If it doesn’t pop, add a touch more salt to the pot.

Salt and Pepper: Nobody wants an unseasoned cheese sauce! Make sure that you taste the sauce before serving.

It adds a lovely silky texture, and since it has a little zinginess, it brightens up the flavor a bit.

Cream cheese: The mac and cheese would be excellent with just cheddar cheese added, but to make it ultra creamy, we’ll stir in some cream cheese.

I know it’s extra prep time, but hand-grated cheese melts so much easier into the sauce. Whatever cheese you use, it’s best to grate it yourself. For more cheese suggestions see our notes below.

Cheddar cheese: Whenever we make macaroni and cheese, we reach for sharp white cheddar cheese.

That said, salted butter will work if that is all that you have. We like to use unsalted butter for this and then adjust salt to taste when making the sauce.

Butter and Flour: It’s the combination of butter and flour that thicken the sauce.

Elbow macaroni and shells are great options. Look for pasta that will hold onto the creamy sauce.

Pasta: The shape and size are entirely up to you.

To make our go-to macaroni and cheese, you will need the following: We’re going to call this our basic mac and cheese - not because it isn’t incredibly delicious, but because it’s the perfect base for other variations.

How to make a cheese sauce for noodles