Macaroni and Cheese for a Crowd

Do you need to feed a lot of people? Will they be looking for something warm, comforting and creamy? Look no further! This Mac and Cheese for a Crowd is the perfect recipe. It’s great on its own as the main dish, or as a side dish to accompany meats and vegetables.

Kids Love This Recipe

Earlier this year, my daughter invited 35 friends to our house for her 16th birthday. It would have been so easy to order pizza and be done with the meal planning. But pizza for 36 hungry teenagers plus my family is expensive. And I wanted to offer more balance with quality protein, carbs, and vegetables. We decided on a full menu of grilled chicken, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, green salad and homemade garlic bread. I was able to make almost everything the day before the party. The kids ate every morsel, and had second helpings.

Use the best quality butter and cheese you can find. I used a combination of extra sharp Tillamook cheddar and baby swiss cheeses.

This is a roux (sounds like “roo”). It’s flour and butter cooked together until the flour taste is gone. Roux makes macaroni and cheese smooth and thick. Whisk constantly to prevent the roux from burning.

Add in the milk and mustard and keep whisking until smooth.

Next come the eggs. But adding them directly into the saucepan right now would result in scrambled eggs. We don’t want that. To avoid scrambled eggs in your macaroni and cheese, use a technique called tempering.

To temper the eggs, add a little bit of the hot milk/butter/flour sauce to the eggs and stir rapidly using a fork or a whisk.

Once fully integrated, the smooth tempered egg mixture can now be added back to the main saucepan, and viola! No scrambled eggs.

Now we’re ready for all that yummy cheese. Add it to the saucepan and mix.

Smooth, delicious cheese sauce, ready for spices and cooked macaroni…

Hello spices!

Hello macaroni!

Add to a buttered baking dish and bake! Most grocery stores carry disposable aluminum pans for around $5 or $6 each. I like to have a few of these pans in my pantry for those occasions when I bring food to potlucks, etc. Amazon sells them for in a quantity of 5 for much less than my grocery store.

It Started With Toast participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. When you click a link in one of my posts and make a purchase, It Started With Toast receives a small commission at no cost to you. Happy shopping and thank you in advance for the support! 

Print

Macaroni and Cheese for a Crowd

Cheesy, creamy, satisfying home-cooked comfort food at its finest. Perfect for parties or events, this macaroni and cheese for a crowd recipe is sure to delight. 

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword comfort food, mac and cheese, macaroni and cheese, main dish, pasta, side dish, vegetarian

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 16 people

Author Jessica Nelson

Ingredients

• 8 cups dried macaroni
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 5 cups milk whole milk recommended
• 2 tsp dried mustard
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, shredded save 2 tbsp for topping
• 1 pound swiss cheese, shredded
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp seasoned salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme

Instructions

1. Follow package instructions for the macaroni, but cook to a very firm texture. Don't let it get soft. It should seem almost undercooked. The macaroni will soften up more later on when its combined with all of the other ingredients and baked. Once the macaroni is cooked, drain and set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350°.

3. Using a large pot, melt butter over medium low heat and add the flour. Whisk constantly for approximately 6 minutes. The butter and the flour should be integrated and slightly bubbly. Watch the temperature to avoid burning. 

4. Add the milk and mustard, whisking to a smooth consistency. Whisk regularly for approximately 8 minutes, until thick. Reduce heat to low. 

5. Temper the eggs. To do this, scoop out 1/2 cup of the butter/flour/milk mixture from the pot, and slowly pour it into the beaten eggs in a separate bowl, all while whisking constantly. 

6. Now add the egg mixture back into the sauce in the larger pot. Whisk constantly until smooth and integrated. 

7. Add the cheeses and stir to melt and integrate. 

8. Add in the salt and seasonings. 

9. Add in the cooked macaroni and stir until all macaroni is coated with the sauce. 

10. Pour into two, buttered 9x13 rectangular baking pans or one large 10x13 deep dish baking pan. Sprinkle tops with 2 tbsp of shredded cheese. Bake for 25 minutes until golden and bubbly.