Velveeta Baked Mac and Cheese

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 40

Total Time: 1

Servings: Servings

Calories: 334kcal

Creamy Velveeta baked mac and cheese made with sharp cheddar and a buttery roux. The perfect comfort food casserole dish for the whole family.

Butter or Cooking Spray to grease a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish
1 pound large macaroni pasta
16 ounce package processed cheese such as Velveeta, cut into one inch cubes
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar I use white but yellow works too
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1.5 cups milk whole or 2%
½ teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste, a couple dashes of hot sauce can be used instead
½ teaspoon pepper

Heat oven to 400º.
Use butter or cooking spray to grease a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook macaroni for 8 minutes then drain in a colander.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium pan over medium heat. Add the flour and stir constantly (to prevent scorching) until roux is a golden color and smells nutty (about 5 minutes).
Slowly add milk to roux, stirring with a whisk, until combined. Add mustard powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and black pepper and stir into roux. Add the cubed Velveeta. Stir until melted.
Pour the cooked macaroni noodles into the cheese sauce and gently stir to combine. Then add the noodles to the casserole dish and top with shredded cheddar cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes and bubbling. Turn the oven to broil, remove the foil, and bake until desired golden brown top is achieved.

You can serve this as a "stove top" mac and cheese. Stir the cheddar cheese into the mac and skip the baking step.
Cook pasta just to al dente so it doesn’t get mushy while baking.
Stir cheese sauce frequently while melting to avoid scorching.
Want extra richness? Add a spoonful of sour cream or a dash of heavy cream to the sauce.