Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese with Cavatappi

A creamy cheese sauce baked into spiraled cavatappi noodles and topped with some fresh parsley. This creamy baked mac and cheese with cavatappi is sure to give you all of the nostalgic mac and cheese feelings you miss from your childhood.

This mac and cheese recipe is the perfect side dish, especially around the holidays. The thing I love about mac and cheese though is that it is more of a year round holiday side dish. It is not only great for the holiday season, but also for summer July 4th barbecues or a side dish at Easter.

This was inspired by my Smoked Mac and Cheese with Bacon which can also be found on this site, and pairs well with this Double Bacon Smash Burger with Onions and Campfire Sauce.

Ingredients

This recipe does not require many ingredients and is very easy to throw together.

• cavatappi noodles
• butter
• flour
• white cheddar cheese
• cheddar cheese
• heavy whipping cream
• salt and pepper

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a pot, boil cavatappi noodles according to the directions on the package. In a skillet, melt butter. Add in flour to create a roux. Add in heavy cream and mix well. Allow to cook for about 3 minutes and then add in the cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Mix together the cheese sauce and the noodles. Add the cheesy noodles to the casserole dish. Bake 10-15 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.

Don't let the roux cook too long. You don't want the sauce to become too too thick! I highly suggest only letting it simmer in to the heavy cream for about 3 minutes.

Substitutions

• Cavatappi Noodles - if you need to use gluten free noodles, this is perfectly fine and can be switched out.
• Cheese - dairy free cheese can be used as well, just switch it out.
• Heavy Whipping cream - you can switch this out for half and half or almond milk if you need a diary free version.

Variations

There are some fun ways you can change up this recipe too if you desire something a little different!

• Spicy - add chili pepper flakes while cooking to imbue heat into the dish. You can also add a little hot sauce to the cheese sauce if desired. Buffalo mac and cheese is an easy flavor to acquire with this recipe.
• Deluxe - add bacon, because who doesn't love bacon to elevate a dish?
• Kid friendly - this recipe is already totally kid friendly!

Equipment

You don't need much for this recipe, just an oven, a casserole dish and a skillet will do the trick!

Storage

Store leftovers in a Tupperware up to one week. This mac and cheese can also be frozen for up to 6 months.

Top tip

Do not add too much flour! You want your cheese sauce to be thick and creamy, but not too thick.

If you love this recipe, you might also love:

• Tangy and Sweet Amish Style Macaroni Salad
• Honey Sriracha Blue Cheese Burgers with Frizzled Onions
• Cheesy Garlic Buttered Gnocchi

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