The 15 Best Mac and Cheese Recipes Ever

When my boys were little, we always checked a restaurant's menu to make sure they had mac and cheese before going. At home, I turned to boxes of Annie's Shells and Aged Cheddar for a quick side dish or easy weekend lunch. Mac and cheese was always such a hit that I decided I needed to start making it from scratch—it's not that hard anyway! With cheese and milk always on hand, all I needed was a box of pasta and a go-to recipe.

No matter how many times I make macaroni and cheese, it's never boring. I can use up leftover cheese, vegetables, and meat. I can make it the main dish or a side. I can add breadcrumbs and turn it into a casserole or serve it right out of the pot on the stove. Plus, leftovers make coveted lunches.

Below are 15 mouthwatering mac and cheese recipes for feeding all the hungry people at your table.

One-Pot Mac and Cheese

The streamlined technique keeps the dishes to a minimum but doesn’t sacrifice on flavor. Cream cheese and two types of shredded cheeses work together to make it silky smooth.

Chili Mac and Cheese

Ground beef, chili powder, onions, and tomatoes all bring bold flavors to this cheesy macaroni. If you don't have a 12-inch cast iron skillet, you could use a Dutch oven or transfer it to a casserole dish when it's time to bake.

Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese

The addition of cream cheese makes creamy mac and cheese possible without béchamel. You can keep the unbaked casserole in the freezer for up to one month.

Cauliflower Pasta Bake

Roasting the cauliflower and onion is a hands-free way to add extra flavor—you don’t want to skip this step.

Vegan Mac and Cheese

This recipe takes a whole new approach to “cheesy” vegan mac and cheese. You’ll purée potatoes, carrots, and soaked cashews, along with a flavorful mix of spices, for the sauce. Turmeric gives it the yellow color so no one is the wiser.

Ham and Cheese Pasta Bake

I’ve made this recipe more times than I can count. If you use a Dutch oven, you can boil the pasta first and then use the same pot for the sauce. I add all the spices at one time and it’s always perfect.

Civil War Macaroni and Cheese

Get a history lesson along with dinner. This recipe is similar to what would have been made in the 1860s. Instead of boiling the pasta in water and then making the cheese sauce, you boil the pasta in the milk and add in a mixture of melted butter and cheese.

Easy Chicken Mac and Cheese

Exactly what I want to make on a busy weeknight. You can use leftover cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken.

Creamy Cavatappi

This spiral pasta dish is decadent, quick, easy, and uses pantry staples. If you can’t find cavatappi, a different spiral or macaroni pasta will work!

Broccoli Cheddar Mac and Cheese

Broccoli is my favorite vegetable to eat with mac and cheese. Instead of taking up more space on the stove, the broccoli is placed in a steamer basket and set over the same pot of boiling water for the pasta. Genius!

Quick Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese

Dinner is on the table in 20 minutes when you make this unfussy mac and cheese.

Green Chile Mac and Cheese

Use up your stash of chiles from the garden or raid the pantry for a few cans of diced green chiles for dinner tonight.

Chorizo Mac and Cheese

Spicy chorizo and pepper jack cheese wake up this baked mac and cheese and turn it into the star it was meant to be. You’ll get rave reviews when you serve it at your next BBQ.

Green Goddess Mac and Cheese

Skip the side salad and stir puréed spinach and parsley into the cheese sauce for this green mac and cheese.

Trinidadian Macaroni Pie

"Caribbean macaroni pie is a beloved baked macaroni and cheese dish that no gathering can go without," writes contributor Alica Rampikpal-Senhouse. "Once it’s done baking it should hold its shape when cut, even when right out of the oven. This firmness is a big part of what distinguishes macaroni pie from macaroni and cheese found outside of the Caribbean."