was definitely needed for flavor and texture. Heavy Cream + Cream Cheese вЂ“ 1/2 cup heavy cream and 8 ounces of cream cheese help make this mac and cheese super creamy. Salt + Pepper + Garlic Powder вЂ“ to season, use 1 teaspoon of salt and black pepper.Д«utter вЂ“ in order to really take the creamy, richness of this dish to the top, youвЂ™ll also need 4 tablespoons of butter, donвЂ™t be afraid to add more though. Strandquist Family Farm Ground Beef - adding a protein to this is always a good idea in my book. You can have this easy mac and cheese as a weeknight meal with just a few simple, everyday ingredients! HereвЂ™s what youвЂ™ll need to write down on your next grocery list:Д®lbow Pasta вЂ“ to start, youвЂ™ll need 12 ounces of dried elbow macaroni. This is a simple mac and cheese recipe that you will ever make, and it is an amazingly tasty and decadent mac and cheese that you can eat! HereвЂ™s how youвЂ™ll throw this one together:

Easy mac and cheese oven