24 Mac and Cheese Recipes that Are Gooey Perfection

Best Four-Cheese Macaroni and Cheese

Make this classic macaroni and cheese recipe your go-to when you're craving the deliciousness of cheese. With four different cheeses and options to customize, you can make it slightly varied, or exactly the same each time. Try adding bacon and blue cheese, jalapeño pepper, or truffle oil, until you find your family's favorite.

Hatch Chile Mac 'n' Cheese

It only takes a couple of extra ingredients to elevate classic macaroni into something spectacular. This stove-top mac and cheese recipe has just enough kick to make it interesting. Hatch chiles and jalapeños add spice to the ultra-creamy, extra cheesy dish.

Three-Cheese Baked Mac

This classic, homey dish is perhaps the best mac and cheese recipe you'll find. Three cheeses—Swiss, sharp cheddar, and Gouda—make a super creamy, rich sauce that will have you scraping the dish for every last bite. Broiling for just a few minutes before serving makes the cheese bubbly and a bit browned for extra deliciousness.

Buy It: OXO 2-Quart Baking Dish ($18, Target)

Roasted Sweet Potato-Bacon Mac and Cheese

Stirring sweet potatoes and bacon into an otherwise traditional macaroni and cheese recipe gives each bite a touch of extra sweetness and saltiness. Four cheeses (Gouda, sharp cheddar, Monterey Jack, and Parmesan) create a rich, thick sauce that clings to every noodle and bite of sweet potato.

Mac and Cheese Soup

For everyone who believes their macaroni can never have enough cheese sauce, this dish is for you. Using cream cheese and half-and-half transforms this recipe into noodle soup. Top each bowl with cheddar crackers to add crunch (and a little more cheese) to every bite.

Four-Cheese Butternut Squash Macaroni & Cheese

Adding mashed butternut squash to this rich homemade mac and cheese recipe makes every bite more decadent (but also a little healthier). Thanks to mozzarella, cheddar, Muenster, and semisoft cheese, it's also one of the cheesiest macaroni recipes you'll ever make. Bake until it's golden brown, then savor every last bite.

Macaroni and Cheese

Sometimes you just want the classic macaroni you grew up with, so when the craving strikes, make this easy recipe with a simple American cheese sauce. The easy dish comes together in just over 30 minutes, and is a great way to introduce kids to cooking.

Tuscan Mac and Cheese Cups

Make mac and cheese with less mess, thanks to help from a muffin tin. For this baked recipe, first line each muffin cup with a slice of prosciutto, then spoon in macaroni made with Gouda and kale. Once it bakes, each cup will hold together in a cute, delicious, individual helping.

Buy It: Cuisinart Muffin Pan ($13, Target)

Good and Healthy Macaroni and Cheese

Healthy mac and cheese? Yes, it exists—the trick to making this dish better for you than the old-fashioned version is using multigrain pasta and adding your favorite vegetables. Try using broccoli, chopped carrots, or green beans—they're all equally good with the light cheese sauce.

Pressure Cooker Chili Mac and Cheese

If you don't have time to wait for water to boil or the oven to preheat, make this speedy pressure cooker mac and cheese recipe. Ground beef, chili powder, and salsa con queso create a hearty chili mac with a healthy dose of spice.

Buy It: Instant Pot Duo ($130, Bed Bath & Beyond)

Ham and Asparagus Macaroni

Put a springtime twist on mac and cheese by stirring fresh asparagus into the cheese sauce. Not overly cheesy, this creamy recipe mostly relies on Parmesan, milk, and butter to create the sauce. Include leftover ham to make a heartier meal.

Macaroni and Cheese with Cashew Cream

Easy to adjust to please everyone at your table, this recipe uses homemade cashew cream to make an extra silky sauce. Swap in gluten-free pasta or dairy-free butter and cheese if you need to make this mac and cheese recipe work for different dietary needs. No matter how you change it, this cheesy dish of noodles and broccoli will be a hit with everyone at the table.

Homemade Microwave Mac and Cheese

Sometimes you just want fast macaroni and cheese with no mess and no fuss. When you're in need of a quick dish to satisfy a craving for noodles and cheese, make this 10-minute microwave recipe. Just combine the classic ingredients in a mug, stir, microwave, and dig in.

Buy It: Hearth & Hand with Magnolia Mug ($4, Target)

Slow Cooker Cajun Mac and Cheese

This Southern mac and cheese recipe uses all the bold flavors of Cajun cuisine. Chicken thighs, hot sauce, andouille sausage, and bell peppers combine in your slow cooker for a hearty meal with plenty of spice. If that's not enough heat for you, serve it with extra hot sauce on the side.

Cauliflower-Bacon Shells and Cheese

With crisp bacon and gooey cheese taking the spotlight, picky eaters will hardly notice the healthy cauliflower in this mac and cheese recipe. When cut into small florets and cooked just until tender, the cauliflower will blend right in with the noodles. Once you pour on the Gouda and cheddar cheese sauce, this dish tastes like decadent mac and cheese with bacon.

Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

Say hello to the best mac and cheese recipe for fall. It's loaded with pumpkin for extra creaminess, along with Fontina and Parmesan cheeses. Switch up the flavor by trying different noodles or cheeses each time you make it. Keep the recipe handy—it's one you'll make again and again.

Cheesy Pasta-Stuffed Shells

Make this hearty baked mac and cheese recipe on a night when you feel like pulling out all the stops. It's loaded with two cheeses, two types of noodles, and your favorite tomato pasta sauce. With double the noodles and double the cheese, you've got a surefire weeknight dinner favorite.

Cheese Fondue Casserole

Fondue meets mac and cheese in this fun twist on the classic. Gruyère and a double dose of Swiss cheese help this creamy recipe to bake to gooey perfection. For a savory take, stir in 12 ounces of fresh or frozen shrimp and green onions before baking.

Mexican-Inspired Rigatoni and Cheese

We're taking an American favorite south of the border with zesty, spicy chorizo sausage, poblano peppers, and black beans. Add pico de gallo to this baked mac and cheese recipe for a fresh, flavorful topper.

Macaroni and Brie with Crab

A baked mac and cheese recipe with bread crumbs sprinkled on top is comfort food at its finest. This rich dish starts with a whole wheel of Brie cheese and adds a hefty dose of crabmeat. Top it with a generous helping of homemade bread crumbs for an indulgent twist on the traditional.

Mexican-Style Mac and Cheese

There's a reason this quick and easy macaroni and cheese recipe is one of our top-rated dishes. It has all of the cheese of a regular recipe, along with pork sausage and green salsa. Top it with tomatoes, jalapeños, and cilantro for a simple meal that couldn't be more delicious.

Macaroni and Cheese with Caramelized Onions

Caramelized onions make everything better—but you know what else makes everything better? Bacon. So both are included in this over-the-top, deceptively easy macaroni and cheese recipe. You're going to want seconds.

South Indian-Style Macaroni and Cheese

This macaroni recipe has all of the classic ingredients you'd expect—lots of cheddar cheese, tender noodles, crispy bread crumbs—but with an added twist. Traditional Indian spices and fresh ginger layer in a bold depth of flavor that makes for a fresh, mouthwatering take on a traditional dish.

Chicken, Macaroni, and Cheese

This stove-top mac and cheese recipe is almost a complete meal on its own, and you don't even have to turn on the oven. Spinach and baby tomatoes bring fresh flavor to this savory garlic-and-herb chicken macaroni.