This oven baked 5-ingredient Amish baked macaroni and cheese is the kind of dish that shows up at Sunday supper and quietly steals the whole show. My aunt used to slide a big white casserole dish of this onto the table, and before the roast was even carved, everyone had a spoon in the macaroni. It’s an old Midwestern church-basement style recipe: simple pantry ingredients, no fussy roux, yet it comes out unbelievably creamy underneath with a perfectly golden, bubbly crust on top. If you’re looking for a comforting, no-nonsense baked mac and cheese that feels like it’s been in the family for generations, this is it.
Serve this rich, creamy macaroni and cheese as the star of a Sunday supper with sliced ham, pot roast, or crispy fried chicken. A simple green side—like buttered peas, green beans, or a tossed salad with a tangy vinaigrette—helps balance the richness. Warm dinner rolls or a loaf of crusty bread are perfect for scooping up the extra cheesy sauce around the edges of the dish. It also sits nicely on a potluck table alongside baked beans, coleslaw, and a pan of brownies or apple crisp for dessert.
Oven Baked 5-Ingredient Amish Macaroni and CheeseServings: 6-8
Ingredients
12 oz elbow macaroni (about 3 cups dry)
4 cups whole milk
4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
3 large eggs
2 tsp kosher salt (or 1 1/2 tsp table salt)
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly butter or grease a 9x13-inch white casserole dish (or a similar 3-quart baking dish) and set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the elbow macaroni and cook just until very al dente, about 1–2 minutes less than the package directions. The pasta will continue to cook in the oven, so it should still have a firm bite. Drain well and set aside.
While the pasta cooks, warm the milk in a saucepan over low heat or in the microwave until just warm to the touch, not boiling. This helps everything blend smoothly and bake up extra creamy.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and salt together until well blended. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg mixture in a thin stream, whisking constantly so the eggs don’t scramble. This creates a simple custard base that will soak into the pasta and make it creamy.
Stir 3 cups of the shredded cheddar cheese into the warm milk and egg mixture. It doesn’t need to melt completely; just stir until it’s evenly distributed and starting to soften in the warm liquid.
Add the drained macaroni to the prepared casserole dish and spread it into an even layer. Pour the cheesy milk mixture over the pasta, gently stirring and nudging the noodles so the liquid seeps down and everything is coated. The pasta should be mostly submerged in the liquid.
Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheddar evenly over the top of the macaroni. This will form that beautiful golden baked crust.
Place the casserole dish on the middle rack of the preheated oven. Bake for 35–45 minutes, or until the edges are bubbling, the top is deeply golden in spots, and a knife inserted in the center comes out hot and the custard is set (it may still look a bit soft and creamy underneath the crust).
Remove the dish from the oven and let the macaroni and cheese rest for at least 10–15 minutes before serving. This short rest lets the creamy custard thicken and settle so each scoop holds together with a luscious, velvety interior and a crisp, cheesy top.
Serve warm, scooping down through the golden crust to get both the browned cheese on top and the creamy macaroni underneath in every portion.
Variations & Tips
For a little extra comfort, you can swap half of the cheddar for Colby or a mild American-style cheese for an even creamier, more old-fashioned flavor. If your family likes a bit of color, stir in a handful of frozen peas or small broccoli florets (briefly blanched) with the cooked macaroni before baking, though this will technically add more ingredients beyond the core five. To stretch the dish for a crowd, bake it in a slightly larger pan and add up to 1 extra cup of milk, watching the bake time so it still sets nicely. For a deeper golden crust, move the dish to the top rack for the last 5 minutes of baking, or briefly broil, watching closely so the cheese doesn’t scorch. If you prefer a firmer set, add one more egg to the custard; for looser and extra saucy, reduce the eggs to two and add an extra splash of milk. Leftovers reheat well, covered with foil in a low oven with a spoonful of milk drizzled over to bring back the creaminess.
