Easy Baked Skillet Mac and Cheese

Skillet Mac and Cheese baked in the oven is the ultimate comfort food that’s perfect in any dinner situation! Whether you’re serving up a dozen people at a holiday potluck or four at a summer cookout, this easy side dish is always a crowd pleaser.

Have you felt it yet?

That little piece of your soul that’s completely ready and crying for fall food?

To be fair, homemade mac and cheese is completely evergreen. I would, can, and do eat it all year long, and I’m sure I’m in the majority there.

There’s something to be said about how different it tastes on a cold day, in your warm socks, next to a slab of meatloaf or gravy-doused turkey. Such a warm, comforting, cheesy bite, with a hint of crunch from the bread crumbs…one to be repeated over and over again until the New Year naysayers tell you to cut back them carbs again.

Until then…let’s tear up some pasta, my friends.

Wanna know my secret for the creamiest, best skillet mac and cheese with crispy breadcrumbs? Keep scrolling!

When I think of macaroni and cheese, crock pots come to mind for some reason.

However, I’ve been obsessed with skillet cooking for a while, so a cast iron skillet mac and cheese recipe made sense to me. But, in my experience, baking mac and cheese tends to take away a little of that super duper creaminess that I love about the dish.

I’m here to tell you – it doesn’t have to be that way, and the solution has nothing to do with Velveeta.

Ingredients

Get your shopping lists ready! To make this recipe, you’ll need to pick up the following ingredients:

• Blocks of your favorite cheeses – and not the pre-shredded kind! That stuff is a great hack for tacos, but is horrible for melting due to the anti-caking agents that keep it from molding in the store. Break out the cheese grater for this!
• Elbow macaroni – or other small pasta.
• Bread crumbs – either Panko or regular crumbs work well here.
• Milk – whole milk yields the creamiest mac, but you can use whatever you have on hand.
• Heavy whipping cream – can be substituted with more milk or half & half.
• Butter
• Flour
• Salt & pepper

Yeah – that’s it. Nothing but wholesome, unprocessed ingredients.

What’s the secret to make creamy mac and cheese without Velveeta?

The secret to the creamiest skillet mac and cheese isn’t even a secret! It is a process that requires a bit of patience, though, and will transform your cooking skills once mastered!

First, you start with a roux. A roux is a thickening agent made by stirring 1 part flour into 1 part warmed fat (oil, bacon fat, or – as in this case – melted butter) and cooking them for a short while until they form a paste. Rouxs are used to thicken various soups and sauces.

Then, you create a béchamel by tempering milk or cream into the roux, and cooking until it thickens. The béchamel is ready when it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon – when you run a finger across the and the line you create holds. This white sauce is one of the five “mother sauces” of French cuisine, and serves as a base for many dishes like lasagna, scalloped potatoes, and pot pie.

Finally, you achieve a mornay sauce by stirring in your chosen cheeses. Slowly stir in the cheeses, making sure each addition is melted before adding more, for the smoothest, creamiest mornay sauce ever. Add the cheese too fast and you’ll be left with a lumpy, greasy mess. Mornay sauce can also be used in chicken cordon bleu and broccoli cheddar soup.

The end result is a dreamy, creamy baked mac and cheese with bread crumbs baked on top. Texture heaven!

How to make skillet mac and cheese

You might be in love with the blue box stuff – at least from a nostalgia standpoint – but I promise you, the homemade stuff is infinitely better! It takes about 45 minutes to make this skillet mac and cheese from start to finish, but it will be the star of your dinner table!

1. First, boil your pasta. Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil, salting to your tastes. Add the dried pasta and boil it for 1 minute less than the package directions state for al dente. Drain the pasta, return it to the pot, and toss it with some butter.
   • The standard is elbow macaroni, but you could use any kind of small pasta like shells or farfalle (the little bowties) you prefer or have on hand – even cavatappi (corkscrews) or rotini. Anything with crevices that the cheese sauce can really cling to are the best choices here.
2. While the pasta boils, make the bread crumb topping. In a small bowl, add the bread crumbs (panko or regular are fine), melted butter, and salt. Stir everything together and set it aside.
3. At this point, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. 
4. While the oven preheats, make your cheese sauce. Pour the milk and cream into a large measuring cup and whisk it to combine. Shred all the cheeses and set it aside, reserving 1/2 cup of cheddar separately for the top.
5. Melt the remaining butter in a 10- or 12-inch cast iron skillet set over medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour and cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly.
6. Slowly pour in 2 cups of the milk/cream mixture, whisking constantly until the mixture is smooth. Slowly add the remaining milk/cream, continuously whisking, until the base is fully combined. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes, whisking often, until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
7. Now, add the shredded cheeses a handful at a time, whisking until it’s melted and combined. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste, and continue stirring until the sauce is smooth, 2-3 minutes.
8. Transfer the cheese sauce to the stockpot with the drained pasta and stir. Return the mixture to the skillet and spread it into an even layer. Top it all with the reserved shredded cheddar, then sprinkle on the bread crumb topping.
9. Bake the mac and cheese for 20-25 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling on the edges and bread crumbs are light golden brown.
   • Keep the bake time on the lower end for super-duper creamy mac and cheese. If you prefer a bit more of a firm final product, give it the extra 5 minutes, until the bread crumbs are a toasty golden brown.
10. Garnish the top with parsley before serving if you’d like.

What can I serve with baked mac and cheese?

This skillet mac and cheese recipe is a perfect side dish for any holiday meal, cookout, or potluck. Use it as the starch component of your meal, and serve it with something equally savory! Kids and adults alike will love pairing this side with easy air fryer keto chicken tenders or BBQ chicken. Roast turkey, beef short ribs, homemade meatloaf, or Instant Pot ribs are also tasty choices.

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