Spaghetti Mac & Cheese

Spaghetti mac and cheese is a deliciously creamy pasta casserole that you can have on your table in a snap! A thick four cheese sauce coats thin spaghetti noodles in tons of rich flavor.

If there’s one food that my kids will never turn down it, it’s mac and cheese.

And to be honest, my husband and I won’t turn it down either.

Because the cheesy noodles grace our table so often, I try to add variety.

And this spaghetti mac and cheese is a nice variation that I stumbled on one day when all I had in my pantry was thin spaghetti instead of elbows or other shorter, thicker pastas.

It’s super delicious and feels even cheesier thanks to the thinner noodles making the sauce feel extra thick.

Ingredients

To make this you’ll need:

• Spaghetti– Thin spaghetti noodles are best but angel hair pasta is too thin. You could also use regular spaghetti.
• Cheese– Shredded fontina, shredded sharp cheddar, and a blend of shredded Swiss and gruyere.
• Butter– You can use either salted or unsalted
• Evaporated milk– Do not accidently substitute sweetened condensed milk
• Heavy cream– A lower fat dairy won’t do! You will lose a lot of that velvety creaminess that you want in this dish.
• Spices– Ground mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper

How to Make

Making mac and cheese with spaghetti noodles is easy and pretty similar to making regular mac and cheese.

To do it, cook the spaghetti to al dente according to the package directions.

Drain the cook pasta.

While pasta cooks, melt the butter to a large pot set over medium heat.

Once the butter has melted, whisk in the flour to make a roux.

Let it cook, stirring constantly, for about 60 seconds or until it forms a golden paste. 

Once the flour and butter is a golden paste like consistency, slowly whisk in the milk and cream, a little at a time.

When you’ve incorporated all of the milk and cream, whisk in the mustard, garlic and onion powder, and pepper. 

Let the mixture cook for 5 minutes or just until it thickens, whisking constantly.

Then toss all of the cheeses together a large mixing bowl to combine them.

Stir in 3/4’s of the cheese mixture into the cream sauce.

Let it cook, stirring often, until the cheese is melted and smooth.

Once the cheese is melted and smooth, gently stir the pasta into the cheese sauce.

Transfer the spaghetti mac and cheese to a 9×13″ baking dish and spread out in an even layer.

Top the pasta with the remaining cheese. spreading it evenly out overtop.

Bake at 400° for 15 – 20 minutes, just until hot and bubbly.

Carefully remove the hot dish from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes.

Serve warm and enjoy!

Storing Leftovers

Store leftovers either tightly covered with foil right in the baking dish or in an airtight container.

Refrigerate for up to 5 days.

Keep in mind the sauce will thicken as it sits in the fridge.

Reheat the leftovers in a hot oven until warmed through or in the microwave.

Tips and Tricks

• Want to add some protein? Stir some shredded rotisserie chicken into the pasta and cheese sauce prior to transferring it to the casserole dish.
• You could also add some veggies and stir in chopped steamed broccoli florets or peas prior to putting the pasta into the casserole dish.
• Don’t skip letting the spaghetti mac and cheese rest. The casserole needs this time for the sauce to thicken up and set before you cut into it.

Other Mac and Cheese Recipes

Spaghetti mac and cheese is a delicious variation of baked mac and cheese that you will love.

Make it and enjoy!

Looking for other mac and cheese recipes?

Try these:

• Firehouse Mac And Cheese
• Philly Cheesesteak Mac & Cheese
• Creamed Spinach Mac And Cheese
• Pizza Macaroni & Cheese

If you’ve tried this SPAGHETTI MAC AND CHEESE, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!