My daughter is just the sweetest most thoughtful kid in the world. She makes me smile every day, and my goal is to make her smile too. She lights up the room with her smile, and I just want every moment to be a happy one. One of her favorite foods is Mac & Cheese. Of course, as a food blogger, I cannot just make mac & cheese from a box. I have to make it from scratch and with the very best ingredients! My daughter loves cheese and dairy so I use organic ingredients when I cook at home for her. My favorite brand of Organic cheese and milk is Organic Valley.
Organic Valley has over 20 years of awards showing they make the best organic cheese! The fact that Organic Valley Cheese tastes fantastic is no coincidence. They have fantastic Master Cheesemaker, the country’s first woman to earn the title, that crafts their cheeses one-by-one to their specifications. Organic Valley carries a full line of organic cheeses in a variety of flavors including shreds, string, blocks, slices, snack sticks, cream cheese and crumbles. All Organic Valley cheeses are certified organic, and they never use antibiotics, synthetic hormones, toxic pesticides or GMOs. Most of their cheeses are also vegetarian-friendly.
Easy Baked Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
Ingredients Macaroni
- 16 oz macaroni (elbow pasta)
- 2 tbsp salted butter (or 2 tsp oil)
Topping
- 2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
Sauce
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup all purpose flour
- 4 cups milk, warmed
- 1.5 cups Organic Valley Mexican Blend Shredded Cheese
- 8 oz Organic Valley Cheddar Cheese Block, shredded
- 3/4 Tsp salt
- 1.5 tsp garlic powder
- One tsp onion powder
- .5 Tsp mustard powder
Instructions
Pasta
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add macaroni and cook per packet directions MINUS 1 minute.
2. Drain, return pasta to ovenproof pot.
3. Add 2 tbsp salted butter and toss until melted.
4. Set aside to cool while making the Sauce.
Sauce
1. Preheat broiler to 500° F.
2. In a large saucepan, melt 8 tbsp unsalted butter over medium heat. Add flour and cook, constantly stirring with a whisk, for 1 minute.
3. Whisk in the 4 cups of milk 1 cup of the milk at a time making sure the mixture is lump free.
4. Whisk in salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and mustard powder seasonings.
5. Whisk regularly on low heat for 5 – 8 minutes until thickened to a creamy consistency so that it sticks to the whisk.
6. Shred the 8 oz Organic Valley Cheddar Cheese Block.
7. Remove the saucepan from stove and 1.5 cups Organic Valley Mexican Blend Shredded Cheese & shredded 8 oz Organic Valley Cheddar Cheese Block.
8. Add salt to taste.
Assembling
1. Pour Sauce into the pot with Macaroni and mix quickly.
2. Sprinkle with panko bread crumb.
3. Bake for 5 minutes or until browned.
4. Serve immediately!
Recipe Notes
Use an ovenproof pot so that you can use it again when baking the macaroni and cheese with the breading on top.
Easy Baked Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
Macaroni
- 16 oz macaroni elbow pasta
- 2 tbsp salted butter or 2 tsp oil
- Topping
- 2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
Sauce
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup all purpose flour
- 4 cups milk warmed
- 1.5 cups Mexican Blend Cheese Shredded
- 8 oz Cheddar Cheese shredded
- 3/4 Tsp salt
- 1.5 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp mustard powder
Instructions
Pasta Instructions
- Bring a large pot/dutch oven of water to the boil. Add macaroni and cook per packet directions MINUS 1 minute.
- Drain, return pasta to ovenproof pot.
- Add 2 tbsp salted butter and toss until melted.
- Set aside to cool while making the Sauce.
SAUCE
- 1. Preheat broiler to 500° F.
- 2. In a large saucepan, melt 8 tbsp unsalted butter over medium heat. Add flour and cook, constantly stirring with a whisk, for 1 minute.
- 3. Whisk in the 4 cups of milk 1 cup of the milk at a time making sure the mixture is lump free.
- 4. Whisk in salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and mustard powder seasonings.
- 5. Whisk regularly on low heat for 5 – 8 minutes until thickened to a creamy consistency so that it sticks to the whisk.
- 6. Shred the 8 oz Organic Valley Cheddar Cheese Block.
- 7. Remove the saucepan from stove and 1.5 cups Organic Valley Mexican Blend Shredded Cheese & shredded 8 oz Organic Valley Cheddar Cheese Block.
- 8. Add salt to taste.
ASSEMBLING
- 1. Pour Sauce into the pot with Macaroni and mix quickly.
- 2. Sprinkle with panko bread crumb.
- 3. Bake for 5 minutes or until browned.
Notes
Sharing is Caring – Pin to Save for Later
Don’t forget to find Organic Valley Cheese at Publix and save $1.25 off any Organic Valley Cheese with this coupon.
OMG I love mac & cheese. It looks so yummy.
This recipe looks so awesome and easy to make.