Our Best Macaroni and Cheese Recipes

March 12, 2012
Credit: Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
Quite possibly the ultimate comfort food, nothing can really top a good bowl of hearty macaroni and cheese. While classic cheddary options are divine, other combinations of cheeses and various ingredients can mix to make a great thing even better. Whether you choose to melt in a some smoked gouda, lighten it up with the addition of butternut squash, or go an extra savory route with a little bacon, these recipes are sure to please. Flip through this gallery to find both mainstream and unique macaroni and cheese dishes that received highest accolades from our readers.
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Roasted Veggie Mac and Cheese

Credit: Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Roasted Veggie Mac and Cheese

This veggie-studded dish delivers nearly a third of your daily fiber. Freshly grated cheese—not preshredded—is key to achieving the creamiest sauce. The anti-caking ingredients in preshredded cheese make your sauce less creamy.

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Creamy, Light Macaroni and Cheese

Credit: Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Creamy, Light Macaroni and Cheese

A trio of bold, nutty cheeses and a velvety butternut squash puree helped create our cheesiest mac and cheese in September 2011. The squash trick lets us cut back on cheese overall for an impressive makeover, shaving 500 calories and 30g sat fat.

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Mac and Cheese Bites

Credit: Photo: Teresa Sabga
View Recipe: Mac and Cheese Bites

Feed a hungry crowd these all-star, feel-good favorites at your next party. Nothing is as comforting as melty, creamy, cheesy, comforting macaroni and cheese. Be still our hearts.

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Skillet Mushroom Mac and Cheese

Credit: Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Skillet Mushroom Mac and Cheese

If classic mac and cheese is already a staple in your family dinner rotation, give this skillet version a try. Whole-wheat elbows add a serving of whole grains; we love it here because the noodles are sturdy enough for boiling, simmering, and baking. Mushrooms can often be off-limits for picky eaters because of their sometimes soft, spongy texture. Here we sauté shiitake and cremini mushrooms until deeply browned, with a texture that’s almost meaty—a great feat for a meatless main (you could also use diced broccoli florets). Mac and cheese is also a great way to try cheeses other than cheddar. Gruyère is wonderfully nutty and melts beautifully. Creamy, mild mozzarella brings the whole dish together. You could also substitute Monterey Jack or white cheddar for the Gruyère.

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Roasted Tomato Mac and Cheese

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Roasted Tomato Mac and Cheese

The gorgeous tomatoes are the icing on top of this creamy, decadent mac and cheese. You’ll love the artichokes, too. Make this dish gluten-free by using the brown rice elbow pasta and brown rice flour options listed in the ingredients. 

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Baked Mac and Cheese

Credit: Photo: Brian Woodcock
View Recipe: Baked Mac and Cheese

We added a surprise ingredient, canola mayonnaise, to make things extra creamy.

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One-Pan Broccoli-Bacon Mac 'N' Cheese

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: One-Pan Broccoli-Bacon Mac 'N' Cheese

Butternut squash puree enhances the color here without distracting from the cheesy flavor, and it sneaks in another serving of vegetables. If you can't find frozen butternut puree, swap in an equal amount of mashed sweet potato or canned unsweetened pumpkin.

This recipe is part of our Let's Cook! curriculum: Find more easy, healthy, affordable recipes anyone can make at CookingLight.com/LetsCook.

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Caprese Mac and Cheese

Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Caprese Mac and Cheese

The classic Italian salad gets a kick of creamy comfort in this deliciously light hybrid recipe. Fast and full of summery goodness, Caprese Mac and Cheese​ can be a main dish for vegetarians. You can use any short pasta you have on hand for this dish, such as large elbows or rotini, instead of the penne pasta.

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Creamy, Light Macaroni and Cheese

Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Creamy, Light Macaroni and Cheese

Our favorite thing to do is take your favorite recipes and make them even better by cutting fat and calories, but not sacrificing taste or flavor. That's exactly what we've done with our Creamy, Light Macaroni and Cheese. You'll enjoy it just as much, if not more than, the full-fat version.

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Broccoli Mac and Cheese

Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Broccoli Mac and Cheese

Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce add savory depth to this creamy mac. If you can't find large elbows, regular elbows will work.

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Chicken Chili Mac and Cheese

Credit: Photo: Justin Walker
View Recipe: Chicken Chili Mac and Cheese

Make a throwback favorite the whole family will love. This old-school mac-and-cheese recipe gets a fresh upgrade when made with delicious chicken-based chili. The kick of spice from chili powder, fire-roasted tomatoes, and diced green chiles will wake up and shake up your idea of classic macaroni and cheese. It's a welcomed change for healthy cooks looking for a bit of comfort food without blowing their calorie budget. Instead of piling on the cheese and melting it, we create a simple flour-milk-cheese mixture that is ultra creamy without being ultra heavy on the fat, sodium, and calories.

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Steak House Side Mac and Cheese

Credit: Photo: Johnny Autry
View Recipe: Steak House Side Mac and Cheese

Classic steak house side dishes of creamed spinach, sautéed mushrooms, and blue cheese dressing come together for an intense and enticing new variety of macaroni and cheese.

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Bacon Mac

Credit: Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Bacon Mac

Sure to gather rave reviews from kids and adults alike, this family-friendly one-dish meal gets its richness from sharp cheddar cheese, which mellows the heat from the hot sauce.

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Creamy Four-Cheese Macaroni

Credit: Photo: Levi Brown
View Recipe: Creamy Four-Cheese Macaroni

There's something about the way plain old macaroni cooks to a soft, silky texture that enhances the creaminess of this dish. Each hollow noodle gets coated inside and out with luscious sauce. Although we rarely use processed cheese, here it's the key to a super creamy texture that does not rely on heavy cream.

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Chili-Cheese Mac

Credit: Photo: Johnny Autry
View Recipe: Chili-Cheese Mac

Meaty, cheesy, and delicious—kids will love this comforting dinner. Parents will love it, too—it’s quick.

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Baked Mac and Cheese

Credit: Photo: John Autry
View Recipe: Baked Mac and Cheese

This baked macaroni and cheese casserole contains three different types of cheeses and a topping of crisp breadcrumbs. This dish has plenty of protein for a meat-free main dish.

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Two-Cheese Mac and Cheese

Credit: Photo: Brian Woodcock
View Recipe: Two-Cheese Mac and Cheese

Indulge in this lighter version of the comfort food favorite. Because it uses unsalted stock, it eliminates a lot of added sodium.

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Truffled Mac and Cheese

Credit: Photo: Johnny Autry
View Recipe: Truffled Mac and Cheese

White truffle oil has an intense earthy flavor that wakes up ordinary mac and cheese. We also get extra flavor by steeping the milk with onion and bay leaf.

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Stovetop Mac and Cheese

Credit: Photo: Bob Esparza
View Recipe: Stovetop Mac and Cheese

We thicken the sauce with flour so that low-fat milk works well in this application of tried and true stovetop mac and cheese.

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Three-Cheese Macaroni and Cheese

Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Three-Cheese Macaroni and Cheese

Creamy, gooey, and comforting, it's hard not to love a bowl of macaroni and cheese. Whether you're an adventurous cook, or just want to stick to the basics, these recipes are tried-and-true according to our readers.

First, try this rich and creamy three-cheese macaroni and cheese for the ultimate feel-good meal.

"If I go more than a day or two without pasta, watch out, because I get nasty," jokes one CookingLight.com user. Other users admit hankering for high-quality cheese. Keep a close eye on the flour while it cooks so it doesn't burn. For a weeknight supper, bake the macaroni in an 8-inch square baking dish for 35 minutes.

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Bacon, Ranch, and Chicken Mac and Cheese

Credit: Photo: Romulo Yanes, Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Bacon, Ranch, and Chicken Mac and Cheese

Dress up your macaroni and cheese with applewood-smoked bacon, chicken, and Ranch dressing-inspired seasonings for a delicious twist on this classic dish.

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Smoked Gouda Macaroni and Cheese

Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Smoked Gouda Macaroni and Cheese

This classic macaroni and cheese recipe has been updated for heightened flavor with the addition of Gouda and Parmesan cheeses and fresh spinach.

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Stove-Top Macaroni and Cheese with Roasted Tomatoes

Credit: Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Stove-Top Macaroni and Cheese with Roasted Tomatoes

Tomatoes add a healthy dose of lycopene as well as juicy texture and flavor to the warm cheesiness of the traditional stove-top cooked mac and cheese.

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Chipotle Macaroni and Cheese

Credit: Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Chipotle Macaroni and Cheese

This macaroni and cheese is a favorite of ours because it is incredibly tasty and easy to prepare. You don't even have to make a white sauce for this creamy dish. The acidic tomatoes counter the richness of the cheeses.

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Stovetop Sausage Mac and Cheese

Credit: Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Stovetop Sausage Mac and Cheese

A quick and easy pasta toss combines three types of cheese, plus sausage, for creamy yet hearty texture and flavor. For a more colorful version, stir in spinach.

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