Mac and Cheese

These mac-and-cheese-stuffed jalapeño poppers can be prepped in advance and tossed in the oven shortly before the party starts for an easy-peasy-cheesy crowd-pleaser.

The creamy vegan “cheese” sauce in this recipe gets an umami kick from white miso and nutritional yeast.

This mac and cheese has an awesome, crusty, golden-brown top and the ooey-gooiest center known to humankind.

What’s the best part of a baked mac and cheese? The crispy edges, obviously. This sheet-pan recipe maximizes the crunch.

There is a way to have your macaroni fix in the freezer: a custard-style baked mac ’n’ cheese. Instead of a cream-based sauce, this one uses eggs and béchamel to help bind a very cheesy filling with the noodles. The pimentos help to cut the richness with a little bit of acidity.

A creamy, healthy take on your family's favorite that you can make in one pot using the Instant Pot.

This is a creamy, cheesy, classic mac 'n' cheese you can make using your favorite new kitchen appliance!

My daughter and I love mac and cheese. It’s a great side dish with dinner and a great lunch served with a crisp salad!

Picture your favorite Tex-Mex cheese dip and the ultimate mac 'n' cheese. Now picture them together.

Leftover mac and cheese is not exactly one of life’s biggest problems, but if it happens to you, here’s what to do.

Cheesier macaroni and cheese in minutes—no box required.

Move over boxed mac and cheese; this version is just as simple and a whole lot tastier.

This gluten-free dish offers all the melty goodness of a mac 'n' cheese dinner, without the carb-heavy pasta.

I’m just going to say it: this is the best macaroni cheese I’ve ever eaten – better than the macaroni cheese I ate as a child; better than the macaroni cheese I brought my own children up on when they were little (they don’t agree); better than any fancy restaurant macaroni cheese with white truffle or lobster; better than any macaroni cheese I have loved in my life thus far, and there have been many.

Garrett McCord, coauthor with Stephanie Stiavetti of Melt: The Art of Macaroni and Cheese, created this recipe exclusively for Epicurious. A completely traditional take on the ultimate comfort food casserole, we think this is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Plus, it's a flexible recipe that can easily be tinkered with to suit your family's mac 'n' cheese preferences. If you really like the crunchy topping, go ahead and add more—use an additional 1/2 cup of panko, an extra 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter, and a slightly larger handful of shredded cheese. Want more assertive cheesiness? Experiment with different Cheddars, including aged versions. And of course, feel free to add your favorite extras like raw or roasted broccoli or cauliflower, or crisp cooked bacon. For more on mac 'n' cheese, including tips from McCord and more mix-in ideas, see Classic Recipes: Macaroni and Cheese.

"Creamy squash and cheese crisps only make you think you're off the diet cliff!" says James Beard award winner Laura Werlin, author of Mac & Cheese, Please! and The All American Cheese and Wine Book.

SUPERFOODS: Artichokes, Broccoli, Mushrooms, Olive Oil, Parmesan, Whole-Grain Pasta Boxed mixes may be slightly faster to prep, but they can't compete in taste and fat fighting. This recipe packs a trio of creamy cheeses, fat-whittling fiber, and hunger-beating protein into every bite.

Serving mac and cheese in the skillet it's baked in amps up the homey comfort factor. The secret ingredient in this bread crumb-topped beauty is the finely chopped cauliflower that blends in subtly with the pasta. Using three different cheeses guarantees maximum flavor and meltability.

Epicurious member Tess Ellis of Washington, D.C, drew inspiration from the ingredients she had on hand to create this eclectic take on a classic comfort food. The savory ingredients add dimension to the creamy dish, while the red pepper flakes add a touch of heat. To achieve a delicious crusty top, she suggests that you “put it under the broiler for a few minutes to give it a nice brown coating.”

Mac and cheese can be a time-consuming proposition. My version is on the table in just about 30 minutes total. The spark for this recipe came from my friend Taryn, who casually combines ingredients without using a particular formula. She goes by feel, adding handfuls of cheese and spoonfuls of flour until the mixture feels right. Then she stirs in the cooked macaroni, pours everything into a casserole dish, and runs it under the broiler for a few minutes. The blast of heat creates an instant crust—no need for breadcrumbs. I've modified Taryn's technique to make things even easier. I prepare the cheese sauce in a large cast-iron skillet, which can safely go under the broiler. It saves on cleanup since there's no casserole dish, and the pan itself makes the dish more nutritious. That's right, cooking in cast iron will actually impart iron to food. Women and toddlers need plenty of that mineral, so it makes this quickie method downright indispensable, as far as I'm concerned. Since this recipe moves so quickly, make sure you've got everything measured and lined up on the counter before you start.

Although it’s not a true-blue, all-American macaroni and cheese because it’s made with wide egg noodles rather than the more traditional elbow macaroni or small shell pasta, this is probably the version I make most often. It’s a dish I fell in love with when I first had it years ago at Harry’s Bar in Venice. Later I re-created it at home as the ultimate comfort food and also to bring back memories of Venice.

You might imagine that this dish was a modern creation, but its history dates back to the 1700s, when dried macaroni—one of the few staples that could survive a year aboard ship—was brought from Italy to Britain and to the American colonies. Because there was a lack of other (Italian) ingredients, the imported pasta would often be served with a simple white sauce—milk thickened with flour and butter; sometimes it was baked in a casserole with bread crumbs on top. The earliest recorded recipe was in the Boston Cooking School Cookbook in 1896. This recipe uses a classic variation of béchamel known as sauce Mornay, made by whisking the flour into sautéed onions to form the roux (which is what thickens the sauce; see page 62 for more); then milk is added and the sauce is left to simmer until thick and creamy. Grated cheese is the final touch. Béchamel—and any sauce where flour is used as a thickener—is typically cooked for about 30 minutes to give the starch molecules in the flour enough time to absorb as much liquid as possible (so the flour goes from being granular to smooth, or gelatinized). In this recipe, the sauce is simmered for a much shorter time, since it will continue to cook in the oven after being stirred into the dish. For variety, top some or all of the servings with thin slices of roasted tomato and fresh thyme.

You can use six 2-cup gratin dishes to make individual servings. The baking time will be a bit shorter; cook until bubbling and golden.