This lightened up baked mac and cheese without flour is such an easy way to make homemade mac and cheese from scratch! Instead of making a roux, just melt the shredded cheese into the tastiest creamy cheese sauce before pouring it over the noodles and baking it to perfection. This baked macaroni is a true crowd-pleaser and is perfect for your next gathering!
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Simple Baked Mac and Cheese without Flour
This no flour baked mac and cheese is the ultimate comfort food! It’s luxuriously rich and creamy, yet lighter than your typical mac and cheese since it’s made without heavy cream, flour, or even breadcrumbs.
It’s all the creamy mac goodness you love and is delicious for family gatherings! You’ll start keeping evaporated milk on hand all the time to make this easy recipe!
Why We Love This Easy Baked Mac and Cheese – No Flour
- Quick & easy: Traditional oven baked mac and cheese requires you to make a roux out of butter and flour, then pouring in milk and heavy cream to make a cream sauce before adding lots of cheese. Since this lighter baked mac and cheese recipe is made without a roux and has no breadcrumbs on top, it comes together in much less time. Plus, it uses just a handful of simple ingredients you likely already have on hand!
- For a crowd: One batch of this easy homemade mac will fill an entire casserole dish, perfect for feeding a crowd during the holidays or at your next family gathering.
- Lightened up: This recipe is proof that healthier can still taste great! By ditching the roux, heavy cream, and breadcrumbs, this easy macaroni and cheese is still incredibly cheesy and tasty; it just has fewer calories and comes together faster than ever. What’s not to love?
Ingredient Notes
- Elbow macaroni: Keep it classic with regular elbow pasta. You can also use whole wheat pasta for extra fiber.
- Evaporated milk: This is essential for making a creamy sauce. Low fat evaporated milk is richer and creamier than even whole milk without the fat!
- Butter: Melt a bit of unsalted butter with the milk for a really rich, creamy sauce.
- Seasonings: Season the sauce well with garlic powder, salt, and black pepper to make sure every bite tastes amazing.
- Shredded cheese: Use a mixture of sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses. Use half for the sauce and sprinkle the other half on top before baking for a cheesy crust.
How to Make Baked Mac and Cheese without Flour
Step 1: Cook the Macaroni
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Spray a 2 quart baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Cook elbow macaroni according to package directions for al dente pasta. Drain and set aside.
Step 2: Prepare the Sauce
- In a large saucepan over medium heat bring the evaporated milk and butter to a simmer. Whisk in the salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Remove from heat and slowly whisk in 1 ½ cups of the shredded cheeses to the sauce until fully melted and smooth.
- Add in the cooked macaroni noodles and toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Step 3: Bake in the Oven
- Pour the macaroni into the prepared baking pan and top with the remaining ½ cup of shredded cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the top is lightly browned and the sides are bubbling. Let rest for 5 minutes and serve.
Keep scrolling to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
Recipe Tips:
- Adding cheese to the pot with the heat still on can cause it to turn grainy. When making a cheese sauce, it’s always best to remove it from the heat before incorporating the cheese.
- If you don’t have time to bake it, you can simply broil the cheese to melt it, and serve.
- Any small pasta shape would work here, such as rotini or shells. Just make sure to keep the pasta al dente, so that it doesn’t overcook while being baked.
- Make sure the cheeses are freshly shredded. Pre-shredded bags of cheese contain an anticaking agent called cellulose (wood pulp) that keeps them from melting smoothly.
- Any of your favorite melty cheese would work here. Gouda, colby jack, smoked cheddar, and gruyere would work well. Substitute ¼ cup of the cheese for Parmesan for a sharper flavor.
- You could add in different proteins like cooked chicken or sausage or lightly steamed veggies like broccoli before pouring into the baking dish to make it a complete meal.
Recipe FAQs
There are so many great cheeses you can use for mac and cheese! The best choices are all great melting cheeses like mild cheddar, mozzarella, Monterey Jack, or even gruyere. Each cheese has a slightly different flavor and you can pair milder cheeses like Monterey Jack or cheddar with a small amount of a more flavorful aged cheeses, like Parmesan cheese or aged gouda, to take it over the top. Have fun with it!
If you want to bake mac and cheese the next day, try this. Let the cheese mixture cool to room temperature for an hour or two and undercook the noodles by 2-3 minutes. If you add the hot creamy sauce over the hot noodles, they’ll continue to cook and become soggy before you even bake them. Let everything cool first, then combine the mac and cheese sauce in the baking dish. The next day, sprinkle the dish with extra cheese and bake like normal!
It’s really not necessary to cover mac and cheese! Covering it locks in moisture, which will keep your mac and cheese really creamy, but it will also make it hard to have a nice, cheesy crust. If you leave it uncovered, the white sauce will thicken slightly and you’ll get a wonderfully crunchy and cheesy texture for the topping.
Technically, yes, but keep in mind that freezing and thawing pasta can give it a mushy texture. If you want to freeze mac and cheese, it’s best to partially undercook the noodles and freeze before baking. Then, thaw the mac in the fridge, stir everything to make it smooth again, and then bake like normal.
Storage & Reheating Guidelines
Refrigerator: Store leftovers for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
To freeze: You can freeze leftover mac and cheese in a freezer-safe container, but the noodles will become softer and the sauce will be thinner after thawing and reheating. For best results, eat the mac and cheese fresh or reheated from the fridge.
To reheat: Reheat portions individually in the microwave. You may need to add a splash of milk to each serving to loosen up the sauce a bit.
What Goes with Baked Mac and Cheese
This delicious mac and cheese is a wonderful, easy side dish to serve at your special occasions! Try serving it with these recipes for a meal the whole family will love.
- Pulled Pork with Homemade BBQ Sauce
- Slow Cooker Ham with Pineapple
- Cranberry Chicken Meatballs
- Crockpot Sausage Peppers and Onions with Sauce
- BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches
- Cheesy Cauliflower Bites
Recipe Variations
- Add veggies: Try mixing in lightly steamed chopped broccoli, chopped spinach or peas before baking this homemade macaroni and cheese.
- For extra protein: Stir in some diced chicken or sausage. It’s also great with crumbled bacon or leftover brisket!
- Make a breadcrumb topping: If you prefer a Southern mac with a crunchy topping, mix breadcrumbs or crushed cracker crumbs with melted butter and sprinkle over the top. Let it crisp up under the broiler before serving!
- Add mustard: Add a teaspoon or two of ground mustard to the cheese sauce for a little sharpness to balance out the creamy texture.
More Similar Recipes
- Crockpot Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
- Lasagna Recipe without Ricotta Cheese
- Healthy Tuna Macaroni Salad
- One Pan Feta Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes
- Vegetarian Pasta Salad
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Lighter Baked Mac and Cheese without Flour
Ingredients
- 8 oz elbow macaroni whole wheat or fiber-enriched
- 1 ½ cups evaporated 2% milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar divided
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Spray a 2 quart baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Cook elbow macaroni according to package directions for al dente pasta. Drain and set aside.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat bring the evaporated milk and butter to a simmer. Whisk in the salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Remove from heat and slowly whisk in 1 ½ cups of the shredded cheeses to the sauce until fully melted and smooth.
- Add in the macaroni noodles and toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Pour the macaroni into the prepared baking pan and top with the remaining ½ cup of shredded cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the top is lightly browned and the sides are bubbling. Let rest for 5 minutes and serve.
Notes
- Adding cheese to the pot with the heat still on can cause it to turn grainy. When making a cheese sauce, it’s always best to remove it from the heat before incorporating the cheese.
- If you don’t have time to bake it, you can simply broil the cheese to melt it, and serve.
- Any small pasta shape would work here, such as rotini or shells. Just make sure to keep the pasta al dente, so that it doesn’t overcook while being baked.
- Make sure the cheeses are freshly shredded. Pre-shredded bags of cheese contain an anticaking agent called cellulose (wood pulp) that keeps them from melting smoothly.
- Any of your favorite melty cheese would work here. Gouda, colby jack, smoked cheddar, and gruyere would work well. Substitute ¼ cup of the cheese for Parmesan for a sharper flavor.
- You could add in different proteins like cooked chicken or sausage or lightly steamed veggies like broccoli before pouring into the baking dish to make it a complete meal.
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