OK, so this Keep Em’ Comin Back Creamy Baked Macroni & Cheese is right up there with my Smack Yo Mama Finger Lickin Grand Marnier Bar-B-Que Pork Ribs! These are comfort foods that soothe the soul. If you had a long hard day or week, maybe you are just feeling down, this is the kind of comfort food that gives you that “right on time” kinda boost! It took me so many tries, so many calls to Mama, Grandma and my friend’s Grandmothers until I finally came up with exactly what I was yearning in baked macaroni and cheese. Honestly it’s like a pizza; not that many ingredients yet still it’s so hard to get it just right. When you see old bay in the seasoning ingredients you might wonder if it was a mistake. It wasn’t, but there is a method to my flavor madness! If you’ve been trying my other recipes you already know about my obsession with flavor. I also added butter and garlic croutons as part of my topping, it adds so much flavor and a beautiful crunch! Just a couple of the many reasons this macaroni and cheese deserved the title of “Keep Em’ Comin Back”! It will do just that, so make sure you set some aside for the next day if you’d planned on left overs, otherwise all you will find is an empty baking dish!! ENJOY and don’t forget to check out my Smack Yo Mama Finger Lickin Grand Marnier Bar-B-Que Pork Ribs. Please do not forget to LIKE my FB FAN page on my HOME PAGE.
Written Recipe for the Keep Em’ Comin Back Creamy Baked Macaroni & Cheese is below BUT if you want to WATCH THE VIDEO CLICK HERE:Â Keep Em\’ Comin Back Creamy Baked Macaroni & Cheese
KEEP EM’ COMIN BACK CREAMY MACARONI & CHEESE
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound box macaroni noodles
1 ¾ cup of cubed Velveeta cheese (about ¾ of a 8oz pound box)
2 ½ cups of milk
¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ stick unsalted butter (for cheese roué)
4 tbsp. unsalted butter (for noodles)
6 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (for noodles)
4-6 tsp. unsalted soft butter (to butter dish or you can use cooking spray)
¾ stick melted unsalted butter (for crispy topping)
¾ cup finely crushed butter & garlic croutons
½ cup shredded Colby and Monterey Jack Cheese (you can use cheddar instead to add sharpness)
Sea salt (to taste)
Ground pepper (to taste)
Granulated garlic (to taste)
Old Bay seasoning (to taste)
READY, SET GO:
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
- Cool macaroni noodles per back of box instructions
- Drain water from noodles and add to a bowl to be seasoned
- Season noodles with 4 tbsp. unsalted unsalted butter, 6 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, ground pepper, granulated garlic and old bay and mix gently then set aside
- Time to make the cheese roué
- Using the same large sauce pan you cooked the noodles in, turn the heat to high for 10-20 seconds, then turn down to low (so you do not burn your cheese roué)
- Add ½ stick of unsalted unsalted butter to the pan and allow unsalted butter to melt
- Add flour to unsalted butter and begin to whisk constantly
- Once flour and unsalted butter have incorporated and mixture looks like crumbles (if it looks dry add a little more unsalted butter), add the milk in slowly always whisking
- Once the flour, unsatled butter and milk are incorporated, start adding the cubed Velveeta cheese little by little always whisking until roué has a nice yellow color and is creamy, it shouldn’t be too thick or too runny (if it’s too thick add a little more milk, if it’s too runny add a little more flour and continue to whisk until you get your desired consistency), season with a little sea salt & ground pepper and give a final whisk
- Once cheese roué is ready, turn heat off and add noodles to the cheese roué
- Fold the cheese roué and the noodles together until every noodle has some cheese roué
- Butter a baking dish (you can use cooking spray instead if you like)
- Add the noodles that have been folded into the cheese roué to the baking dish and set aside
- Let’s Make our Crispy Topping (YUMMY)
- Mix the finely crushed butter & garlic croutons, ¾ stick melted unsalted butter and shredded Colby and Monterey jack cheese together
- Sprinkle topping all over macaroni in the baking dish
- Bake on 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until cheese in topping is melted and top has a nice light brown color (remember your macaroni noodles and cheese roué are already cooked so you are not re-cooking just allowing the inside to bind and the cheese in the topping to melt and the croutons to get crisp
- Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 2-5 minutes before serving
- Check out my Smack Yo Mama Finger Lickin Grand Marnier Pork Bar-B-Que Ribs, they would go PERFECT with this Keep Em’ Comin Back Creamy Macaroni & Cheese
Sincerely,
Utokia ~
Sizzle Sizzle Baby ~
CHECK OUT THE VIDEO:
28 comments
Wow! This creamy mac and cheese looks awesome. I love it when the mac and cheese comes out crispy on top like this one did. You are lucky to have a family of great cooks.
Hi Dave, I am so happy you like the looks of my mac & cheese, it will absolutely melt in your mouth! Yeah I love the crunch as well, it makes you all excited before you even take your first bite! Enjoy and come back and visit often!
Giiirrrrlll!!!!!!! This is the BEST MAC and cheese I have ever had. Perfect just the way u made it didn’t change a thing. Keep’em coming. Thanks (:
I was looking for a way to kick up my mac and cheese, when I came across your site. The rou’e really locked me in and then the topping for your mac looked off the chain! So, I decided to abandon my mac and try yours…One taste had me doing cart wheels in my soul over this mac and cheese.the layers of flavor…YUM! Thank you so much for sharing. It is now a household staple!
Hello Kathy, so happy you liked the creamy baked mac & cheese. I will be making this for Thanksgiving as it is a highly requested dish! Don’t forget to check out our other flavorful recipes and share them with your family and friends! She’s Got Flavor Baby!
Utokia ~
Sizzle Sizzle Baby~
Is the Velveeta what makes the mac and cheese creamy? I never really cared for Velveeta. I want to try the recipe but don’t want to do substitutions
Well Cindy velveeta is very creamy but you can definitely use your fav cheese instead … hope you enjoy and visit often…. Utokia
Hey Utokia!
So I made this Baked Mac and Cheese for dinner tonight… I must say that it is MIGHTY tasty!!!! That topping is the truth. The added crush just kicks it up a notch. I did have a few little variations with the cheeses that I used for the roue and topping. I also salted my water before adding in the macaroni. This was my 1st time making a roue and it turned out really well! Thanks to your directions and tips. 🙂 I think this just might have to be MY Mac & Cheese dish that I make for events. Thanks for the recipe!! Have a Blessed Holidays!!
Hello Kali, thank you for trying my recipe .. recipes are all about making it your own, glad your variations work for you and thanks for sharing for others to see. Take care and visit often!
Utokia ~
Not really big on croutons but still wanted to try this recipe. Is it possible to do this recipe without them?
Sure Shaniqua … that is the beauty of a recipe, you can either follow step by step OR make it your own using the recipe as your shell … enjoy and please continue to visit us
Utokia ~
Sizzle Sizzle Baby
I’m trying out this recipe tonight to go along with some meatloaf and mixed steamed veggies. I can’t wait! I hope it’s as good as it looks 🙂
Utokia!!
This recipe looks like the best I’ve ever seen….I’m going to try it today..and I want to follow it exactly as you presented it…BUT I have a few questions:
What if I don’t have unsalted butter for the rue?
I’ve always used eggs…never flour….what is the difference?
Can’t wait to taste this yummy goodness..I will post my results after I make it!!
Thank you for the great videos/recipes…keep ’em comin’ girl..you’re doing a fabulous job!
Amy
Hi Amy … sure you can use salted butter instead of unsalted, but if you do I’d cut down on some of the seasoning in the noodles … umm eggs vs. flour in rue … never used eggs for my rue so I couldn’t tell ya BUT I will say this is a winner recipe every time ;o) thanks for visiting ~ come back often ;o)
Hello Utokia.
I’ve been on your website for sometime now and thanksgiving is coming up (Canada Thanksgiving). I was thinking of making this baked Mac and cheese for Thanksgiving and I have some question.
Is it ok if I just use plain cheddar cheese only instead of Colby, Monterey Jack and Velveeta Cheese? And if I can, would it make a differences?
Hi Jessica, Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!! Yes you can use different cheese, it just depends on what you like. However, I will say Velveeta does give the mac and cheese a creamy texture.
Hi!
I would like to know how many servings does this recipe will feed…Thanks!
of course it depends on portion size but between 10-15
I LOOOOOOOOOVE this recipe. My family was shocked to see that I seasoned the noodles with Old Bay. Will be making again this Thanksgiving.
Awesome
Hey utokia!!!
I’m 13 and I love to cook and get recipes and make them for my family to try!! This looked great for me to try and the family!! I love the way you flavor it all up:) I like just getting in the kitchen and getting a chicken breast and flavoring it up and seeing what taste good on it, or what I think would be good on it. I think this dish would be perfect, the crunch, flavor, creaminess, all mixed in!! But I just got a question?
Q: what is the size of baking dish would you need?
This was a hit in my house!
Real nice and creamy and the crunch on top. Excellence! Thank you 🙂
Glad you and your family enjoyed it Renee … please visit often
I think you are just beautiful inside and out! Your blog is nicely structured and very eye catching! Your cooking skills are inspirational and your cooking methods are easy to follow! I love your You Tube page as well. I wish you had a app! Lol. I really like how you incorporate healthy dishes, along with your southern inspired meals! She’s got a fan!
Respect,
Arnissa
Awww thank you Arnissa for all those beautiful compliments. And thank you for trying my recipes and watching my YouTube videos, I truly appreciate your support.
OMG!!!… This looks so delicious…I’ve been looking for a great mac and cheese recipe to try for Christmas dinner with my Fiancé’s family…I’m definitely trying this one… I hope they have the same reaction you did!… Hahaha…
I been trying to find a good mac and cheese to try was tired of the regular old box Mac and cheese so I will be making this for Thanksgiving…..I just fell in love with this recipe! Thanks will be looking forward to trying more of your recipes
Hi Nateisha, thank you for visiting and trying our recipes. I have a couple mac & cheese recipes on my blog both are super easy and so much better than the box, I know you won’t regret it. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family and I look forward to hearing how your mac & cheese turned out.