The 20 Best Mac and Cheese Recipes Ever (2024)

Published March 03, 2024

• One-Pot Mac and Cheese

  

  The streamlined technique keeps the dishes to a minimum but doesn’t sacrifice on flavor. Cream cheese and two types of shredded cheeses work together to make it silky smooth.

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• Chili Mac and Cheese

  

  Ground beef, chili powder, onions, and tomatoes all bring bold flavors to this cheesy macaroni. If you don't have a 12-inch cast iron skillet, you could use a Dutch oven or transfer it to a casserole dish when it's time to bake.

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• DIY Macaroni and Cheese Mix

  

  How many boxes of mac and cheese does it take to feed a hungry family? More than I have in my pantry, that’s for sure. With cheese powder and tapioca starch, you can make a supply to last months.

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• Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese

  

  The addition of cream cheese makes creamy mac and cheese possible without béchamel. You can keep the unbaked casserole in the freezer for up to one month.

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  Continue to 5 of 20 below.

• Cauliflower Pasta Bake

  

  Roasting the cauliflower and onion is a hands-free way to add extra flavor—you don’t want to skip this step.

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• Vegan Mac and Cheese

  

  This recipe takes a whole new approach to “cheesy” vegan mac and cheese. You’ll purée potatoes, carrots, and soaked cashews, along with a flavorful mix of spices, for the sauce. Turmeric gives it the yellow color so no one is the wiser.

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• Ham and Cheese Pasta Bake

  

  I’ve made this recipe more times than I can count. If you use a Dutch oven, you can boil the pasta first and then use the same pot for the sauce. I add all the spices at one time and it’s always perfect.

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• Civil War Macaroni and Cheese

  

  Get a history lesson along with dinner. This recipe is similar to what would have been made in the 1860s. Instead of boiling the pasta in water and then making the cheese sauce, you boil the pasta in the milk and add in a mixture of melted butter and cheese.

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  Continue to 9 of 20 below.

• Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese

  

  This is the kind of slow cooker recipe I’m into: set and forget. Pasta cooks relatively quickly, so it takes about two hours from start to finish.

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• Easy Chicken Mac and Cheese

  

  Exactly what I want to make on a busy weeknight. You can use leftover cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken.

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• Creamy Basil Artichoke Mac and Cheese

  

  Basil is more than a garnish in this easy recipe. It is steeped in the milk and cream mixture and adds a subtle fresh flavor to the sauce.

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• Creamy Cavatappi

  

  This spiral pasta dish is decadent, quick, easy, and uses pantry staples. If you can’t find cavatappi, a different spiral or macaroni pasta will work!

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  Continue to 13 of 20 below.

• Pesto Havarti Mac and Cheese

  

  Level up your mac and cheese by adding spinach pesto and creamy havarti to the sauce.

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• Broccoli Cheddar Mac and Cheese

  

  Broccoli is my favorite vegetable to eat with mac and cheese. Instead of taking up more space on the stove, the broccoli is placed in a steamer basket and set over the same pot of boiling water for the pasta. Genius!

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• Quick Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese

  

  Dinner is on the table in 20 minutes when you make this unfussy mac and cheese.

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• Spinach Mac and Cheese

  

  This mac and cheese uses three boxes of frozen spinach, but doesn’t overwhelm the comforting, cheesy dish.

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  Continue to 17 of 20 below.

• Green Chile Mac and Cheese

  

  Use up your stash of chiles from the garden or raid the pantry for a few cans of diced green chiles for dinner tonight.

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• Chorizo Mac and Cheese

  

  Spicy chorizo and pepper jack cheese wake up this baked mac and cheese and turn it into the star it was meant to be. You’ll get rave reviews when you serve it at your next BBQ.

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• Green Goddess Mac and Cheese

  

  Skip the side salad and stir puréed spinach and parsley into the cheese sauce for this green mac and cheese.

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• Trinidadian Macaroni Pie

  

  "Caribbean macaroni pie is a beloved baked macaroni and cheese dish that no gathering can go without," writes contributor Alica Rampikpal-Senhouse. "Once it’s done baking it should hold its shape when cut, even when right out of the oven. This firmness is a big part of what distinguishes macaroni pie from macaroni and cheese found outside of the Caribbean."

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