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This Make Ahead Mac and Cheese recipe helps you get ahead on dinners, parties, and more, crafting a batch up to 3 days in advance. A mix of cheddar and Gruyère makes the best sauce. For maximum crunch, save the garlic butter crumb topping until you’re ready to bake.
Meggan’s notes
After the success of my make ahead lasagna (4.99 stars with 950 votes), I wanted to develop more hearty, comforting make-ahead meals. As a classically-trained chef, I’m always on the hunt for simple ways to cook dishes in advance, and family-friendly mac and cheese is an obvious candidate.
Because it’s a simple cheese sauce with macaroni stirred in, the standard recipe for macaroni and cheese is already primed for the refrigerator or freezer. All you need is the confidence to make it, the patience to cool it, and the knowledge to keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
This recipe has a special garlic butter crumb topping because that sharp flavor and crisp texture provide a nice contrast. To ensure maximum crunch, leave the crumb topping off until just before you’re going to bake the mac. And if you’re feeding children who don’t like textures, just leave it off entirely.
Make Ahead Mac and Cheese Ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
- Salt: When salting pasta water, I follow a ratio of 1 tablespoon per 4 quarts of water. You want the pasta water to be “as salty as the sea.”
- Macaroni: Any small pasta such as rotini, penne, farfalle, or cavatappi will work.
- Butter: Use butter as the basis of the roux, which you’ll turn into béchamel sauce. You’ll also use butter (and garlic) in a crunchy breadcrumb topping.
- Flour: To thicken the sauce.
- Milk: To transform your roux into béchamel sauce.
- Cheese: I like a mixture of shredded cheddar and Gruyère (or other alpine-style) cheeses, but you can use anything else that melts well, such as Monterey Jack. White sharp cheddar has great flavor, too.
- Bread crumbs, butter, and garlic: I love to add texture and a pop of garlicky goodness with this crunchy topping.
How to Make Mac and Cheese Ahead of Time
To make the mac and cheese:
- Bring 4 quarts of water and 1 tablespoon salt to a rolling boil. Add macaroni and cook until just al dente, about 6 minutes. Drain well. Do not overcook and do not rinse macaroni.
- Return pot to stovetop. Over medium heat, melt ¼ cup butter until foaming. Whisk in flour and cook until bubbling but not browned, about 1 minute. Whisk in milk and bring to boil.
- Remove from heat and stir in cheeses until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper). Do not skip this step or your sauce may be bland.
- Fold in macaroni and stir until uniformly combined. Pour into a 2 ½ quart or larger casserole dish. Cool, then cover and refrigerate up to 3 days in advance.
To bake the mac and cheese:
- Remove casserole dish from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour before baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium microwave-safe bowl, melt 2 tablespoons butter and garlic. Stir in breadcrumbs until evenly coated. Pour breadcrumbs over macaroni.
- Bake until sauce is bubbling and breadcrumbs have browned, 30 to 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving with hot sauce.
Make Ahead Mac and Cheese Tips and Variations
- Yield: This Baked Mac and Cheese makes 8 servings, 1 cup each.
- To go: Bake this casserole in the oven-safe insert of a 9×13-inch crockpot and then tote it with you to your family gathering.
- Season at every step: I like to salt and pepper at several stages so the flavors really pop. If you don’t season the sauce, it might wind up tasting bland.
- Spicy: Serve this mac and cheese with plenty of hot sauce or red chili flakes for the spice lovers in your family. Sriracha is my top choice for mac and cheese.
How to Store Make Ahead Mac and Cheese
Once assembled, the unbaked mac and cheese can be stored in the refrigerator up to 3 days in advance. I suggest leaving the crumb topping off until you’re ready to bake it.
Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freezer: You can freeze the casserole before or after baking, but it stays creamier if you freeze it before the final bake; that way it isn’t heated up twice. Wrap tightly in plastic and foil, label, date, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before baking.
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Make Ahead Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
For the macaroni and cheese:
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound elbow macaroni (see note 1)
- 1/4 cup butter (half stick)
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups milk hot
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (8 ounces, see note 2)
- 2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese (8 ounces)
For the topping:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- Hot sauce for serving
Instructions
To make the mac and cheese:
- Bring 4 quarts of water and 1 tablespoon salt to a rolling boil. Add macaroni and cook until just al dente, about 6 minutes. Drain well. Do not overcook and do not rinse macaroni.
- Return pot to stovetop. Over medium heat, melt ¼ cup butter until foaming. Whisk in flour and cook until bubbling but not browned, about 1 minute. Whisk in milk and bring to boil.
- Remove from heat and stir in cheeses until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper). Do not skip this step or your sauce may be bland.
- Fold in macaroni and stir until uniformly combined. Pour into a 2 ½ quart or larger casserole dish. Cool, then cover and refrigerate up to 3 days in advance.
To bake the mac and cheese:
- Remove casserole dish from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour before baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium microwave-safe bowl, melt 2 tablespoons butter and garlic. Stir in breadcrumbs until evenly coated. Pour breadcrumbs over macaroni.
- Bake until sauce is bubbling and breadcrumbs have browned, 30 to 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving with hot sauce.
Notes
- Macaroni: Any small pasta such as rotini, penne, farfalle, or cavatappi will work.
- Cheese: I like a mixture of shredded cheddar and Gruyère (or other alpine-style) cheeses, but you can use anything else that melts well such as Monterey Jack. White sharp cheddar has great flavor, too.
- Yield: This Baked Mac and Cheese makes 8 servings, 1 cup each.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.