Boston Market Mac and Cheese, made with three cheeses is easy to make and the best copycat! It’s the perfect comfort food everyone will love!
Mac and Cheese is one of my favorites Sides to get at any fast food restaurant, especially with delicious chicken. Try more of my favorites like Popeye’s Coleslaw (Copycat) and KFC Mashed Potatoes (Copycat).
Sabrina’s Boston Market Mac and Cheese (Copycat) Recipe
Mac and Cheese is the ultimate comfort food, and nothing screams fall and holidays more than comfort food. I am a huge fan of Boston Market for fast food. The chicken is delicious, and I love both the mac and cheese and the creamed spinach.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons butter , unsalted (1 stick)
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
- 4 cups milk , whole or 2%
- 8 ounces American cheese
- 1/2 cup blue cheese
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
- 8 ounces semolina rotini pasta , cooked
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Melt the butter on medium heat, then add in the flour, salt, pepper, and mustard.
- Whisk until smooth and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add in the milk slowly in 1 cup increments until smooth.
- Add in the cheese and whisk until fully melted.
- Add in the pasta and stir.
- Pour into baking dish and bake, covered for 20 minutes.
Nutrition
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Sabrina’s Tips
Let the pasta cook in the pot with the other ingredients to the point where it retains slightly firm. Since this recipe is baked, the noodles will continue to soften in the oven and absorb the cheese sauce.
Table of contents
About this Recipe
Mac and Cheese has so many versions it is hard to call anything the Ultimate Mac and Cheese, but this mac and cheese recipe is made with three cheeses and is super creamy. It’s easy to make, and the perfect copycat!
Can this be made ahead of time?
You can make this ahead of time, just prepare the recipe and bake. Let it cool before you cover it up and place it in the refrigerator. Reheat it over the stove to return it to that creamy texture. Add a splash of milk as needed if your sauce is too thick or sticky. You can also prep the dish and store in the freezer up to a week before serving. Take out the night before and move to the fridge to thaw. You may need to add some extra time when you bake it.
Pairing Suggestions
The recipe is one of my favorites to pair with all different types of chicken as my main dish like Homemade Rotisserie Chicken or Crispy Fried Chicken Breast. Complete you meal with Easy Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Coleslaw and some Cheddar Corn Biscuits. Everyone will walk away with a full belly.
How to Store
- Serve: Don’t leave this dish out at room temperature for longer than 2 hours.
- Store: Store leftovers in airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, simply place back in the conventional oven, toaster oven or pop in the microwave oven.
- Freeze: This dish can be put into the freezer either before or after baking. Make sure to store it in a freezer safe container. It’ll last in the freezer for up to 3 months. Make sure to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before baking.
Ideas to Serve
Adding bacon is an awesomely easy way to make the macaroni and cheese. After cooking the bacon, swap out half the butter for bacon grease in the pan. Once cooked, top with 6 crumbled slices of bacon and stir gently.
Alternative Cooking Techniques
Instead of baking, try making this recipe on the stovetop. After you have combined the ingredients, reduce heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until creamy and the liquid is reduced. I don’t recommend trying this recipe in a slow cooker. However, you can use my Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese and swap out ½ cup of the cheese for blue cheese for a similar Boston Market flavor.
Variations
- Milk: I like using whole milk for this recipe because it has a higher fat content than skim milk, which helps with its creaminess. You could use 2% or skim if you want it to be a little less decadent though.
- Pasta: To keep this a true copycat I use rotini pasta, but you can use any type of pasta. Shells and wheel-shaped pasta are just a few suggestions.
- Toppings: The best part about making this copycat at home is that you can add whatever you would like. Try topping with buttery Panko bread crumbs and parmesan cheese or your favorite crushed crackers to the top before baking.
Related Recipes
More Delicious Mac and Cheese Recipes
These photos were used in a previous version of this post
While I enjoy the recipe itself I’m not finding resemblance to boston market?
Boston Market changed their mac & cheese recipe several years ago, but their original was my favorite. I remember seeing a placard on the table in the restaurant that talked about the dish, listing the cheeses, “and even a bit of bleu.” I thought yes, I taste that little tang. Plus the cheese sauce was a little thin, not too dry. I’ve been looking for a recipe and yours might be it. I’m certainly going to try it!
Boston Market uses a blend of three Cheddar Cheeses, not processed Cheese Food.
This does not taste anything like Boston market Mac & cheese. It’s not even good tasting at all. What a waste of time and money.
Absolutely disgusting. Just not a good Mac n cheese. Let alone it doesn’t taste anything like Boston market
Aww Im so sorry you didn’t enjoy it Gary! We have other Mac and cheese recipes you might enjoy more.
This recipe did not do anything for me. It was like eating paste. I don’t recommend it. Sorry
Very good and super close to the real Boston Market mac and cheese.
Thanks JD! Glad you enjoyed it!
This is the best Mac and cheese I have ever made! It tastes just like Boston market! Thanks so much for this recipe
Thank you so much for coming back and leaving a review! I am so glad you enjoyed it, Happy Thanksgiving!
This recipe is yummy! Would you do qdoba’s or Chipotle’s chicken?
I have a copycat recipe for Chipotle’s chicken.
https://dinnerthendessert.com/chipotle-chicken-copycat/
Enjoy!
It tastes good but not like the Boston Market one at all
This was tastey although it tasted nothing like Boston Markets mac. I was disappointed especially because it says “copy cat” recipe. But 1-10 for flavor it is a 6 I think but that’s just me so don’t let my opinion knock you from trying it.
I just tried this mac and cheese, but cooked the pasta first. 8 ounces didn’t look like much, so I add all 16 oz of the cooked pasta.
I assume now, since it’s not mentioned to precook that I should have put it in uncooked…. which way is correct?
This did come out very tasty….. I used 16oz of pasta however. I think it’s pretty close to Boston Market, but I didn’t use Blue Cheese, I used 8oz of Cheddar and 8oz of American. I also used whole milk. 🙂
Thanks for the recipe!
The recipe card states to use cooked pasta. You did it right. 🙂
It’s not a bad mac and cheese, but we love Boston Market Mac and Cheese and we were so pumped to try this. Sorry, but it’s not even close.
Would you recommend mild, medium, or sharp cheddar?
You can use whatever type you prefer. 🙂 I used medium.
Is there any way to make this without the blue cheese? I hate blue cheese
I’ve never tested it so I’m not sure. I’m guessing you could just use a different cheese but it wouldn’t be a copycat recipe then. If you decide to try, I’d love to know how it turned out. I also have other mac and cheese recipes on the blog not using blue cheese if you decide to try one of those instead. Good luck!
I followed this recipe to a tee. It tasted nothing like Boston market. Did I do something wrong? It was pretty good, but not like I was expecting. Literally followed every step
If you followed the recipe exactly, I’m not sure that you did anything wrong. Sorry you didn’t think it was a copycat version to Boston Market.
Blue cheese crumbles or dressing?
Crumbles 🙂
Making this for Thanksgiving. Last night i did a test run and the sauce felt too thick. I’m wondering if it’s the American cheese or cheddar cheese. For American i went with Land O Lakes cheese from the deli And mild shredded cheddar from refrigerator section. Otherwise maybe i had too many noodles…any suggestions on what brands to use ?
I don’t even remember what brands I happened to use for this. If you try again and it’s too thick, you could try adding a little bit more milk or cutting back on the noodles. Good luck!
Is the pasta supposed to be raw or cooked before adding to the cheese??
Cooked 🙂 Enjoy!!
are these pictures of the actual finished dish? It seems like the black pepper would show up in the sauce, is that not the case? I remember a mac and cheese recipe I used once that called for white pepper, I wondered if that was possibly for appearance. In any case, I’m going to try the cheese combo of cheddar+american+bleu, great idea!
These are actual pictures of the finished dish. 🙂 I really hope you enjoy it!
How about Boston Market Cornbread or Cinnamon Apples Copycat to go with this? They’re great sides. I always got the 3 side platter with the Mac n’ Cheese, Mashed Potatoes and Cinnamon Apples and the Cornbread always came with it. Yes, a very filling meal. I know. Some people like me just need the carbs for a high metabolism, so no harm done!
Great suggestions! I’ll add them to my to do list. 🙂
So…not sure what I did wrong. I wanted to double it to feed a big group. I’ve made Mac and cheese with no problem before and I just doubled every ingredient. The sauce thickened fine…except the noodles were SWIMMING in it. Should I have done less milk or more pasta?
Oh no! Next time, try more pasta to soak up the sauce. So sorry you had issues doubling it.
I don’t like blue cheese but when I make this I am not going to change not one thing I hope it’s as good as you say it is also I like using heavy cream in Mac& cheese make it amazing but I will use mike in this cause I will try the recipe as is
No way I can use blue cheese (some of my family just wouldn’t go for it). Is there any other cheese you’d recommend swapping it out for? Thanks!
You can leave out the blue cheese if you’d like, just know that it will change the flavor and won’t be a true copycat recipe anymore.
I made this about a month ago and it was awesome; making it again tonight! Would not have thought to put blue cheese in it, but it just makes it. Thank you.
So glad you’re enjoying it! I appreciate the 5 star rating!
Blue cheese???!! Really?
Let me know what you think after trying it! Trust me!!
Did anyone actually make this?
Yes… It’s not like Boston Market. I bought some to compare and they did not even look the same.
CAn this recipe be made a day before ?
The cheese sauce would harden and it wouldn’t be quite as good unfortunately.
Sweet heavens I need this mac and cheese in my life asap! On my gosh, it looks perfect!
Thanks, Angie!
Wow! This looks so good! I love homemade mac and cheese!
nothing beats a big bowl of creamy cheesy Mac and Cheese!!
Totally agree!!
One of my favorite side dishes from Boston Market!!
It’s so good!
My husband and son are huge mac and cheese lovers, and they would love this!
Thanks, Dee!
Oooh! This looks so easy and nostalgic!
Can’t wait to serve up some of this comfort food (and share a bit of my childhood!)
Thank you, Sabrina!
You’re welcome, Sarah! Enjoy!!