Homemade Mac and Cheese

5 from 19 votes
12 Comments

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Homemade Mac and Cheese with ham and peas is a perfect, quick meal that is always creamy and NEVER grainy. Get creative with the add-ins and toppings! 

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese with Ham and Peas.

Oh, the ooey-gooey goodness of homemade mac and cheese! This macaroni and cheese with ham and peas is one of our favorite weeknight meals.

This is THE perfect way to use up leftover ham. It is quick, easy, and versatile. You have SO many options here. Keep it plain or make it fancy. Either way, this will be your new go-to homemade mac and cheese base recipe!

Ingredients for Basic Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

If you aren’t big on ham or peas, this is still the perfect “base” recipe. To kick things off, I use the following ingredients:

  • Elbow macaroni
  • Butter
  • Corn starch
  • Whole milk
  • Ground dry mustard
  • Ham – Add some protein to your mac and cheese.
  • Peas
  • Sharp cheddar cheese – shredded, about 4 cups

Baked Homemade Mac and Cheese

You can make this a couple of different ways. You can do a basic skillet macaroni and cheese by making the entire thing in a skillet and serving it creamy (my kids’ favorite way). The other option is to BAKE it.

The recipe below is for a baked macaroni and cheese with ham and peas. The “topping” is just an added layer of cheese. This makes for a slightly crisp, bubbly layer on the top, which is amazing (and easy).

You can also broil for a minute or two (after cooking in a skillet) instead of baking if you still want the extra creamy noodles and just a light crusty topping. In my opinion, this is the best of both worlds — just be sure to keep an eye on it while broiling, it so it doesn’t get scorched.

I also love making a crumb topping with equal parts Panko bread crumbs and parmesan cheese (about ½ cup each or so). If you want to get even fancier, you can use a stuffing mix as your topping instead. The possibilities are endless!

The Cheese(s)

My favorite cheese to use with homemade mac and cheese is sharp cheddar. Sometimes I even use extra sharp cheddar—the flavor might be a little much for the kids, though. I usually end up doing a blend of cheeses.

The last time I made this I actually used a blend of sharp cheddar and Havarti. I love the taste of the sharp cheddar and the smooth, creaminess of the Havarti. Havarti just melts so well (and gives you those beautiful cheese pulls.. as illustrated below).

Easy baked macaroni skillet with ham and cheese.


Mix-in Options

If ham and peas aren’t your thing, no biggie. You can make your homemade mac and cheese any way you’d like. That’s the beauty of this dish – you can dress it up or down with any additional ingredients you prefer, and it will still come out delicious! Here are a few ideas that you can add in to make this dish your own:

  • Bacon
  • Spinach
  • BBQ pulled pork (seriously though, try it with the BBQ pork because it is amazing)
  • Shrimp
  • Ground beef
  • Broccoli
  • Onions
  • Smoked sausage

Gluten Free Macaroni and Cheese

This homemade mac and cheese can EASILY be made GF, mainly because the roux for the sauce is made with corn starch, not flour, like most recipes.

Really, the only thing you need to do to make this gluten-free is swap out the macaroni noodles for GF mac. We used the Barilla Elbow Macaroni to make the GF version (the Barilla GF pasta have been my favorite GF noodles so far). My family honestly didn’t even taste a difference.

Quick Tips

Remember– make sure the noodles are UNDER cooked, especially if you are going to bake it (same goes for the gluten-free version).

Also, use cheese that has NOT been pre-shredded. Trust me, if you do NOT want a gritty mac and cheese you will shred it yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions

What two-cheese blend makes mac and cheese?

For a mac and cheese recipe, consider the combination of sharper cheddar cheeses and a flavorful Parmesan. The Parmesan cheese adds a boost of fruity, nutty notes to your favorite macaroni recipes. Parmesan is also ideal for grating on top of mac and cheese before you bake it to add golden color.

How do you keep mac and cheese creamy?

Swap rich cream for all or half of the milk in the recipe. Cook your pasta in salted water. Season every layer of your sauce: the roux, after the milk is added, and after the cheese is melted in.

How do you keep mac and cheese from drying out?

You want equal amounts of butter and flour by weight. This is key. Throw in too much flour, and sure the sauce might get thick, but it also might taste floury and be lumpy. Even if you get the roux right, use too much or reduce your sauce down too far, and the macaroni and cheese will turn out dry

How to reheat homemade mac and cheese?

Place the macaroni & cheese into an oven-safe dish. Make sure to only take out what you’re going to use. Add 1 tablespoon of milk per cup of mac and cheese and mix to incorporate as much as possible. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and place in the oven at 350°F for 20-30 minutes, or until heated through.

Read More: 35+ Quick and Easy To Follow Dinner Ideas Your Family Will Surely Love

More Pasta Recipes

In the mood for pasta? The “pasta-bilities” are endless, but check out a few of our favorite pasta recipes below, as you keep calm and pasta on:
Easy Cheese Manicotti
Chicken Parmesan
Easy Beef Stroganoff
Mizithra Pasta
Pizza Pasta Salad
Summer Skillet Pasta

How to Make Homemade Mac and Cheese

Wooden spoon with Homemade Mac and cheese.

Homemade Mac and Cheese

5 from 19 votes
Homemade macaroni and cheese with ham and peas is a perfect, quick meal that is always creamy and NEVER grainy. Get creative with the add-ins and toppings!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings

Video

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees (if baking).
  • Prepare macaroni according to directions on box, removing from the heat about 1 minute before recommended "al dente" cook time. If making GF noodles, check around 4 minutes. Drain noodles and set aside. 
    Cooked pasta in a colander.
  • Melt butter in a large, oven safe skillet or dutch oven over medium heat.
    Dutch oven with melted butter.
  • Slowly add corn starch while stirring constantly with a whisk. Keep stirring for about 1 minute until the roux becomes bubbly. 
    Dutch oven with roux and whisk.
  • Add milk, a little at a time, until sauce becomes thick (you want the consistency of gravy). Add more milk if necessary. If it gets too thin, you can mix a little corn starch with some milk and add it to the mixture to thicken. 
    Dutch oven with milk added to roux and whisk.
  • Add dry mustard, salt and pepper to taste.
    Salting milk mixture in dutch oven with whisk.
  • Add cheese (reserving a little if you want to add cheese to the top as a topping).
    Shredded cheese added to milk sauce in dutch oven and wooden spoon.
  • Add cooked macaroni to the sauce. Stir well to coat.
    Dutch oven with noodles mixed with melted cheese and sauce and wooden spoon.
  • Optional to add ham and peas and stir to combine.
  • If you want a creamier mac and cheese (not baked) reduce heat and cook on stove top until noodles are cooked through. You may need to add a little milk as needed.
  • To bake, add reserved cheese to the top and place in pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes or until cheese topping becomes bubbly. (see notes above)
    Shredded cheese on top of pasta in a dutch oven.
  • Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 3-5 minutes before serving. 
    Baled homemade Mac and cheese in a dutch oven.

Notes

Some other favorite cheeses to make up the cheese sauce:
  • Gruyere
  • Gouda
  • Monterey jack
  • White cheddar
  • Colby jack
But you really can’t go wrong with any cheese and noodles baked golden brown, can you?

Nutrition Information

Calories: 597kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 29gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 95mgSodium: 653mgPotassium: 388mgFiber: 3gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 1030IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 529mgIron: 2mg

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About the author

Erica Walker

Erica lives in Boise, Idaho with her husband, Jared, an attorney, and her three beautiful girls. Beyond the world of recipes, she loves adventuring with everything from kayaking, to cruising, to snowboarding and taking the family along for the thrill ride.

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5 from 19 votes (15 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Fabulous recipe – just have to make sure to prep materials in advance as it comes together very quickly.

  2. I would like to try this recipe ( I have so much left over ham from the holidays)! Do you think instead of using whole milk, I could use unsweetened almond milk?

    1. I have had pretty good success substituting almond milk in recipes like this. The sauce might turn out a little thinner, but I think it will work pretty well!

    1. We are so glad you like it! I always hesitate to make mac & cheese ahead because I think it taste the best and has the best texture when it is fresh. However, if you do want to try it, I would suggest following the steps up until the baking step. Then, put the mixture in a casserole dish, cover it with foil, and freeze it. When you’re ready to use it, bake until it is heated all the way through. Add the reserved cheese and then bake again until the top layer of cheese is melted. Let me know how it goes if you try it!

    1. I haven’t tried freezing it so I can definitively say how it would affect the taste or texture of the dish. Let us know how it turns out if you do freeze it!

  3. 5 stars
    Best recipe I have found! I only replaced the cornstarch with flour. My husband says the best Baked Mac N Cheese with Ham & Peas he has had! Your ideas about extra sharp cheddar added the ump I needed!
    Thanks!

    1. Hi Joanne- so happy you liked this recipe! I consider anything that is husband-approved a big win! Thanks for the 5-stars!