This three-cheese baked mac & cheese is a total game-changer. My sister is allergic to eggs, so I’ve become well-versed in whipping up egg-free versions of classic comfort foods (especially the ones that show up at holidays)! This baked mac & cheese takes after my old-school mac & cheese, just without the eggs. If you need it to be completely gluten-free, just swap in your favorite wheat allergy-friendly pasta no problem!

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It’s a creamy mac & cheese made with a silky cheese sauce base, layered with a generous hand of cheddar, gouda, and mozzarella cheese and baked until bubbly and golden on top. Whether you’re serving it as a main dish or a side, this one’s all about that nostalgic, ultra-satisfying cheese pull and rich flavor without the extra steps or ingredients. If you’re craving something a little more indulgent, try my Old Bay crab mac & cheese for a seafood version that hits hard.

Easy, cozy, and packed with flavor, this might just become your new favorite recipe! Stumped on what to serve along with this mac & cheese? Check out this recipe for Jamaican-style oxtail or this whole-roasted orange maple chicken!

Key Ingredients

Elbow pasta. The classic choice for a baked macaroni cheese but any short pasta that’s either hollow or has a corkscrew-like shape (cavatappi, rotini, fusilli etc) will work. The aim here is more surface area for the cheese sauce!

Medium cheddar. The main cheese for this mac & cheese recipe – it provides a robust flavor and has a decent melt. If you like a more tangy macaroni and cheese go for sharp or extra-sharp cheddar!

Young gouda. A soft cheese with a mild, nutty flavor. Young gouda is soft and melts incredibly while aged gouda is much firmer and doesn’t melt as smoothly. You can opt for smoked gouda for an extra layer of flavor but to avoid an overpowering flavor, I recommend only substituting half of the total 16 ounces called for with smoked gouda.! Colby jack is a good substitute.

Mozzarella. Helps to balance the flavors especially if you opt for sharp cheddar and/or smoked gouda. Incredible melt lending for a drool-worthy cheese-pull! Use low-moisture mozzarella instead of fresh mozzarella (usually sold in logs or pearls & submerged in water) for this recipe. Low -moisture mozzarella is less likely to separate.
Monterey jack or fontina are good substitutes.

Evaporated milk. Has a slightly sweeter flavor than whole milk and makes for a more stable emulsion when making the cheese sauce due to the higher concentration of milk solids.

Spices. Chili powder, parsley and salt.

Tips for Making the Best Baked Mac & Cheese

Use cheese from the block, not pre shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheese tends to have anti-caking agents mixed in to prevent the cheese from becoming a single glob. This is convenient for things like quesadillas or dishes where the cheese isn’t melted but does not give you a lovely gooey, melty consistency in a baked mac & cheese. Instead the cheese shreds can tend to melt within their own bubbles instead of cohesively together.

Freeze the cheese blocks before shredding. This recipe uses 2 particularly soft cheeses – mozzarella and young gouda. These cheeses are a little difficult to shred by hand and often give machines (if using) a hard time since it gets stuck as the machine heats up while running. Freezing the cheese til firm helps to make to process easier! The cheddar cheese does not need to be frozen since even mild cheddar is relatively firm.

Don’t add oil to the pasta water for boiling. While the pasta boils a thick, pasty layer of starch forms on the outside. This helps the cheese sauce stick to the pasta and adds to the creaminess of the mac & cheese. Adding oil would make the outside of the pasta slick, preventing the sauce and cheese from really clinging and marrying with the elbows.

On that same note, don’t rinse the pasta after draining it! Rinsing will wash off that important soft starchy layer that helps the cheese sauce stick to the pasta. The starchy layer becomes a part of the cheese sauce once the elbow pasta is mixed and helps to stabilize the emulsion so you don’t end up with an oily mess.

Only sub in 8 ounces of the gouda for the smoked version if using. Cheese absorbs flavor really well and and this recipe calls for a considerable amount of gouda. 8 ounces smoked gouda will provide more than enough of that smoky savory flavor without being overpowering and masking the other flavors in this mac & cheese. Use an additional 8 ounces of plain young gouda for the total 16 ounces of gouda called for in this recipe.

Why is my Mac & Cheese greasy when reheated?

If cheese is heated incorrectly or too fast the solids separate from the fat resulting in rubbery globs in a pool of grease. There are several steps taken in this recipe to reduce that risk when baking the mac & cheese including using evaporated milk over whole milk for the cheese sauce and only using the mozzarella in layering and not the sauce. Any mac & cheese recipe will be best fresh out of the oven and have a risk of some oil separating out when reheated but here are some tips to mitigate that risk.

If you can help it, don’t use the microwave. Microwaves are designed to heat foods very rapidly. This is a recipe for disaster since gradual heating is the key to a smooth reheated baked mac & cheese. In addition, microwaves tend to not heat evenly. Instead, opt for reheating in the oven covered at a low temperature (between 275 – 325°F). Alternatively, you can do this on stovetop, setting your burner to the lowest setting and covering the macaroni and cheese. Skipping the microwave is more time intensive but will yield better results!
Add a couple tablespoons of milk to the pan of macaroni cheese. The milk will create steam as it heats which helps the cheese melt more evenly. For reheating purposes whole milk will do just fine.
Stir the crab mac & cheese once it becomes pliable enough to move around. You’ll have to sacrifice the crisp cheese crust when you opt to reheat a mac & cheese. Stir to redistribute the cheese so that there are no hot or cold spots. You can also add a couple more tablespoons of milk as needed at this stage as well!
If you insist on reheating in the microwave do so in a covered container to help create a steamy environment. Additionally, spread the mac & cheese across the bottom of the chosen container instead of piling it into one big blob. This will help promote more even heating.

How to Make this Three-Cheese Baked Mac & Cheese

Step 1. Preheat oven to 400°F

Step 2. Shred the cheeses, mixing the medium cheddar and gouda cheese together in one bowl and the mozzarella in a separate bowl by itself. Mozzarella separates really easily and this can happen if it exposed to prolonged and or high heat. Using the mozzarella in layering and not in the cheese sauce avoids this.

bowl of grated mozzarella & bowl of grated medium cheddar and gouda cheese

Step 3. Cook macaroni according to package directions until cooked. Drain and set aside. Al dente pasta still has some bite to it but for this recipe the pasta needs to be fully cooked at this stage. Once it is placed in the oven this will only be to melt the cheeses on top and used in layering.
Avoid having you pasta sit in the hot water until ready as it will continue to cook and the mac & cheese will turn out mushy. It’s ok if the pasta sticks together once drained – they will separate once mixed in to the cheese sauce.

evaporated milk with herbs in a dutch oven

Make the Cheese Sauce

Step 4. In a saucepan over medium heat, add the evaporated milk, parsley, chili powder & salt. Stir to incorporate and once the milk starts to release steam turn down to low heat. The milk should be hot but still feel comfortable in your palm.
Keeping the heat low prevents the cheese from separating into grease and a gluey mess. Your cheese sauce should never boil/bubble at any point.

evaporated milk, parsley, chili powder & salt in a dutch oven

Step 5. Add half of the cheddar/gouda mixture to the evaporated milk and stir continuously until the cheese has completely melted.
It is extremely important to keep the heat low while making the sauce. Do not increase the heat in an effort to melt the cheese faster as this could separate the cheese and cause it to seize.

cheese sauce for baked macaroni & cheese

Step 6. Turn off the heat and immediately add the boiled macaroni to the cheese sauce. Mix to evenly coat all the pasta in the cheese sauce. The mixture will thicken a bit – this is fine. As you agitate the pasta, it will release some of its starch, thickening the sauce slightly and making it more cohesive.

Layering the Mac & Cheese for Baking

Step 7. Add the shredded mozzarella from earlier to the rest of the shredded cheddar/gouda mixture and mix to evenly incorporate. This will be used for layering.

bowl of shredded mozzarella, medium cheddar & gouda cheese

Step 8. Spread about a third of the cheesy macaroni in an even layer across the bottom of greased baking dish. Sprinkle an even layer of a third of the shredded cheese mixture containing the mozzarella, cheddar & gouda. Repeat this twice more until everything has been used.

layering shredded cheese in a casserole dish with cheesy elbow macaroni for a baked mac & cheese

Step 9. Bake your assembled three cheese mac & cheese uncovered on the top rack of your oven at 400°F for 8-10 minutes or until browned only. The pasta is already cooked so you only need to melt the cheese here. Do not allow the mac & cheese to bake for more than 15 minutes as the fat will start to separate from the cheese causing it to be oily instead of creamy.

Garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately for optimal cheesy goodness! Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 4 days for optimal texture.