No Boil Easy Mac and Cheese {Overnight!}

You don’t even need to boil the pasta for this 5-ingredient, dump-and-bake, easy mac and cheese! Serve the comfort food classic as a side dish for holidays and potlucks, or as an entrée on a busy weeknight. It’s delicious alongside fried chicken, pot roast, roast chicken, and meatloaf!

Easy Baked Mac and Cheese

Yep, you read that right — this is an easy mac and cheese recipe that doesn’t even require you to boil the noodles before it goes into the oven! Now, this is not a creamy baked mac and cheese that starts with a béchamel cheese sauce made from a flour and butter roux. If that’s what you’re looking for, you need to try this popular recipe.

Instead, this is a more traditional Southern baked macaroni and cheese recipe, with a firm texture that’s made from a simple combination of noodles, butter, cheese, and milk. These types of mac and cheese don’t use creamy sauces, but instead often contain eggs to help the dish “set up.” The eggs aren’t necessary here, though. Everything cooks together in one dish, so the macaroni absorbs the milk, and you’re left with an incredibly cheesy, indulgent, flavorful mac and cheese bake — with very little effort!

The Origin of this Overnight Mac and Cheese Recipe

I can’t take credit for this cheesy perfection, since my hairdresser gave me the recipe almost 15 years ago! She has three boys of her own, and she was so excited to tell me about this “method” for preparing mac and cheese because her family has always loved it. She shares the recipe with customers and friends regularly, and often hears stories about folks making it again, and again, and again.

Since originally posting this recipe on my site back in 2016, I’ve heard from a number of you who have made it a staple in your home as well. In fact, blog readers have served the dish at weddings, funerals, and Thanksgiving feasts. What an honor!

Ingredients

This is just a quick overview of the simple ingredients that you’ll need to make a pan of easy mac and cheese. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.

• Uncooked elbow macaroni: do not cook the pasta before adding it to the pan. I have not tested this recipe with other noodle shapes, which might change the cooking time. Stick with elbows for a classic mac and cheese!
• Sharp cheddar cheese: grate the cheese by hand, rather than using a package of pre-shredded cheese. The packaged shredded cheese includes stabilizers and anti-caking agents that prevent it from melting as smoothly as a hand-grated block of cheddar. Feel free to experiment with combinations of other good melting cheeses, such as Velveeta, mozzarella, Pepper Jack, Gouda, Colby, Gruyere, and Colby-Jack.
• Butter: just enough to add some richness to the dish.
• Kosher salt: to flavor the pasta as it cooks.
• Milk: I prefer whole milk, but you can use low-fat milk as well.

The Best Cheese to Use

The cheese that you use for mac and cheese is really a matter of personal preference. I love classic sharp cheddar here, which is a flavorful cheese that also melts nicely. You can mix it up and use a combination of any good melting cheeses, such as Velveeta (American), Colby or Colby-Jack, Gruyere, Pepper Jack or Monterey Jack, gouda, smoked gouda, Swiss, or mozzarella. A sprinkling of Parmesan cheese on top is also a nice addition. The options are endless, so pick your favorites!

How to Make Easy Mac and Cheese

The only hard part about this recipe is remembering to prep it ahead so that the noodles have time to soak in the milk overnight (or for at least 8-12 hours)!

1. Spread half of the uncooked macaroni in the bottom of a greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
2. Sprinkle with half of the cheese, dot with half of the butter, and sprinkle with half of the salt.
3. Repeat the layers using the remaining noodles, cheese, butter, and salt.
4. Pour milk evenly over the top.
5. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for about 24 hours.
6. Bake, covered, in a 350°F oven for a total of about 45 minutes, removing the foil during the final 10 minutes to allow the top to brown.

What to Serve with Easy Homemade Mac and Cheese

Serve this mac and cheese as a lunch or dinner entrée and your family will be thrilled! Just add a house salad, tomato salad, or Caesar salad, roasted broccoli, Southern-style green beans, or collard greens on the side. We also love a basket of flaky biscuits, blueberry muffins, apple bread, cornbread, or corn sticks on the table to round out the meal.

If you’re serving the mac and cheese as a side dish, here are some entrées that go well with the casserole:

• Meatloaf
• Fried Chicken Cutlets and Country Gravy
• Dutch Oven Pork Roast or 5-Ingredient Pork Sirloin Roast
• Baked Baby Back Ribs
• Ham Steak with Brown Sugar Glaze
• Grilled New York Strip Steak
• Chicken Fried Steak with Gravy
• Fried Pork Chops
• Crispy Fried Chicken or Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Tenders
• Roast Chicken
• Dutch Oven Pot Roast or Mississippi Pot Roast
• Slow Cooker Turkey Breast or Oven Roasted Turkey
• Pineapple Glazed Ham or Crock Pot Ham with Cola Glaze
• Glazed Ham Steaks
• Crock Pot Pulled Pork, Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork, or Cider-Braised Pulled Pork
• Mississippi Roasted Pork Shoulder
• Grilled BBQ Pork Chops
• Grilled BBQ Chicken
• Dutch Oven BBQ Beef
• Oven Baked Pork Tenderloin or Mustard and Brown Sugar Baked Pork Tenderloin
• Crispy Southern Fried Catfish

Storage

Store leftover baked macaroni and cheese in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. I do not recommend freezing the leftover mac and cheese. The texture of the pasta will be mushy when thawed.

How to Reheat

Cover the dish loosely with foil and reheat in a 350°F oven just until warmed through. You can remove the foil cover during the final few minutes to allow the top to get nice and crispy again. To reheat individual servings, just cover loosely and microwave for 30 seconds – 1 minute (or until warm).

Recipe Variations

• Use a combination of just about any flavorful melting cheeses that you prefer. For instance, try Velveeta (American), Colby or Colby-Jack, Gruyere, Pepper Jack or Monterey Jack, gouda, smoked gouda, Swiss, or mozzarella. The options are endless, so pick your favorites!
• Add toasted breadcrumbs (like these) to the top of the dish after you remove the cover during the final 10 minutes.
• Whisk a little bit of garlic powder or hot sauce into the milk mixture for even more flavor.
• Bulk up the meal with vegetables like frozen peas or broccoli. If using a firm vegetable like broccoli, it’s best to parboil or steam the broccoli before adding it to the dish.
• Add meat such as crispy bacon, leftover ham, or shredded, cooked chicken.
• Cooking for a smaller family? Cut all of the ingredients in half and bake the casserole in an 8-inch square dish.

Tips for the Best Easy Mac and Cheese Recipe

• This is a firm-style mac and cheese, with a drier texture since the cooked pasta soaks up the milk as it bakes. If you prefer a creamy mac and cheese that starts with a roux and cheese sauce, try this creamy baked mac and cheese recipe or these creamy stovetop shells and cheese.
• Refrigerate the casserole for about 24 hours before baking, allowing the noodles to soften as they soak in the milk. At a minimum, let the noodles soak for at least 8-12 hours.
• Start with blocks of cheese that you grate yourself at home, rather than using bags of pre-shredded cheese from the store. The pre-shredded cheese includes stabilizers and other ingredients to prevent the cheese from clumping, which inhibits its ability to melt smoothly in the dish.
• If you prefer a crispier, darker brown top on your mac and cheese, place the dish under the broiler during the final minute or two of baking. Just keep a close eye on it so that the cheese (or bread crumbs) on top don’t burn.
• Garnish the dish with chives, parsley, green onions, or a dash of paprika just before serving.

More Mac and Cheese Recipes to Try

• Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese
• Stovetop Mac and Cheese
• Crock Pot Mac and Cheese
• Shells and Cheese
• Southern Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

This recipe was originally published in February, 2016. The photos were updated in January, 2022.