Easy baked macaroni and cheese made without eggs, a roux, or evaporated milk. Cooked macaroni is mixed with milk, cream, cream cheese, butter, and shredded cheese, then baked with a golden, bubbly topping.
3tablespoonsbuttermelted, plus more for greasing the dish
4ouncesblock cream cheesesoftened
2 1/2eight ounce blocks cheesefreshly shredded and divided; reserve about 2 cups for the topping and use the remainder in the filling (such as Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, mozzarella, or Pepper Jack)
Method
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Cook 8 ounces of macaroni al dente according to the package directions. Drain well and return the macaroni to the pot, off the heat.
Add the softened cream cheese, whole milk, heavy whipping cream, melted butter, salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika. Stir until combined, breaking up any large lumps of cream cheese.
Reserve about 2 cups of the freshly shredded cheese for the topping. Gently stir all the remaining shredded cheese into the macaroni mixture until just combined.
Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the reserved cheese evenly over the top.
Bake uncovered for 35 minutes, or until golden and bubbly. If the topping browns too quickly, loosely cover with foil.
