Easy Baked Mac and Cheese Ritz Cracker Recipe

This easy American Baked Mac and Cheese is gooey and cheesy with a fabulous buttery Ritz cracker topping. Enjoy it as a comforting main dish or as a lovable side.

(This recipe was originally published in August 2016, but was updated with new photos and content in 2022).

This is my friend Camille's (and her mom Claudia's) famous baked macaroni and cheese with American cheese. I remember loving this baked mac and cheese with Ritz crackers when I was a young teen, and I still love it after all these years!

It's a very classic American macaroni and cheese, and even utilizes American cheese. This is seriously the creamiest and cheesiest mac and cheese. It's delicious as a main dish or side dish. I particularly love pairing it with smoked, barbecued, or grilled proteins throughout the summer.

One of my favorite things about this dish, is that it also reheats considerably well. I find that with many other mac and cheese recipes using other types of cheese, when reheating, the fat separates from the cheese and the result is very oily and greasy. That is not the case with this recipe.

Thanks Camille for allowing me to share your fabulous American mac and cheese recipe!

Ingredient notes

• Macaroni: You can't make macaroni and cheese without the macaroni. I recommend using Barilla Cellentani (similar to cavatappi), but you also could use elbows or another short pasta shape.
• Cheese: Although I love more sophisticated cheeses in my macaroni and cheese (and everywhere else), there is something so comforting and delicious about using American cheese in baked mac and cheese. Camille stresses that the best (and only) way to make this is with white Land O'Lakes American cheese, and that it just isn't the same with any other cheese. Get it from the supermarket deli counter cut into larger chunks so you can easily shred it on a box grater.
• Ritz Crackers: While a breadcrumb crust is delicious on baked macaroni and cheese, using crushed up buttery Ritz crackers really can't be beat. Crush them up on a zip-top plastic bag or in a mixing bowl, but leave some slightly bigger pieces so you have a mix of textures on top.

How to make it

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 13-by-9-inch (3 quart) baking dish and set aside.

Cook the pasta in salted boiling until almost al dente. Drain in a colander and set aside.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large pot and add the onions. Sauté until the onions are softened (PHOTO 1), and then add in the flour, stirring constantly (PHOTO 2).

When the flour mixture starts to bubble, slowly stir in the milk, salt, and pepper. Keep stirring over medium-high heat, and once the milk is simmering, add in the shredded American cheese (PHOTO 3). Stir until creamy (PHOTO 4).

Remove the cheese mixture from the heat and add the strained pasta (PHOTO 5). Combine until well mixed (PHOTO 6).

Pour the pasta and cheese sauce into the prepared baking dish.

Combine the crushed crackers and melted butter in a mixing bowl and then sprinkle over the top.

Cover tightly with foil and bake for about 45 minutes. Uncover, then bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes until the crumb topping is golden brown and the edges are bubbly.

Let the American mac and cheese cool for at least 15 minutes before serving to allow it to set.

Expert tips

This recipe serves 8 people as a main dish, and even more if you serve it as a side dish. You can also easily halve or double the recipe based on how many people you'd like to serve (the photos in this post are of a half recipe). Bake it for a bit less time if you're making less, about 30 minutes covered, and 15 minutes uncovered.

To freeze, assemble (but don't bake) the casserole. Tightly wrap with plastic wrap and then foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely in the refrigerator, remove the plastic wrap and rewrap with the foil before baking. I find that baking from a frozen state yields very uneven baking and takes forever.

If baking from a cold state right out of the fridge, you'll need to add some extra baking time. Use visual cues to determine when it's ready. It should be bubbly and golden.

Other recipes you may like

• Baked Pasta Bianca with Five Cheeses
• Chorizo Mac and Cheese
• Baked Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
• Veggie Mac and Cheese Primavera
• Trinidad Macaroni Pie
• Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese

Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can alsofollow me on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!

Macaroni and Cheese:

• ▢ 1 pound (16 ounces) short pasta or macaroni, such as cellentani, cavatappi or elbows
• ▢ 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter
• ▢ ¼ cup finely chopped onion
• ▢ ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 4 cups milk
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 1 ½ pounds (24 ounces) white Land O'Lakes American cheese, shredded

Topping:

• ▢ 20 Ritz crackers, crushed
• ▢ 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter, melted

• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 13-by-9-inch (3 quart) baking dish and set aside.

• Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the pasta until about 2 to 3 minutes shy of al dente (that's about 9 to 10 minutes total cooking time for cellentani). Do not overcook the pasta because it will get mushy once it bakes. Drain in a colander and set aside.

• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large pot and add the onions. Sauté until the onions are softened, about 1 to 2 minutes, and then add in the flour, stirring constantly.

• When the flour mixture starts to bubble, slowly stir in the milk, salt, and pepper. Keep stirring over medium-high heat, and once the milk starts to simmer but not boil, add in the shredded American cheese.

• Stir until creamy. You shouldn't see any strings of cheese left in the mixture. Lower the heat and continue stirring constantly, or else it will stick to the bottom of the pot. It will be significantly thicker once all the cheese has melted.

• Remove the cheese mixture from the heat and add the strained pasta. Combine until well mixed, then pour the pasta and cheese sauce into the prepared baking dish.

• Combine the crushed crackers and melted butter in a mixing bowl and then sprinkle over the top of the macaroni and cheese.

• Cover tightly with foil and bake for about 45 minutes. Uncover, then bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes until the crumb topping is golden brown and the edges are bubbly.

• Let the macaroni and cheese cool for at least 15 minutes before serving to allow it to set.

• The best way to make this is with white Land O'Lakes American cheese. It just isn't the same with any other cheese. Get it from the supermarket deli counter cut into larger chunks so you can easily shred it on a box grater.
• This recipe serves 8 people as a main dish, and even more if you serve it as a side dish. You can also easily halve or double the recipe based on how many people you'd like to serve. Bake it for a bit less time if you're making less, about 30 minutes covered, and 15 minutes uncovered.
• To freeze, assemble (but don't bake) the casserole. Tightly wrap with plastic wrap and then foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely in the refrigerator, remove the plastic wrap and rewrap with the foil before baking. I find that baking from a frozen state yields very uneven baking and takes forever.
• If baking from a cold state right out of the fridge, you'll need to add some extra baking time. Use visual cues to determine when it's ready. It should be bubbly and golden.

Calories: 693 kcal | Carbohydrates: 63 g | Protein: 27 g | Fat: 41 g | Saturated Fat: 22 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2 g | Cholesterol: 98 mg | Sodium: 307 mg | Potassium: 443 mg | Fiber: 2 g | Sugar: 15 g

*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*

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Source: https://mission-food.com/camilles-macaroni-and-cheese/

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