Easy baked mac and cheese recipe with evaporated milk

Combine cornstarch, salt, mustard and pepper in medium saucepan. Stir in evaporated milk, water, and butter. Cook over medium-heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in 1½ cups cheese until melted. Add macaroni; mix well. Pour into prepared casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Table of Contents Show

Post navigation
Do you put evaporated milk in baked mac and cheese?
What does evaporated milk do in mac and cheese?
What milk is best for mac and cheese?
Why do you put eggs in baked macaroni and cheese?

Everyone’s favorite classic mac and cheese! Super simple, super easy and super quick. You’ll never want the boxed stuff ever again!

Greetings from Chicago!

We did it. We finally moved to the Midwest after 20 years of living in California.

It almost feels a bit surreal as we cope with the 22 degree weather. I mean, it was 65 degrees when we left LA!

But honestly, it feels like home. Except home is filled with 17 unopened boxes filled with my kitchen stuff.

So I need to unpack as fast as possible so I can never leave my Chicago house and instead, nest inside with my new electric blanket and the coziest homemade mac and cheese ever.

This is your classic mac and cheese – there are no surprises here and there’s no fuss at all. It’s simple, it’s quick, and it’s completely made from scratch.

It’s perfectly cheesy without being too gummy, and the crunchy tops are just to die for before you get into that creamy heaven underneath.

You can of course choose to bake these in individual ramekins to avoid any kind of sharing or you can dump the entire mixture into a 2-qt baking dish.

Either works. It’s just that sharing can be a bit difficult on this one.

8 ounces elbow pasta
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon onion powder
2 12-ounce cans evaporated milk*
12 ounces shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese, about 3 cups, divided
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Whisk in flour, paprika and onion powder until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
Gradually whisk in evaporated milk until slightly thickened, about 4-5 minutes.
Remove from heat. Stir in 2 cups cheddar cheese and Parmesan. Stir in pasta; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Divide pasta mixture into 5 (10-ounce) or 6 (8-ounce) ramekins or ovenproof bowls.* Place onto a baking sheet; sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheddar cheese.
Place into oven and bake until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.
Serve immediately, garnished with chives, if desired.

*I do not recommend substituting milk as the sauce will break in the oven, and the consistency will vary quite a bit.

*If you do not have ramekins or ovenproof bowls, this can also be baked in a 2qt baking dish.

Do you put evaporated milk in baked mac and cheese?

Evaporated milk has more protein than regular milk, but less fat than heavy cream, which gives this easy baked macaroni and cheese a thick, creamy filling without too much greasiness. Evaporated milk is also not refrigerated in most places, so you can get it in the baking aisle or on Amazon!

What does evaporated milk do in mac and cheese?

Why use evaporated milk for mac and cheese? Evaporated milk provides creaminess and body to the mac and cheese sauce without the fat and heaviness of actual cream. If you never tried a macaroni and cheese recipe with evaporated milk, you should! I'm confident that you'll fall in love with the creamy texture!

What milk is best for mac and cheese?

The Rest of The Ingredients The remaining ingredients are simple: butter and flour (which makes the sauce thicken), milk, spices, salt, and pepper. For the milk, I prefer whole milk since it makes a creamier sauce, but I've used reduced fat milk plenty of times without complaint.

Why do you put eggs in baked macaroni and cheese?

The egg will make the Mac and Cheese smoother and creamier. I have tried this recipe with and without adding the egg and it does affect the texture of the final recipe. In a medium bowl, beat one egg. Warm the egg by drizzling in, very slowly, 2-3 Tablespoons of the thickened milk mixture.