Stouffer’s Macaroni & Cheese is a nostalgic comfort food. Made from scratch in just 30 minutes. You’ll love this classic dish. Try it today!
I love classic Sides like this nostalgic Mac and Cheese. Who doesn’t love all of that gooey cheese? For more cheesy side dishes try Broccoli in Cheese Sauce and Cheesy Potatoes.
Sabrina’s Stouffer’s Mac and Cheese Recipe
This Stouffer’s Mac and cheese is such an All-American classic. As much as this classic meal is easy to grab from the freezer section of your grocery store, toss on a baking sheet and place in the oven, I wanted to give you a made from scratch recipe that still gives you that same delicious flavor.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 8 ounces elbow pasta
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons mustard powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups Colby Cheese , shredded
- 2 cups Mild Cheddar Cheese , shredded
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box then rinse and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium-size pot over medium heat add butter and let melt.
- Add in the flour, mustard, and paprika and whisk together for about 1 minute.
- Slowly add milk in thirds and stir until it has thickened (about 2 minutes between each third) before adding the next portion of milk.
- Add in the Colby cheese, whisk until fully melted.
- Add in the Mild Cheddar Cheese and whisk until fully melted.
- Add the pasta to the cheese sauce, mix well then cover and bake for 20 minutes (if your pot is not oven safe transfer to a baking dish first).
Nutrition
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Sabrina’s Tips
I like to focus on using quality ingredients. You really want the best of flavors to come through. I also encourage you to shred your own cheese for this macaroni and cheese. Pre-packaged shredded cheese isn’t always the easiest to melt smoothly due to the extra additives in the cheese. It can tend to get clumpy and you don’t want that.
Table of contents
About this Recipe
There is something about the creamy, cheesy flavors we all grew up with in this recipe. No stringy cheese here, just creamy sauce. Most copycat recipes use a canned cheese spread for this Mac and cheese, but if you’re worried about preservatives, I opted to make a real cheddar cheese sauce. The end result is a creamy, cheesy, with a bit of tang sauce that’s totally worth the little bit of extra time it takes to cook it. It doesn’t get any better than real cheese!
Can this be made ahead of time?
Yes, you can make this ahead of time. Just prepare the recipe in its entirety, and let it cool. 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 about 5 minutes to your baking time.
Pairing Suggestions
You can pair this tasty side dish with your main course like Classic Pot Roast or Breaded Pork Chops. Don’t forget about your greens, serve it along side of Sautéed Green Beans or Air Fryer Broccoli.
How to Store
- Serve: For food safety, don’t leave this dish out at room temperature for longer than 2 hours.
- Store: Store leftovers in a sealed 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
This recipe makes enough to be a side dish, but if you want to make this as a family size entree or have it party sized, I would suggest doubling the recipe. All of my recipe cards have a slider tool to adjust the ingredients to help you with measurements. You might need to add an additional 10 minutes of cook time.
Variations
- Gluten-Free: Substitute the wheat flour in this recipe with a gluten-free all purpose flour, almond flour, or any other gluten-free substitute. Make sure to use a gluten-free pasta in place of the elbow macaroni.
- Cheese: Try using sharp cheddar cheese in the real cheddar cheese sauce for a more pronounced flavor. You could also completely change it by making a White cheddar Mac or Alfredo sauce. Finish with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
- Pasta: To keep this a true copycat I used elbow macaroni but you can use any type of pasta. Shells and wheel-shaped pasta are just a few suggestions.
- Milk: I like using whole milk for this recipe because it has a higher fat content than skim milk which helps with its creaminess.
Related Recipes
More Copycat Mac and Cheese
These photos were used in a previous version of this post
This by far THE best mac and cheese I’ve ever made! ?????????
Thanks Laurie, I’m very pleased to hear. And thank you for the 5 stars.
How do I prevent the sauce from being grainy?
Doubled the recipe for a special event and it was tasty and colorful.
I encourage you to shred your own cheese for this macaroni and cheese. Pre-packaged shredded cheese isn’t always the easiest to melt smoothly due to the extra additives in the cheese. It can tend to get clumpy and you don’t want that.
Hello, I have a question. What food color do you use to make this beautiful color? Thank you.
No food coloring was used, but the mustard powder and paprika definitely lends it’s own color.
The beautiful color has a lot to do with using a fresh-shredded Colby cheese in this recipe. Colby is unique from cheddar in that Colby contains annatto, a natural color agent, from its aging and preparation method (“Take that, Kraft!”). Lol
It is a lot like cheddar, but it is cold-washed and aged much faster than traditional cheddar (circa 1~3 months) which gives it a more subtle, buttery smooth flavor. But as mentioned before, go with fresh-shredding your cheeses (and if you got one locally) check with your friendly, local cheese monger or deli dept. for a selection of more exotic cheeses similar to and add a little ‘jazz’ to your mac & cheese!
Bon appetit!
I will not buy this again. I felt something happened. Seareded and found it had been changed. Very bland and had aLOT of sauce still floating after macaroni gone. Almost like watery, why do companies change a good thing and wind up making it worse, bye bye Stouffers. You were my lunch date for many years,with goodness gone I am gone.
This is JUST LIKE the stauffer’s mac I love! I think they go with all the cheese sauce to allow it to be frozen and microwave easily. Thanks so much for posting this recipe!
You’re welcome!
I tried this recipe last night. Was nothing like Stouffers Mac and Cheese. I tried a copycat recipe a few years ago that was spot on, couldn’t find it, this recipe was not it.
8 oz. of pasta = 8 servings. If you DARE to indulge in 1 additional oz., don’t forget to DOUBLE the Nutr. Info. It WAS however, really, really good!
8 oz of uncooked pasta is 4 servings
This is my kids new favorite dish!! Thanks so much for sharing!
You’re welcome, Chelsea. I’m so glad it was a hit.
My kids are HUGE mac and cheese lovers! I need to make this for them!
Enjoy!
Ohhh now THIS is the good stuff! THIS is what I love in a home made mac and cheese! Delicious
Definitely!
Lots of sauce…..not many noodles…..second batch like this……….I am a Mac & Cheese lover for 20 years.my midnight comfort food..truth be told………..I could make nachos with the leftover cheese sauce