Plan Ahead Freezer Friendly Macaroni and Cheese
I'm getting Sunday and holiday dinners ready ahead of time with my Make Ahead Freezer Macaroni and Cheese.
Servings 4 loaf pans
Calories 1934kcal
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 small disposable loaf pans
- One pound of elbow noodles
- 3 cups shredded smoked gouda cheese (or Muenster cheese)
- 2 cups shredded gouda cheese (or Colby jack cheese)
- 1/2 cup shredded monteray jack cheese
- 4 and ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 eggs beaten
- 3 cups half and half
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 and ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil in a large pot.
- Once the water is boiling add the pasta to the pot.
- Cook the pasta for about 2 minutes.
- Drain and rinse pasta with cold water to prevent the pasta from overcooking.
- Mix together the eggs, sour cream, half and half, buttermilk, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and sour cream in a large bowl. Then, add the cheeses (except one cup of the sharp cheddar) to the mixture, and mix well
- Add the cooked pasta to the mixture and stir all the ingredients together.
- Place the macaroni mixture in the foil pans.
- Top the macaroni mixture with the reserved cheddar cheese. Lightly season the top of the macaroni mixture with additional fresh cracked black pepper.
- Cover the tops with foil and freeze.
- When ready to bake. Remove from freezer and cook the pan of macaroni and cheese for about one hour to one hour and 30 minutes (or until the macaroni and cheese is heated through) in a 350 degree heated oven. Start checking at the one hour mark.
- Your macaroni and cheese is done when your macaroni and cheese is completely heated through and it has a nice creamy texture when you scoop out a spoon of the casserole.
Notes
- This is a casserole type macaroni and cheese dish.... That means it binds together and is the ingredients are not loose like a boxed macaroni and cheese. If you are looking for that creamy runny texture serve immediately or at least remove it from the heat source so that the pasta can retain as much moisture as possible....
- Also the key to success with this dish is to not overcook the noodles before adding them to the dish. This prevents "mushy" noodles when cooking the noodles for only a few minutes before adding them to the mixture.
- Make sure to put a baking pan under the pans of macaroni and cheese to prevent leaking of oils in the oven while the macaroni and cheese bakes.
- For a creamier version, don't let the macaroni and cheese thaw for 30 minutes.
- Place the frozen macaroni and cheese in a preheated oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. At this time, check the middle to ensure that it warm and cheese has melted. It should look like my updated pictures in this recipe. If it still feels cool to touch, add another 10 to 15 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 1934kcal | Carbohydrates: 104g | Protein: 103g | Fat: 123g | Saturated Fat: 76g | Cholesterol: 533mg | Sodium: 2695mg | Potassium: 1028mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 2962IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 2507mg | Iron: 3mg