Creamy, cheesy, and wonderfully easy—no boiling the pasta first. Everything goes straight into the baking dish.
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450 g) elbow macaroni, uncooked
- 4 cups (950 ml) whole milk
- 2 cups (200 g) shredded cheddar cheese
- 4 oz (115 g) cream cheese, cut into small pieces
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Assemble: Grease a 9×13-inch (23×33 cm) baking dish. Add the uncooked macaroni, milk, cheddar, cream cheese, and salt. Stir well so the pasta is evenly coated.
- Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes.
- Stir thoroughly, breaking up any cream-cheese pieces and making sure the pasta is submerged in the sauce.
- Cover and bake another 15–20 minutes, until the pasta is tender and the sauce is bubbling.
- Rest uncovered for 5–10 minutes before serving. The sauce will thicken as it cools.
Tips
- Don’t skip the foil—it traps steam and is what cooks the pasta without boiling it.
- If it looks a little loose when you remove it from the oven, let it rest before adding more cheese or baking longer.
- For a golden top, uncover during the final 5 minutes of baking.
Serves: 6–8
Total time: about 50–60 minutes.